Honey and Your Health

Natural honey has been used by mankind for the past 2,500 years, according to the Web site www.organicfacts.net. The numerous health benefits of honey have made the food an important aspect of traditional medicines. Some of the health benefits include:

Energy Source: Honey can be used as a source of energy since it provides about 64 calories per tablespoon. One tablespoon of sugar will give you about 50 calories. The sugars in honey can be easily converted into glucose by even the most sensitive stomachs, meaning it is very easy to digest.

Weight Loss: Honey when consumed with warm water also helps in digesting the fat stored in your body. Similarly honey and lemon juice and honey and cinnamon are said to help in reducing weight.

Improving Athletic Performance: Recent research has shown that honey is an excellent aid in boosting the performance of athletes. Honey facilitates in maintaining blood sugar levels, muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration after a workout.

Source of Vitamins and Minerals: Honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. The vitamin and mineral content of honey depends on the type of flowers used for agriculture.

Anti-bacterial and Anti-fungal Properties: Due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, honey can be used as a natural antiseptic.

Antioxidants: Honey contains nutraceuticals, which are effective in removing free radicals from the body. As a result, immunity is improved.

Skin Care with Milk and Honey: Milk and honey both help to make skin smooth, which is why the two are often used in facial masques and consuming them together daily in the morning is a common practice in many countries.

Wound Healing: Scientists are also researching the benefits of honey in modern medicine, especially its benefit in healing wounds. For instance, honey possesses antimicrobial properties, it speeds up the healing process by stimulating wound tissues, and it also helps in promoting moist wound healing.

Source: http://www.organicfacts.net.

Honey is one of the oldest and most reliable sweeteners known to man, dating back thousands of years. Produced by the honey bee, there are more than 300 varieties available. A few of the more common varieties we might see on the grocery store shelves include tupelo, clover and buckwheat. Twenty-five percent sweeter than sugar, honey has gotten a bit of a bad rap as a highly caloric and less-than-nutritious additive. Fortunately, honey’s nutritive properties far outweigh the calories it contains. Unlike table sugar, honey is metabolized much slower. Because it breaks down so slowly, a “sugar high” is much less likely to occur. One of the least-know benefits of honey is that it’s antibacterial. Whereas other sweeteners, such as table sugar, ferment in our stomach, creating swarms of bad bacteria, honey actual helps prevent the formation of bad bacteria. What’s more, honey also contains vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6, not to mention the minerals zinc, copper and iodine. Most recently, honey has made headlines because of its incredible antioxidant properties. It’s those antioxidants that help protect us from the free radicals that wreak havoc on our body. No other sweetener could compare to that!

Honey is one of the few foods, that when stored in a sealed container, can last for decades. Over time, honey will begin to crystallize. If the honey in your cabinet has formed granules, don’t worry, it hasn’t gone bad. Simply place the container of honey in a bowl of warm water and stir until the granules have dissolved. Used in everything from oatmeal to salad dressings and pies to smoothies, honey is a perfectly acceptable substitute for sugar. However, since it’s so much sweeter than sugar, there are a few general rules to follow when cooking or baking with honey. First, you’ll need to reduce the amount of honey used in a recipe calling for sugar by about one-third. Since about one-fifth of honey is water, you’ll also need to slightly reduce the amount of liquids used in the recipe. Finally, since honey has a tendency to burn faster than sugar, reduce the cooking or baking temperature by about 25 degrees.

Recipe

Lemon Apple Honey Smoothie

¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup apple cider
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 banana
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

A super simple honey-loving recipe that you can enjoy for breakfast, as a snack or after a hard workout. Combine the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Serves two. Enjoy!