Honey And All Its Health Benefits
Honey had already been popular centuries before modern civilization begun. For centuries, it has been used by many cultures around the world. It served various purposes – in religious ceremonies, embalming the deceased, medical treatments and of course, used in cooking food preparation.
In Germany, it is know as Honig; in Italy, it’s Miele; India, Shahad; France and Spain, it’s called Miel; Portugal, Mel; and in Denmark, it’s Honing.
Nutrition Facts
Honey is loaded with nutrients. It contains more than 20 amino acids, nearly 30 minerals, and thousands of enzymes. Not to mention, considerable vitamins and antioxidants which help neutralize damaging free radicals in your system.
Raw Honey Vs Commercial Honey
Today honey’s widespread availability in the market resulted to two choices, the raw honey and the commercially-prepared honey.
The raw one, is recommended by most health practitioners to replace refined sugar for daily intake. Raw honey made by bees is pure, unpasteurized and simply strained to remove unwanted items before bottling.
Unprocessed honey maintains its fantastic health benefits. Consuming it can help you in many things — from weight loss to skin care.
Commercially prepared honey involves several processing from extreme heating to filtering. Some were from bees treated with antibiotics, given nourishments during winter season and live in hives made from non-organic materials.
In general, honey which is overly processed eliminates most of its natural health benefits.
Impressive Health Benefits Of Honey
Natural Sweetener
Honey contains less than 70% glucose and fructose, which is an amazingly healthy sweetener of choice in many foods and drinks — definitely better than refined sugar.
Controls Obesity
Honey helps digest body fats and activates hormones that suppress the appetite. In the same way, honey with lemon juice or cinnamon offers potential control of gaining more bodily mass.
Boosts Energy Naturally
Called the ‘perfect running fuel’ of most atheletes, it maintains blood sugar level and boosts overall performance. Honey is also included in most pre-and post-workout meals for an energetic start, and muscle recovery.
Contains Antioxidants
A daily dose of honey promotes antioxidant activity in preventing debilitating diseases, and reduces the risk of cancer.
Promotes Sleep
There are two ways honey encourages sleep. One, consume honey before bedtime to restock liver glycogen and prevents your brain’s craving for more energy which can disturb your sleep. Two, eat raw honey to release melatonin into the brain.
For Skin Care
Honey together with other natural ingredients, when applied to skin, helps smoothen your skin. The honey mixture provides antibacterial and antifungal effects which can cure acne and other minor skin irritations.
Speeds up Healing
Most wound bandages in the medical supplies were infused with honey because of its capability to heal wounds faster. This is because honey contains antibacterial properties and reacts with body fluids to make hydrogen peroxide which is unfavorable for bacteria to multiply.