Honey Nutrition

Few things in our life always remind us of the childhood memories that connect our present life with the past. One of the sweet things is the sweet honey. For many people who have not had honey for sometime might still remember the times when mums gave them honey diluted in milk stating that it would help them to grow faster and strengthen their brain. For rest of us, who use honey in the morning, mixing it in lemon juice and applying on breads, it reminds us of those good old days when we sat around the breakfast table, watching our parents read the newspaper, and munch on honey laden slices. Honey is not only a sweet treat, but is also a good substitute for sugar in drinks and foods. Apart from offering a great taste, honey provides a wide variety of health benefits, some of which are known to us. Composed of different sugars and nutrients, honey is an excellent nutritional food and medicine. Listed here are some wholesome advantages of enjoying this delicious sweetener and consuming it on a regular basis.

Since prehistoric times, honey has been used both as a food and a medicine. The practice of beekeeping or apiculture can be dated back to 700 BC, where it enjoyed a sacred status due to its wonderfully sweet properties and rarity for centuries. Many cultures used honey prominently in religious ceremonies to pay tribute to the gods and embalm the deceased. Honey has been used throughout history for its various medicinal and cosmetic properties. But for a long time, its use was limited only to rich people due to its expensive status and inability of other people to afford it. The prestige status of honey continued for thousand years until the great discovery of refined sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar was a relatively inexpensive form of sweetening, which increased its demand. The massive growing popularity of sugar displaced honey from its culinary use. Even though honey is still used in sweetening, its usage in now more focused towards medicinal purposes and its use in confectionaries.

• Even though honey contains more calories than sugar, when consumed with warm water, it helps in digesting the fat stored in the body. Honey when taken with lemon juice and cinnamon helps in reducing weight.

• Studies state that honey is an excellent ergogenic aid and helps in boosting the performance of athletes. Honey maintains blood sugar levels and alleviates muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration after a workout.

• It contains antioxidants that act as powerful compounds in fighting against free radicals and reversing the aging process.

• Honey is a natural antiseptic as it contains antimicrobial agents, which prevent infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wounds. Bacteria cannot survive in honey; thus, it is very helpful in healing wounds and growing back tissues.

• It is highly effective in boosting the performance, endurance and reducing muscle fatigue of athletes since it is a great source of carbohydrates that provide strength and energy.

• Being a powerful immunity system booster, honey has antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties that improve the digestive system, fight diseases, and keep the body healthy.

• Due to its ability of attracting water, honey is excellent for the skin. When mixed with ground almonds, honey makes a great exfoliating facial scrub and can be effectively replaced with alpha hydroxyl masks.

• Honey is also known for helping people with arthritis. Two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon diluted in a cup of hot water, when taken in the morning and at night, help in curing arthritic, including chronic arthritis.

• Milk and honey, when served together, have the ability of inducing soothing skin. Hence, it is a common practice in many countries to consume milk and honey daily in the morning.

• Honey draws body fluids and nutrients to the area of wounds and assists cell growth, thereby preventing the formation of scars by drying out the wound.

• Apart from a great wound healer, honey is used for treating acne and pimples also by preventing and curing the infection caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria found in our body.

• Consuming honey at night helps in promoting higher quality sleep in people suffering from insomnia.

• Honey is known for reducing the cholesterol levels in the arteries, thereby preventing the risk of heart attack and strokes. Besides, it also helps in relieving breathlessness and strengthening heartbeats.

• Honey has also been associated with treating a myriad of other diseases and ailments, such as insect bites, colds, diabetes, flatulence, toothache, hair loss, asthma, conjunctivitis, migraine attacks and coughs.

Amount: 1 cup

Weight: 339 g

Honey has about 304 calories per 100 gm of weight.

• Honey is available in markets in both individual containers and in bulk. It is generally pasteurized, but is also available in raw form at farmer’s markets.

• Always remember that raw honey that has not been pasteurized, clarified, or filtered is of the highest organic quality. You can also look for honey that states “100% pure”.

• While purchasing honey, make sure that regular honey is translucent and creamy honey is generally opaque which is made by adding finely crystallized honey back into liquid honey.

• In the market you can also find specialty honey which is made from the nectar of different flowers, such as thyme and lavender. The darker the color, the deeper the flavor of honey.

• You can also buy darker-colored “honeydew” varieties which are produced by bees that collect the sugary secretions insects leave on plants, known as honeydew.

• Honey should be stored in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the air. When stored in a cool, dry place, honey will remain intact for a longer duration.

• Honey stored in colder temperatures tends to thicken, while honey that is stored at higher temperatures has a tendency to darken and sometimes has an altered flavor.