No breakfast is complete for some of us unless it includes a generous drizzle of honey. When the golden nectar lands on our tongues, it transforms a plain bowl of oatmeal into something far more special. But here’s the thing: if you eat honey toast every morning or add a spoonful to your daily cup of tea, it could have a significant impact on your body.
Here Are The Health Benefits Of Eating A Spoonful Of Honey Every Day
A Sweet Delight
If you’re a honey addict, we don’t blame you. It’s luscious, sweet, and incredibly delicious. Yes, we completely understand Winnie the Pooh’s point of view! But if you don’t know what kind of food goes best with it, get a pen. This is something you’ll want to keep in mind.
A Sweet Delight
It Goes With Anything
Honey, of course, can be used as a delectable topping for a stack of pancakes or a slice of toast. This should go without saying! However, it can be used to sweeten porridge, yogurt, or even a bowl of cereal. If you can’t imagine starting your day without a cup of coffee, honey is a healthier alternative to sugar in your morning mug.
It Goes With Anything
A Lot Of Varieties
It would be an understatement to say honey is a versatile substance. And here’s something else to think about: there isn’t just one type available. You can currently get your hands on over 300 varieties of honey, according to the Indian company Dabur, which sells honey. That isn’t a mistake!
A Lot Of Varieties
Everyone Loves It
Honey is also extremely popular. According to Statista, Americans bought nearly $620 million worth of the product in 2019. And it’s a worldwide trend. Honey’s global market was worth about $7 billion in the same year, and it’s expected to grow to more than $11 billion by 2027.
Everyone Loves It
How Honey Is Produced
Talk about staggering figures. People, no matter where they are, can’t get enough honey. However, we do have another question: how is the substance actually made? To help answer that question, a food expert spoke to Time magazine in April 2019 and described the process in great detail.
How Honey Is Produced
How They Harvest It
Dana Hunnes is a staff member at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. According to the expert, “Bees collect the dilute-sugary nectar of flora plants, produce an enzymatic activity after ingestion, regurgitate it into honey cells and evaporate a high percentage of the water out of it. [That produces] a super-sweet viscous liquid known as honey.”
How They Harvest It
The Different Types Of Honey
Don’t you think it’s fascinating? But it makes us curious. Is it true that different types of honey are made in different ways? Is that what distinguishes them? Another food expert sat down with Time to clear things up. Jenny Friedman is a registered dietitian who practices in Pennsylvania.
The Different Types Of Honey
The Reason For The Variety
According to Friedman, “The variety refers to where the honey comes from, basically, the types of flowers bees have fed on. The color, flavor, and major nutritional properties of honey all depend on the nectar that the bees used.” In addition, someone else chimed in with some additional information.
The Reason For The Variety
The Key Difference
Yes, Anna Debenham spoke with HuffPost Australia in September 2017 about this topic. She runs The Biting Truth, a food nutrition website, based on her expertise as a dietitian. In any case, Debenham examined the key distinctions between two types of honey: raw and regular. It could sway your decision on which type to purchase.
The Key Difference
Raw Honey
According to Debenham’s statement on the website, “Raw honey is honey in its natural state, meaning it hasn’t been strained, filtered, or heated. It can be made from any type of flower or plant. The minimal processing of raw honey is often why it includes particles of wax, propolis [tree bud resin] and pollen.” Those specks are always removed in the regular option.
Raw Honey
Regular Honey
During the production of regular honey, it is warmed and strained to remove any remaining pollen or wax. It also gets rid of the yeast, which prevents the honey from going sour over time. As a result of all of this, when you open a jar, these products have a velvety feel to them.
Regular Honey
The Best Variety
That’s a lot to process! But, if you’re looking to join the honey bandwagon, there’s one more question to consider: which variety is the best? Manuka honey is frequently mentioned in this context. It’s from New Zealand, and it’s got some pretty interesting content, as Debenham’s Biting Truth partner explains.
The Best Variety
Manuka Honey
Anna Parker shared to HuffPost Australia, “Manuka honey usually has a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating on the package which means it has been tested for antibacterial activity. This is similar to the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) number you’d see on sunscreens. The higher the UMF, the greater the antibacterial effects.”
Manuka Honey
The Benefits Of Honey
You probably didn’t see that coming. Yes, there’s a lot to take in here. But, while you’re thinking about that, let’s go back to where we started. What does a tablespoon of honey a day do for your body? What impact does this have on us? In fact, there are a number of advantages to including nectar in your diet. Let’s get started!
The Benefits Of Honey
Antibacterial Properties
To begin, let’s look at one of the advantages that Parker has shared. Honey, in fact, has antibacterial properties that can kill harmful germs as well as certain fungi. In the case of the manuka variety, a 2011 study revealed its true strength in combating harmful microorganisms.
Antibacterial Properties
Amazing In Killing Bacteria
After doing several tests with manuka honey in Kolkata and sharing their findings with the rest of the world that spring, the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicines released a paper. According to the study, E. coli, H. pylori, and S. aureus are all capable of being killed by the tasty nectar. Isn’t that an impressive hit list?
Amazing In Killing Bacteria
What Honey Can Shield You From
Certain E. coli infections are responsible for causing food poisoning, in case you didn’t know. H. pylori and S. aureus, on the other hand, can cause gastrointestinal and skin problems, respectively. Who’d have guessed that a sort of honey could shield you from all of that?
What Honey Can Shield You From
It Doesn’t Stop There
Honey’s amazing health advantages don’t stop there. According to the website Medical News Today, the delicious nectar also contains a multitude of antioxidants, including ascorbic acid, phytochemicals, and flavonoids. So, what exactly does that imply? These compounds, on the other hand, serve an important function in protecting the human body from injury.
It Doesn’t Stop There
Oxidative Stress
It’s all about oxidative stress. In layman’s terms, this is an internal “process” triggered by a difference in antioxidants and free radicals. If the latter outnumber the former, your tissue and cells are at risk of being damaged. And believe us when we say that this isn’t good news. By a long shot, no.
Oxidative Stress
Where The Antioxidants Come In
Too much oxidative stress over a long period of time, according to Medical News Today, can make you vulnerable to catastrophic illnesses. Heart disease and cancer, for example, have both been related to free radical damage. Diabetes is also on the list, according to the website. However, here is where antioxidants come into play.
Where The Antioxidants Come In
Eating Antioxidants
You can drastically reduce your levels of oxidative stress by eating foods high in antioxidants. As a result, your chances of developing the problems we just mentioned will be reduced. As a result, it’s not far-fetched to believe that honey can help protect you from cancer and major cardiac problems.
Eating Antioxidants
Not All Honey Are The Same
However, it’s possible that not all types of honey will have the same effect. Because raw honey maintains its antioxidant properties, regular products may lose them during the manufacturing process. Antioxidants, it turns out, dissipate when certain foods are heated. That’s something to keep in mind on your next shopping excursion.
Not All Honey Are The Same
What Else Can Honey Do?
Anyway, how can a spoonful of honey benefit the human body in any other way? Just take a look at the nutritional value of raw nectar. It contains a veritable Who’s Who of health-boosting substances! Do you need some examples? So, there you have it. Calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and manganese are among the nutrients found in them. In addition, there’s riboflavin and phosphorus in there.
What Else Can Honey Do?
Good For The Bones
A few of those nutrients can be found in items such as lavender nectar, which is especially successful. Yes, as per the site AlBeeNa, it makes a difference for people with bone issues, teeth afflictions, and a large deficiency of calcium in their skeletal system. On best of that, it’s perfect for those battling with their blood weight.
Good For The Bones
It Can Help With High Cholesterol
Another important thing that honey can help out with is that it can help you with your cholesterol readings. Quite interesting to learn about, right? Which makes it a good idea for you to start adding the sweet delight into your diet if ever you have a problem regarding high cholesterol levels. But did you know that honey could help you out in a lot more ways?
It Can Help With High Cholesterol
It Could Help With Diarrhea
Honey could also help you out if ever you are suffering from diarrhea. In fact, a group of researchers decided to study honey’s use for curing diarrhea, as they published their findings in the Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science. The series of tests that they conducted included over 150 kids who had acute gastroenteritis.
It Could Help With Diarrhea
The Experiment
The children were divided into two groups, with one receiving a mixture of “oral rehydration solution” and honey and the other receiving a placebo. The rest, on the other hand, were without nectar. The researchers concluded that the first group had a relatively easy time getting over their diarrhea. They also recovered from gastroenteritis faster.
The Experiment
Some Honey Are Better For Certain Jobs
Furthermore, certain kinds of honey are very effective at resolving stomach issues. Take, for example, dandelion honey. It is said to help with stomach problems like gastritis and colitis, according to AlBeeNa. It can also help people with a variety of other problems, including cholelithiasis and cirrhosis. That’s quite a list. The sticky spread’s overall advantages don’t stop there.
Some Honey Are Better For Certain Jobs
Good For The Brain
Surprisingly, Medical News Today reports that honey may be good for sustaining brain function. So, how’s it going? Two different reports on the subject have been released, one in the fall of 2015 and the other in the spring of 2016. The study was published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease.
Good For The Brain
Experiment With Rats
A group of rats were to come into contact with lead as part of the experiment. However, some of them were given honey to see if it could protect their brains from the dangerous metal. By the end of the report, the following was written: “It can be concluded that honey has neuroprotective effects against the lead-induced cognitive deficit, probably by enhancing antioxidant activities.”
Experiment With Rats
Good For Your Hippocampus
The second paper was published in Pharmacognosy Research a couple of years later. Raw honey may help your hippocampus if it becomes inflamed, according to that source. Because that area is so important for memory, why not try a tablespoon of it every day? It has to be worth a shot.
Good For Your Hippocampus
It Can Lessen Your Coughs
As if that wasn’t enough, Medical News Today also claims that honey can help you get rid of pesky coughs. With that in mind, you can’t say the nectar isn’t good for your health. However, this has us wondering if there are any risks to eating the sweetener every day.
It Can Lessen Your Coughs
Don’t Take Too Much
Let’s start with the implications for weight gain. As it turns out, a single tablespoon contains exactly 64 calories. That doesn’t appear to be too bad on its own. However, if you eat four or five helpings throughout the day, the numbers will start to add up. Simply put, you should avoid overindulging.
Don’t Take Too Much
Not A Natural Sugar
One of the most serious health dangers linked with honey is its high sugar level. The sweetness of the nectar isn’t considered a “natural sugar,” as it turns out. Instead, it’s an “added sugar,” and those numbers should be kept low in your diet. If you don’t, the consequences for your heart might be severe.
Not A Natural Sugar
The Daily Recommended Sugar Intake
The American Heart Association has set a daily limit for added sugars, with males being allowed to consume 37.5 grams. Ladies have a somewhat smaller figure, weighing in about 25 grams. For the sake of reference, a single spoonful of honey contains exactly 17.3 grams. Beginning to see the problem?
The Daily Recommended Sugar Intake
Just Like White Sugar
That’s a significant portion of the daily allowance. Friedman brought up an intriguing point about sugar during her interview with Time magazine. Certain people, in her opinion, can’t help but believe that honey isn’t as toxic as white sugar. It’s almost as though I’m experiencing a psychological stumbling block.
Just Like White Sugar
In The Long Run
Friedman said, “A lot of people feel better when they read a food label and see honey instead of sugar. However, in the long run, the nuance is more meaningful to the mind than the body. The body pretty much perceives sugar and honey added to foods the same way.”
In The Long Run
Still A Form Of Added Sugar
During an interview with HuffPost Australia, Parker agreed with that viewpoint. Yet the dietitian had something else to add. She stated, “Honey is still a form of ‘added’ sugar and is processed by the body in a similar way to other types of sugar. The good news is that honey takes longer to digest than table sugar, providing more sustainable energy.”
Still A Form Of Added Sugar
The Benefits Are Worth It
There’s a lot to take in here – figuratively speaking, of course! While the risks must be considered, the benefits are far too great to eliminate honey entirely from your diet. So, as long as you don’t intake too much honey every day, then your body would be getting more benefits than drawbacks from honey.
The Benefits Are Worth It