The Health Benefits Of Honey.

The Health Benefits Of Honey.

Honey has been consumed as medicine and food since time immemorial. Honey contains beneficial plant compounds which provide various health benefits. These benefits are mostly specific to raw honey and not pasteurized honey. Pasteurized honey is usually processed through high heat, which kills the unwanted yeast, improves its texture and color, gets rid of any crystallization, and improves shelf life. Through this process, many beneficial bacteria of the honey are destroyed. Consuming honey, especially raw honey, has been found to have a lot of health benefits. Raw honey is directly bottled from the beehive and does not undergo any additional processes for refinement. This honey contains traces of yeast, wax, and pollen. If you would like to reap the full benefits of honey, then raw honey is to go for as opposed to one that is pasteurized. Let's now discuss some of the essential details of honey.

The Health Benefits Of Honey: What is honey made of? Before discussing the health benefits of honey, it is crucial to understand how honey is made and its composition of nutrition value. Honey can be consumed in many ways like direct from the spoon, as a sweetener in tea or coffee, whipping it into a smoothie, incorporating it in sauces and vinaigrette, putting some in your pancakes, and in many other ways. Bees are responsible for making honey from the nectar they collect from flowers. It can have a different color from dark brown to pale yellow. Honey is made up of two sugars which are glucose and fructose, and also water. It also contains some traces of other minerals and vitamins like the following. • Amino acids • Enzymes • B vitamins • Minerals • Vitamin C • Antioxidants All these are responsible for the health benefits of honey. The nutritional benefits of honey may vary based on where the honey originates. This is because there are over 300 honey varieties like wildflower, buckwheat, alfalfa, tupelo, eucalyptus, and golden blossoms. All of these varieties have their unique color, flavor and also different health benefits.

The Health benefits of honey. The health benefits of honey have been known since ancient times, and that is why it was used as medicine and food; recently, modern science has come up with evidence that has backed up this use. They include: • Healing burns and wounds. • Prevention of acid reflux. • Fighting infections. • Honey is a good antioxidant source. • It has antifungal and antibacterial properties. • Honey is a phytonutrients powerhouse. • Honey can help with digestive issues. • Soothing of colds and sore throats.

• Honey can help in improving cholesterol levels. • Honey can help in lowering Triglycerides. • Honey provides essential nutrients to the body.

Now let's look at all the health benefits of honey in detail. This is because some people may wonder what honey can do to their bodies. Here it is; take a look. 1. Healing of wounds and burns. According to a study, healing burns and wounds have been found that the defensin-1 protein found in honey promotes the healing of wounds and burns. The healing power of honey is also said to be due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties; this gives it the ability to nourish surrounding tissues. Honey has also been effective in treating diabetic foot ulcers; this is a severe ailment that can result in foot amputation. Honey can also be used in treating skin conditions like psoriasis and herpes lesions. The topical honey treatment is not new as it has been used from ancient times in treating wounds and burns. Many cosmetic products like deodorants, face creams, shampoos are made with some honey in them. 2. Prevention of acid reflux. Honey has been found to help prevent or reduce acid reflux. Honey may help line the stomach and esophagus, reducing the upward flow of acid found in the stomach and food that is not yet digested. 3. Fighting infections. One of the health benefits of honey is that it has been found to have the ability to fight infections; it has properties like defending-1 proteins that help fight and kill bacteria. This, though, depends on the type of honey bought as some pasteurized honey are added syrups and heat to kill any yeast action, destroying all of its essential fighting properties. Raw honey has these properties. 4. Honey is an excellent antioxidant source. Raw honey contains a wide array of different antioxidants. Honey can contain as many antioxidants as vegetables and fruits. Antioxidants are essential because they help in protecting the body against cell damage caused by free radicals. The free radicals are responsible for the aging process and are also responsible for developing diseases like heart disease and cancer. Honey has been found to have antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, which may play an essential function in preventing heart diseases. Honey also contains important antioxidants like phenolic compounds and organic acids. Antioxidants have also been linked to reducing the risk of strokes, heart diseases, and some cancer. It can also assist in lowering blood pressure 5. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Raw honey can be used to kill unwanted fungus and bacteria. Honey naturally contains hydrogen peroxide, which acts as an antiseptic. The effectiveness of honey as either an antifungal or an antibacterial will depend on the quality of honey used. Some hospitals even use sterilized medical grade honey to treat burns and infections.

6. Honey is a phytonutrient powerhouse. Phytonutrients can be described as compounds found in plants that help protect the plants from any harm. This includes protecting the plant from ultraviolet radiation and insects away from the plants. These phytonutrients are important because they are responsible for the antifungal and antibacterial power of honey. That is the reason for the immune-boosting and anti-cancer properties in honey. Heavy processing of honey destroys these features, and that is why raw honey is a much better option if you want to consume honey for its health benefits. 7. Honey can help with digestive issues. Honey can help in treating digestive problems like diarrhea. It has been said to be effective in treating Helicobacter pylori bacteria which causes stomach ulcers. Honey has a prebiotic property that nourishes the good bacteria that inhabits the intestines, and these bacteria are vital for both digestion and general health. It is worth mentioning that honey can also cause diarrhea if consumed in large quantities especially by small children and infants. 8. Soothing of colds and sore throats. If you have a sore throat, try a spoonful of honey; it has been a renowned sore throat remedy since ancient times. And when a cold virus attacks you, add honey to hot tea with lemon, and it works wonders. Honey can also be used in suppressing coughs; one or two spoonful's of honey will help reduce your coughs. This honey home remedy can come in very handy. 9. Honey can help in improving cholesterol levels. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol is very risky as it increases the chances of heart diseases. This kind of cholesterol is responsible for atherosclerosis; this is the fatty buildup in a person's arteries. This can cause strokes and heart diseases. Honey has been found to improve cholesterol by reducing the bad LDL cholesterol and raising the good HDL cholesterol. 10. Honey can help in lowering Triglycerides. When the triglyceride level is elevated in the blood, this is a risk factor for heart diseases. The triglycerides are also linked to insulin resistance which is a major cause of type 2 diabetes. Triglycerides increase with a high intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates. Regular honey consumption has been linked with lowering triglyceride levels in the blood, especially when used instead of sugar. Thus those suffering from high levels of triglycerides should replace sugar with honey on their diets to reduce the chances of becoming diabetic. This is also one of the health benefits of honey that is lifesaving. 11. Honey provides essential nutrients to the body. Some of the vitamins and minerals that are found in honey are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. It is also made up of 600 volatile compounds, which are said to have the potential of contributing to its biomedical properties. So, even though honey is usually consumed in small portions, it has some good nutritional value on your body. 12. Boosting athletic performance.

According to study, honey has been found to be as good as glucose sugar and water in boosting the endurance of athletes while in action.

Are there any risks in taking honey? The health benefits of honey are multiple, though when taken raw, it can also carry a very harmful bacterium like Clostridium botulinum, so it should be used very carefully. This bacterium is specifically dangerous to babies. And it is not advisable to give babies below one year old honey. Here are symptoms that may indicate that an infant has botulism poisoning: Please take care and consult a doctor if you suspect your infant have contracted this disease. • Slow breathing • Having constipation • The absence of gagging • The loss of head control • Paralysis which mainly spread downwards • Sagging eyelids • Poor feeding habit • Adults can also experience some side effects like vomiting and diarrhea, constipation, or even more severe symptoms like shortness of breath, blurred vision, and muscle weakness. In case a person experiences these symptoms after taking honey, they should visit a doctor immediately. Also, since honey is a form of sugar, it should be consumed in moderate amounts. Though it is sometimes used, it can contain even more calories than sugar. So, the amount recommended for women is 100 calories by the American Heart Association. The recommended dose for men is 150 calories per day from the same source. This translates to only six tablespoons for the ladies and not more than nine tablespoons for the men.

The health benefits of honey are numerous, depending on the quality of honey consumed. Though most people use honey they get from their grocery store, consider its quality as most of it sold in the stores is pasteurized. Unlike raw honey, most pasteurized honey is usually processed and might not have many health benefits to us when consumed. Therefore raw honey should be preferred where there is a need to get all the goodness. This doesn't mean that pasteurized honey is bad; it depends on its quality. Also, the raw honey, if preferred, should be taken with great caution as no one would like to get affected by something that they were using to help them. Honey has been consumed for the longest time, and if you were not aware of the health benefits you could reap from it, then now you know.