Sep 28, 2019

“Stands the clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea?”

There is no doubt about it – sugar is killing us. Health “professionals” debate the dangers of artificial sweeteners as a good substitute for sugar and snub the obvious choice – HONEY. Other sweeteners like sugar, aspartame, sucralose and stevia have no nutritional benefits. They are essentially just chemicals and add nothing to a healthy diet. Honey is actually a food with nutritional value and has been used as a food staple since the beginning of recorded history.

Health benefits of honey:
Regulates blood sugar – Even though it is a simple sugar the way that glucose and fructose in honey are combined it actually helps the body regulate blood sugars

Helps prevent disease – Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and other disease.

Aids gastrointestinal disorders – Research shows that honey may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis.

Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal – All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide. Because of these properties it is excellent at healing burns and wounds.

Increases athletic performance – Studies show that honey is superior in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time than other sweeteners.

Reduces cough and throat irritation – Honey has long been known as a natural cough suppressant.

Improves skin – Honey as an ingredient in skin care products can both nourish and moisturize the skin.

It is a probiotic – Some varieties of honey includes up to 6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria. This also may explain why honey helps gastric problems.

An aid in breaking sugar addiction – When honey is mixed with some fat and protein it can be a powerful tool in breaking the sugar addiction cycle.

A few notes on honey:
Use it raw and never heat it above 180 degrees
Don’t give it to babies (this advice will probably change in the future but for now let’s play it safe!)
There are a lot of varieties of honey and every honey has its own nutritional profile
It is still high in calories so don’t go crazy!
By Sherry Stirling Fernandez