Super food and why?
Honey is a super food used by early civilizations. They understood the benefits of honey not only as a natural sweetener but a super food packed with enormous health benefits. The earliest mentions of honey is in the 2100 B.C.E.
Interestingly bible mentions honey when God called Moses. Lead the slaves out of Egypt to a land that will flow with milk and honey.
In some descriptions of cupid coating the tip of his arrows in honey before striking couples.
Also Kama Dev - The god of love and the son of Vishnu and Laxmi, carries bow and arrow where his bow is sugar coated and his bowstring is honey soaked.
Honey is a food made by honeybees. It is a valuable food and medicine.
Composition of Honey
Honey is the best saturated sugar concentration naturally occurring in nature. Honey's composition is very complex and variable and contains a minimum of181 different components.
Honey is made up of major components such as the monosaccharaides (glucose and fructose) and the minor compounds including amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and polyphenols.
There is difference in the composition of honey primarily due to the differences in geographies (floral sources) and seasonal differences
Health benefits of honey
Do you know that honey does not go bad .......EVER . Unless it is not properly stored or contaminated.
It has excellent anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Healthy Heart: There are studies which show that honey helps lower bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. Honey also may have the ability to combat hardening of the artery. Thus honey is good for your heart.
Antioxidants in honey might be associated with reduced risk of heart disease.
Helps Relieve Cough: Clinical studies have suggested that eucalyptus honey and citrus honey can suppress cough for some people with upper respiratory infections and provide relief for acute nighttime cough.
Good for your brain: Raw honey possesses nootropic effects, such as memory-enhancing effects, as well as neuropharmacological activities, such as anxiolytic, antinociceptive, anticonvulsant and antidepressant activities.
Healthy gut: Honey possesses prebiotic properties. It helps the growth of healthy gut bacteria essential for functioning of a healthy gut.
Evidence suggests honey might help relieve gastrointestinal tract conditions such as diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis.
Rehydration is a treatment used to treat dehydration especially caused due to diarrhea. Honey is shown to be effective as part of oral rehydration therapy.
Nutrient provider. Honey contains minerals such as magnesium, phosphorous, calcium and potassium small quantities in addition to natural sugars and antioxidants
Healing power
Since ancient times and in Ayurveda honey has been known to possess healing properties. In the recent years, there were studies which strengthened and researchers discovered that honey has natural anti-bacterial properties.
The compounds in herbs, plants extracts, essential oils, and honey have been found to be effective against a range of bacterial infections and inflammatory cases.
Honey has been shown to helps in healing wounds and burns.
Fun Fact: USFDA approves special types of honey for treatment of wounds.
Safety tips and instructions
Avoid giving honey to babies under the age of one. Honey can cause a rare but serious gastrointestinal condition (infant botulism) caused by exposure to Clostridium botulinum spores. Bacteria from the spores can grow and multiply in a baby's intestines, producing a dangerous toxin.
It is important to consume honey in moderation as it is a form of sugar. Honey is a form of sugar.
Very few people might be allergic to raw honey. So it is better to test if you are allergic to honey before implementing it in your diet.
To summarize
Honey has been used and prescribed by healthcare administrators throughout history. Recent studies have proven that Honey is a boon given to us by Honeybees which helps us fight infections, make cold and flu symptoms less sever and may help in treating wounds and burns.
Honey is an excellent substitute to sugar and should be consumed in moderation. So start living a healthy lifestyle and incorporate honey in your life.
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