You probably drink it with water and drizzle it all over your yogurt, but do you know what honey really contains? Honey, is a thick liquid that is produced by industrial bees and made from the nectar of flowering plants. Because of all its benefits, honey has been consumed food and as medicine since ancient times!
Here’s why you should be adding honey into your everyday-diet:
1. Honey contains nutrients
Honey is more than just sugar. It contains lots of nutrients to give the human body the required energy and health. Containing no fat, cholesterol, sodium or potassium, honey is essentially a supersaturated sugar solution consisting of water, various sugars, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Besides this, honey also has high amounts of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. What this means? It is probably the best kind of natural flavour enhancer you can use.
2. Honey alleviates allergies
Besides the ability to soothe coughs for children, honey is also believed to help reduce seasonal allergies. Research has shown that honey can act as a natural vaccine and even though there are no clinical studies to prove it, here’s the theory: honey contains small amounts of pollen, and when the body is exposed to it, an immune response will be automatically triggered to produce antibodies to the pollen. Repeated exposure will help build up antibodies and subsequently, the body will be accustomed to their presence resulting in a reduced allergic response.
3. Honey boosts memory
Particularly useful for all kiasu Singaporeans, honey is also known to help boost memory. The antioxidants present in honey might help alleviate cellular damage and loss within the brain. Other than this, honey is also known to help the body absorb calcium and research has shown that calcium can help improve brain health. If you’re looking to be the top PSLE scorer, you know what to drink before every exam!
4. Honey is an all-natural energy drink
Chuck those 100 plus drinks aside. Honey is practically the best source of all-natural energy because it only contains 17 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon and the natural sugars present in honey (i.e. fructose and glucose) can directly enter your bloodstream to give you that extra boost of energy. Instead of chugging down 100 plus or H20 drinks, you should be giving honey a go, especially since this increase in blood sugar is perfect for endurance workouts.
5. Honey works as a sleep aid
If you have problems falling asleep, drinking honey might be the best cure for you. Because of the sugar content in honey, the insulin levels in your blood will ultimately increase and release serotonin, a kind of neurotransmitter that can help improve your mood. Serotonin will be converted to melatonin, which is essentially another compound that can help regulate the quality of sleep.
6. Honey is less harmful than sugar
Despite containing fructose and glucose, honey is essentially the lesser of two evils when compared with regular sugar. Though research on this area is mixed, it can be assumed that honey is still slightly better than refined sugar especially for individuals suffering from diabetes since it can help lower the “bad cholesterol” and increase the “good cholesterol” levels.
Disclaimer: However, that being said, honey should still be consumed with caution.
7. Honey can help suppress coughs for children
As explained earlier on, honey can help to soothe coughs for children. According to research done back in 2012, a persistent cough can be suppressed with just two teaspoons of honey! Clinical research has also shown that children between the ages of 1 and 5 actually coughed less frequently when they consumed two teaspoons of honey ½ hour before going to bed. What’s the science behind this? Well, the liquid’s thick consistency helps coat the throat and the sweet taste of honey helps trigger nerve endings helps protect the throat from the coughing.
8. Honey helps to reduce the duration of diarrhea
Many people claim that drinking honey in a warm (or boiling) cup of water can help. Some also claim that this golden liquid can help alleviate gastric pain. Nevertheless, what science can prove is that drinking honey water can help rehydrate your body after multiple trips to the toilet.
9. Honey can help improve cholesterol and lower triglycerides
Interestingly, various research papers have suggested that honey can improve cholesterol levels, lowering the “bad cholesterol” and increasing the “good cholesterol” levels in your blood. It can help lower triglyceride levels too. All these cheem-iology aside, this means that consuming honey can help lower your risk of heart disease.
10. Manuka honey has anti-bacterial properties
What’s so special about manuka honey is that its sourced only from the manuka plant native to New Zealand. Every bottle of manuka honey should come with a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating number that indicates the strength of its beneficial compounds. What makes manuka honey stand out from other forms of honey is its antibacterial properties, which is great for relieving sore throats and mouth ulcers, while promoting wound healing.
11. Manuka honey can help with acne scarring
If you’re looking to do DIY face masks with honey, you might want to use manuka honey instead. Manuka honeys with a UMF rating of 10+ and above are considered ‘medical grade’ manuka honey. The antibacterial properties and nutrients make it exceptionally good for treating acne scars.
Bottom line is, honey has a lot of health benefits such as improving health, wound healing, and acting as a natural remedy for sickness. It’s also very tasty and goes well with French Toast. *Slurps* However, it also contains high sugar and calorie content so enjoy it in moderation!
Enjoy massive discounts on honey and other health and wellness products on our 11.11 Health and Wellness Day happening all day! Tag someone to share this useful information with!
This article was updated on 02 November 2020. Additional research done by Justyn Toh.
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