Despite its sweet taste, honey is a very healthy food when eaten in moderation. Honey contains carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids,minerals and antioxidants which are all part of a healthy diet. When making a choice of the healthiest sweeteners and the one that offer the most health benefits, honey is the clear winner. Honey is very similar to milk in that it contains a wide variety of nutrients that are rarely seen in a single source of food.
Here is a list of the nutritional value of honey and why honey should become your sweetener of choice for a healthier diet.
1. Complex sugars and carbohydrates – Unlike other sweeteners, honey contains complex carbohydrates that prevent sugar spikes. The carbohydrates are slowly broken down over time and the energy produced is spread out over a longer period of time. This makes honey a great addition to the breakfast table as the energy it contains will last until lunchtime
2. Amino Acids – Many are surprised that a food as sweet as honey also contains amino acids, the building blocks of protein and muscle. The health benefits get even better. Not only is honey loaded with amino acids, but it contains certain amino acids that aren´t found in vegetables and fruit, including tryptophan and lysine. These amino acids are usually only consumed in meat products, that also contain harmful saturated fats, something that honey doesn’t have.
3. Vitamins and minerals – Honey contains large amounts of vitamins B and C along with Potassium. Vitamin B is important for healthy metabolism and is required by the body to produce energy. Vitamin C is important for proper skin and digestion. Potassium is a vital mineral that can significantly increase cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure. Besides these three, there are other vitamins and minerals found in honey in smaller amounts.
4. Antioxidants – Antioxidants are a class of compounds that the body uses to prevent many harmful things from happening. The most notable uses for antioxidants is the removal of harmful materials like heavy metals (mercury, lead etc) from our cells. Antioxidants also protect DNA during cell division and thus prevent cancers from forming.
Besides its overall health benefits, there are also certain situations where honey can act as a powerful and natural medicine.
A. Sore throats – Honey helps to coat the throat and diminishes pain. A little bit of honey before bed is a great way to reduce nighttime coughing.
B. Insomnia – As mentioned, honey contains tryptophan, which is an amino acid that has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and to cause sleepiness. Its the same amino acid that is found in large amounts in turkey, that causes the famous Thanksgiving Day nap.
C. Indigestion – it is no surprise that honey helps with indigestion, and especially long term digestive problems as this very thing is mentioned in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. The reason honey helps with digestion is that it contains bacteria that is beneficial to the digestive tract. By eating honey, we are placing this bacteria in our intestines that then helps us break down foods that we have a hard time breaking down ourselvs. The presence of this good bacteria also makes it harder for disease causing bacteria to grown. This effect is the same as is caused by eating yogurt. Not sure about you, but I´d much rather eat honey than yogurt.
Fructose and Glucose, the sugars contained in honey, are the same as is found in most other common sweeteners, the presence of larger carbohydrate molecules helps prevent sugar spikes like can be seen from eating table sugar or high fructose corn syrup. This is important for the health of diabetics and also for the prevention of diabetes to begin with.
Honey contains a large number of nutrients needed by the body including protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. While honey contains a sweet taste, it is more complex a food than simple table sugar. Because of the texture and health benefits of honey, it is a great addition to medicine and other foods that can be used to treat many common ailments such as sore throats, indigestion and insomnia.
