If you think of honey as just another sweetener, you are in for a surprise.
Honey has been used since ancient times as a food, but it has also been used as a medicine. It actually offers a number of health benefits, some of which you might be surprised to learn.
Here are just a few of the good reasons you should probably be including honey in your healthy diet.
Honey does have nutrients.
Honeybees make honey. In the most basic sense, they repeatedly consume and regurgitate nectar to make it, and it serves as a stored food source for them in their hives. It contains fructose, maltose, glucose, and sucrose but no fat, fibre, or protein.
Honey has lots of antioxidants.
Honey might be low in nutrients, but it is very high in antioxidants including phenolic compounds such as flavonoids. Antioxidants are compounds that help fight free radicals within the body, thereby reducing the risk of some types of cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
Honey can help lower blood pressure.
Heart disease is greatly influenced by your blood pressure, and we all know that high blood pressure is problematic. Honey actually contains antioxidants that have been shown to lower blood pressure.
Honey can improve cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol levels – the LDL cholesterol – are very bad for your heart health. When you have too much LDL cholesterol in your body, you may experience atherosclerosis, the build-up of fat in the arteries that usually leads to stroke and heart attack. Honey can help lower LDL levels while raising your good HDL cholesterol levels.
Honey can lower triglyceride levels.
If you have elevated triglyceride levels in your blood, you may be at higher risk of heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that consuming honey could be correlated with a lower triglyceride level, especially when you use it to replace sugar altogether.
Honey is good for the outside of your body, too.
Honey actually has other benefits and uses than simply something you eat. Did you know that it is actually antibacterial? For centuries, honey has been used to treat and heal wounds and burns. It has also been shown to help other skin conditions such as psoriasis, herpes lesions, and haemorrhoids. It is also an effective cough suppressant.
Why not sweeten your life by using honey for its many health benefits?
