Powerful Health Benefits Of Honey You Must Know

Why did our moms insist so much on honey? Is honey vegan? What are the recipes that include honey? Here are all the answers to your questions.

Honey is being used as food and medicine since ancient times. Many people today also use honey as a substitute for refined sugar. Honey is naturally produced by bees as a method of storing food for the winter months. This stored food is useful when there are fewer flowers to gather from. As it comes from insects, vegans prefer not to use it. Vegans also don't use it in order to take a stand against the cruelty against bees in process of harvesting honey.

Benefits of honey

The characteristics of honey like the colour, consistency, smell depend on the type of followers visited by the types of bees. There can be slight variations in the honey found across the globe.

Talking about the benefits of honey, a tablespoon of honey of around 21 grams contains nutrients like fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose. Virtually, it has no fibre, protein, or fats. It is a great source of energy for being rich in sugars.

1. Helps lower Blood Pressure

Honey can be linked with antioxidant compounds that have been linked to lower blood pressure. Hence, its consumption before going to bed is the most advisable.

2. May help with upper respiratory tract infections

Honey is a very common home remedy for cough. According to a paper released in the BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine by the researchers of the University of Oxford, honey not only helps the frequency of cough but also works on the severity rather than over-the-counter medicines.

3. Helps improve Cholesterol

Honey is known to reduce total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol. Hence it has a positive effect on cholesterol levels.

4. Promotes healing of wounds and burns

Honey is found to be the most effective at healing partial-thickness burns and wounds that have become infected after surgery, according to 26 research papers.

5. Lowers Triglycerides

High levels of blood triglycerides can increase the risk of health problems. These levels are associated with the consumption of a high-sugar diet. Studies show that the consumption of honey instead of refined sugar helps in maintaining lower levels of blood triglycerides.

How to choose the right honey

Honey can be consumed with many combinations such as Ginger Honey. But the key lies in choosing the right honey. Honey is the most beneficial in its raw form. Hence look the terms like 'unheated' and 'raw' while picking up a packaged honey. If you are an enthusiast who buys honey from a bee-keeper, ask them about the treatment they give to the bees. Using harmful pesticides on the bees can also hamper the quality of honey produced.

Another thing is to look for minimally filtered honey. The one which has the tiny grains of pollen and propolis included. That's the best type of honey you must get.

Disclaimer: All information here is collected through publicly available credible sources. However honey can be allergic to people and hence we recommend seeking doctor's advise before consumption