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Honey is a miraculous product that has benefits both medicinal and topical. It is sweet and delicious, an excellent substitute for sugar in many foods. Honey has been used by humans for thousands of years, with the earliest known record of a honey harvest shown in an 8,000 year old cave painting found in Valencia, Spain. And while the best health advice recommends seriously limiting intake of sugar, you can eat honey every day with no worries. In fact, some pretty incredible things may happen. Read on to find out more.
1. You’ll have more energy
Honey is a great addition to your breakfast or a pre-workout meal. You need glucose for energy, but a sugary blast causes a spike in glucose that quickly passes. Honey has a glycemic index ranking of 43, which makes it a medium-glycemic food. It is able to slow the release of glucose into your blood so that you have sustained energy but no sugar shock.
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2. You will recover more quickly from workouts
Honey is an awesome choice for a post-workout meal, as well. After you exercise, your body needs additional glucose to replenish what was depleted.
Your muscles will also be looking to replace stores of glycogen in order to rebuild. Taking in some honey accomplishes both without setting you up for a sugar crash.
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3. You will support your digestive health
A spoonful of honey can make more than medicine go down. Honey can soothe an upset tummy caused by gas, indigestion, ulcers, and acid reflux. Mix honey with lemon or cinnamon to treat inflammation and abdominal pain more fully.
The enzymes contained in honey also support the heath of your gut – while we don’t fully understand how gut microbiota influence almost every physiological function there is, we know that a healthy balance is crucial.
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4. You’ll sleep better
The conventional wisdom is to avoid eating a lot of sugar before bed, and that’s still good advice. But did you know that your body needs energy to effectively manage the tasks related to sleep? Obviously you need to keep breathing; your heart needs to keep beating.
But the brain is also extremely busy processing and storing the day’s events. If you take a tablespoon of honey before bed, you help stimulate the production of melatonin, the chemical responsible for allowing the body to drift off to sleep. The steady release of glucose then fuels your slumber.
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5. You’ll improve your memory
Multiple studies have determined that consuming honey reduces oxidative stress on the brain. Memory and concentration improved for the participants as a result. But that’s not all. An Argentinean study on honey’s chemical composition found that it can help to build and develop the central nervous system of children as well as improve memory and learning.
So whether you are creeping toward old age or new on the planet, honey supports brain health.
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6. You can lose some weight
White sugar is a highly refined product that contains empty calories. Honey, on the other hand, contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes along with its calories. Replacing white sugar with honey is known to drop triglyceride levels (as compared to white sugar) and jumpstart the body’s metabolic activity.
It’s still not healthy to load up on honey, but using it in place of the added sugar you already consume is a good first step.
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7. You’ll add a powerful tool to your first aid kit
The antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory qualities of honey make it great for all sorts of topical uses as well as internal ones. The antioxidants help to heal broken or burned skin, and may even reduce the appearance of scars.
The antibacterial properties also make it effective in reducing acne and it has been shown to both absorb excess oil and regulate the skin’s moisture balance. That last point makes honey great for soothing chapped lips, as well.
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8. You can lower cholesterol
Honey contains no cholesterol of its own, and its components are thought to play a role in decreasing levels of cholesterol in the body. Eating a bit of it every day raises the level of antioxidant compounds in your body, which helps to reduce excess cholesterol.
Several studies have also seen a decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL) and an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) with regular consumption of honey.
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9. You’ll reduce symptoms of asthma
Honey has been used to soothe sore throats for many years, but it may also help reduce the symptoms of asthma, especially at night. Studies have shown that eating a couple of teaspoons of honey before bed may reduce inflammation in the bronchial tubes (airways within the lungs) and help break up mucus that makes it hard to breathe. One particular study compared honey to dextromethorphan, which is the active ingredient in most cough suppressant medications. Honey was shown to be more effective at reducing the severity and frequency of nighttime coughing.
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A note about allergies
While honey is an amazing product that can promote good health both inside and out, some people are allergic to it. If you have had a significant allergic response to bees or bee stings in the past, a daily honey regimen is not recommended for you.
Note that the health benefits ascribed to honey are mostly referring to raw honey, which is not processed before it is packaged, other than straining out larger pieces of debris. Lightly processed honey also has health benefits. Some large commercial producers, however, process raw honey heavily and dilute it with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Not only does this wipe out the metabolic benefits of the honey, it removes a lot of its nutrients and antioxidants, as well.
Raw honey gets a bad reputation because it may contain botulism spores, but that is quite rare. Healthy adults are typically able to digest these spores in a way that renders them harmless. However, botulism is of greater risk for pregnant women and infants, so if you fall into either category, it’s best to steer clear for safety’s sake.
Otherwise, get that honey habit started today!
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