Honey has been used throughout history because they offer many health benefits and medical uses.
It has been used since the Stone Age era, approximately 8000 years ago. People used to choose honey for wound healing. Ancient Egyptians used it to treat intestine disease. Germans used to accept honey as payments.
Nowadays, you can find honey almost in every place. From your restaurant, supermarket, even a drugstore. You can find it in many forms, such as royal jelly, beeswax, and bee pollen. You might even use it to sweeten your tea. Kids might request honey to be on top on their pancake. Or maybe you saw some people apply it on their face.
There might be many ways to use honey. And who doesn’t love honey? I mean it tastes good, and offer many health benefits!
The question is, is it safe? How much honey you can eat in a day? Or as a parent, you must know how much honey you can give to your children. So, let’s scroll down and find some interesting facts and tips about honey!
What Is Honey
Let’s start with the easy one. You probably know that honey is produced from bees. But not all bees make honey, only 7 out of 20,000 types of bees that can produce honey. It uses the nectar from flowers. And if you are not a fan of bugs, you should thank the bees, as they work so hard to produce honey. Did you know that a colony of bees have to collect nectar from 2 million flowers just to produce 1 pound of honey? (1 pound = 0,45 kilograms).
According to NCBI, a tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar. It has zero fat, zero cholesterol, and zero sodium. And it’s gluten-free!
Nutritionally, honey is 80% carbohydrates, 18 % water, and 2% vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Amazing!
How Honey Is Made
First, the honey bees collect sugar using the nectar from flowers.
Second, after going inside to the beehive, they consume, digest and regurgitate the nectar that resulted in honey.
Last, the bees stored honey in honeycombs.
Every honey could have a different smell, color, and taste depending on the flowers.
Why Honey Is Good For You
As mentioned before, honey is medicinal. It has been prescribed as far as ancient Mesopotamia. Studies have shown that honey is a good source of antioxidants to fight off free radicals. Not to mention that it also has antibacterial and antifungal properties. And it is a potent prebiotic!
Here are some health benefits offered by honey:
- Soothe a sore throat and works as a cough suppressant.
- Promote eye health
- Reduced risk of heart attacks (especially for people with type 2 diabetes). Honey is high in phenols and antioxidant compounds.
- Reduced risk of strokes. Honey lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol. It also lower triglycerides.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Promotes burn and wound healing. Honey is effective for partial thickness burns, wounds and other skin conditions.
- Reduce allergy symptoms. Pollen can trigger an immune response in the human body.
- Offer a quick boost of energy and immunity. Honey contains carbohydrates (fructose and glucose), and also high in antioxidants.
- Boosts memory. Studies have shown that honey help boosts memory in women menopause. Honey prevents metabolic stress and helps soothe the brain.
- Treats dandruff. Honey has anti-inflammatory properties that work with redness and itching on scalp
- Maintain weight. Honey helps increase metabolism.
- Works as a natural moisturizer for skin. Honey can be used for your skin, face, and lips.
Type of Honey
There are several types of honey, the edible one that you can eat, or the inedible one that is used for medical purposes or other purposes like as cosmetics fragrance and soaps moisturizer.
However, in this blog, I will tell you about edible honey that can be categorized based on how they are processed.
There are:
Raw Honey
Raw honey is bottled directly after removed from the hive. So don’t be surprised when it contains yeast, wax, and pollen.
Pasteurized. This type of honey is made through the heating process. This could improve their color and texture, also removes crystallization. Pasteurized honey also has a longer shelf life than the raw honey. But there are many nutrients that destroyed in this process.
Honey can also be categorized based on the flower the bees visited. There are:
- Clover
- Buckwheat. It has the highest antioxidants. It has a strong and spicy flavor.
- Blueberry
- Eucalyptus. It has grayish color and subtle menthol flavor.
- Orange blossom
Interesting Facts About Honey
You probably wonder why your bottled honey doesn’t have an expiry date. Did you know that honey never spoils? Yes, you read that right. Honey might be eternal if you store it right. The acid in honey makes bacteria can’t live in their environment.
As mentioned above, honey can have a different color. From the most famous color, clear and light yellowish, to dark brown color. People tend to choose a lighter color because it has a sweeter flavor. Even though darker honey is bitter than the light one, they are higher in bioactive plant compounds and antioxidants.
How To Choose Honey
Choosing high-quality honey is good for you because they offer healthier benefits and often not mixed with syrup.
Raw honey also offers more nutrients than pasteurized honey. So, it is better to choose raw and high-quality honey!
How To Use Honey
- For a sore throat. Take one teaspoon of honey and mix it with tea and lemon.
- As a cough suppressant. Take one or two teaspoons of honey. Mix it with ginger and tea.
- For weight management. Take one teaspoon of honey and mix it with warm water
- For hair. Take two teaspoons of honey and mix with green tea and lavender to prevent hair fall. Or with vegetable oil to treat dandruff.
- To boost antioxidants. Take one teaspoon of honey.
- As wound dressing. Take one-two teaspoons of medicinal/raw honey and apply it on the affected area. Wrap with dressing if necessary. If you use dressing, change it every 24-48 hours. Inspect the wound every 2 days and apply the honey every 12-48 hours.
- For face and skin. Take two teaspoons of honey and mix it with a face mask or scrub
- To boost energy. Take one-two teaspoons of honey and mix it with citrus juice, water, and salt.
- To treat diarrhea. Take four teaspoons of honey and mix it with hot water.
How Much Honey You Can Eat In A Day
For Adults: American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that men daily intake for sugar is less than 150 calories a day and less than 100 calories a day for women. ‘Added sugar’ such as honey, should be consumed for no more than six teaspoons.
For Kids: Start with 1/2 teaspoon for kids ages 1 to 5 years old. For kids ages >6 years old, you can give them 1 teaspoon.
For Baby: To infant less than 1-year-old, zero amount! It is not for babies.
Quick Tips To Use Honey
Mix it with yogurt, cereal or oatmeal.
Put it on the top of pancakes or toast.
Mix it with coffee or tea.
How To Store Honey
When you store it properly and it’s air sealed, honey never expires. Keep it in a cool and dry place. It should always be closed and kept to avoid attracting dust or ants.
If you don’t, the honey can lose their quality such as aroma and flavor.
Precautions
However, honey contains high levels of sugar, about 70 – 80%. So consume it with consideration, especially if you have diabetes or other health conditions. It’s better to consult with your doctor first.
Honey that is used in the hospital is different from the one in the store. It is made for a medical purpose. It is not recommended to use normal honey to treat wounds or cuts. Medical honey has been irradiated to inactivate the bacterial spores and can fight germ. Don’t forget to use sterilize gauze and bandages or a polyurethane dressing.
Don’t ever try to give raw honey to a baby less than 1-year-old. Raw honey can carry harmful bacteria and cause botulism. This can happen to adults, so if you ever suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, constipation or blurred vision after eating raw honey, go see your doctor.
If you have pollen allergies, don’t consume it.
Conclusion
Consuming honey in the right amount is good for you because they offer many health benefits. It is safe to consume for adults, kids, even pregnancy and breastfeeding woman.
Choosing high-quality honey can provide you a healthier life. You can use it to replace sugar in meals. It has vitamins and minerals that sugar doesn’t have.
Enjoy it in moderation.
Check out HoneyCity for their range of honey.
