Honey: benefits and harms, calories.
Table of Contents:
Honey: benefits and harms, calories.
Honey has a very simple composition: 80% sugar, 20% water. At the same time, the product contains many important vitamins and nutrients for the body. However, its benefits are often exaggerated. Let's try to understand this issue. Honey is essentially water-dilute sugar. Sweet syrup-like liquid is produced by honey bees and some related insects (for example, wasps).
References to honey are found in ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Hindus and Chinese. Israel, according to the Old Testament, is "the land of honey and milk." According to the New Testament, John the Baptist ate "honey and acrids" in the desert.
Honey, according to Japanese doctors, is the king of natural products that have a beneficial effect on the human body.
This product is a symbol of immortality and fertility, it was not for nothing that it was called either "food of the gods" or "elixir of life". The ancient Greeks believed that bees were collecting honey from morning dew. The Romans added honey to the wine during fermentation.
In the Middle Ages, this product was endowed with limitless properties. Thus, according to the author of "Bee Story" (1623) Charles Butler, this product is able to cope with any attack - from a rabid dog bite to open wounds - and almost return a person from the other world.
In ancient times, people considered honey food worthy of gods and earthly rulers. It is found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, and such finds can usually be eaten thousands of years later. What's the secret?
The chemical composition of honey.
Honey contains about 60 different substances. The main component of all varieties are carbohydrates: glucose (grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar). 100 g of honey contains 0.3 - 3.3% proteins, 77.2% of carbohydrates and give the body 335 calories of energy.
Honey includes a number of enzymes that significantly accelerate metabolic reactions occurring in the body. Of the minerals, honey includes salts of calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, iodine, chlorine, phosphorus. Honey also contains trace elements: manganese, silicon, aluminum, boron, chromium, copper, lithium, nickel, lead, tin, zinc, osmium and others. Honey includes a number of organic acids: malic, grape, citric, lactic, sorrel and vitamins.
Honey contains a relatively large amount of vitamin B2 (0.5 mg %), PP (0.2 mg %), C (2 mg %), B6, H (biotin), E, K, pantothenic acid, folic acid.
What do you need to know about honey?
The highest grades of honey (containing the least amount of moisture) are obtained when it flows out of the honeycomb under the influence of its own gravity (self-vehages) or by centrifugation in special devices.
The lower grades of honey (high humidity) are obtained by melting honey from honeycombs on fire.
The most popular is natural flower honey. Especially its varieties: linden, buckwheat, acacia, bottom, mustard, cotton, sunflower. Honey gets its name depending on the plants from which bees collect nectar. The most appreciated are light varieties of honey (acacia, lime, etc.), the exception is buckwheat. Dark varieties are richer in minerals that are valuable to the body.
Honey restores and gives strength, mobilizes the protective functions of the body, raises immunity.
What are the benefits of honey?
Back in ancient times, people noticed that wild honey hunters did not suffer from diseases of the joints, vascular system, had good health and were centenarians. And strangely, it happened because they were often stung by bees. Bee venom turned out to be a great medicine. Traditional medicine has long used bee bites in the treatment of rheumatic and other diseases associated with colds.
Bee Poison was also effective in the treatment of diseases of the nervous system and changes in the heart muscle. It also reduces inflammatory processes. People say about bees: "Whoever is stinged is favored." Another saying has come to us from the depths of centuries, when a person was desired health, they often said: "May the bee sting you."
Propolis is widely used in medicine and cosmetics. It is used in the treatment of wounds, burns, frostbite, used for pulmonary tuberculosis, angina, skin diseases, oral mucosa, added to therapeutic toothpastes and creams.
Honey fights aging
Honey has a lot of antioxidants that help cells in the human body recover, slow down the aging process, strengthen the immune system, etc.. The product is rich in useful plant compounds such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. They protect body cells from damage by free radicals.Honey Helps to control blood sugar levels
Researchers have found that honey can increase the level of adiponectin, a hormone that maintains the balance of fats and carbohydrates in the body, increases cell sensitivity to insulin. Scientists noted that daily consumption of the product on an empty stomach can improve blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. However, for all its advantages over refined sugar, honey should still be consumed with great caution and in moderation.Honey has a beneficial effect on the health of the cardiovascular system
Honey helps to reduce blood pressure, normalize heartbeat, has a positive effect on cholesterol in the blood - all these are important factors for the health of the heart and blood vessels. In addition, propolis can improve cholesterol and triglycerides. Honey helps protect the cardiovascular system from oxidative stress, which negatively affects its work. However, the study has so far been conducted only on rats.Promotes wound healing
Residents of Ancient Egypt made bandages with honey to the places of wounds and burns. Modern research confirms that the product is effective in healing small burns and in the care of postoperative wounds. Honey helps in the treatment of foot trophic ulcers, which are considered one of the complications of diabetes. Scientists associate the healing of honey with its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.Honey cures cough in children
Honey helps to reduce the duration and intensity of cough in children, including at night, improving the quality of their sleep, while having no side effects. However, honey should not be given to babies under one year of age due to the risk of botulism.
Honey contraindications.
To the whole endless list of useful qualities of honey, it has few contraindications. Unfortunately, this amazing product is contraindicated in case of allergies to bee products (often not all varieties of honey cause allergies). Honey inhalations are completely prohibited in case of asthma, heart and lung diseases and high temperature.
Honey is contraindicated in diabetes mellitus, and it should be abandoned not only by people with an already developed disease, but also by those who have a high genetic predisposition to it. Finding out such a predisposition is easy - for this you can undergo genetic testing, which will show what your risk of developing diabetes is.
Remember: honey can cause allergies. Also, the product is not recommended for people with diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases in the acute stage.
Types of honey.
Another amazing feature of honey is that pollinating various plants, bees make various honey from their nectar. Separate varieties are distinguished:
Buckwheat honey.
Considered one of the most useful. The content of amino acids and trace elements in this type of honey is almost 2 times higher than in the rest. The variety is best suited for the treatment of colds, skin diseases, beriberi, anemia, hypertension and protein metabolism disorders.Esparce honey.
This variety of honey is quite rare and it is not easy to find it on sale. It consists of: carotene, ascorbic acid, minerals, vitamins and biologically active substances. Also, this honey has a refined smell and moderate sweetness.Acacia honey.
It is popularly believed that this honey is best for insomnia and neurological disorders. A distinctive feature of the variety is that the content of glucose and fructose in it is equal.Heather honey.
The variety almost does not thicken, has a high ductility and is slightly bitter. It has a high mineral content and is recommended in the treatment of vascular diseases, disorders of the nervous system and loss of appetite.Chestnut honey.
Similar to heather honey in taste and texture. Helps the body fight germs, improves immunity, treats diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.Linden honey.
One of the lightest and most fragrant varieties. But its main advantage is that it helps in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and tonsillitis. It is also recommended in the treatment of kidneys, intestines and stomach.Sunflower honey.
One of the most common varieties of honey in the Russian Federation. It has a high content of glucose and amino acids necessary for protein synthesis.Donnikovy honey.
Another rare variety with a delicate vanilla aroma and amazing taste. This variety of honey promotes vasodilation, normalization of metabolism and helps with diseases of the vessels and the gastrointestinal tract.
Is honey possible for pregnant women?
If there are no other contraindications, it is not only possible, but necessary, to use honey during pregnancy! Honey favorably affects the formation and growth of the fetus, enhances uterine circulation, relieves excessive tension from the smooth muscle muscles of the uterus, blood vessels and bronchi.
For pregnant women, honey is recommended for the treatment of colds, while many medical drugs are undesirable or completely contraindicated. With severe toxicosis, honey helps fight nausea and improves appetite. During childbirth, honey can also be useful - it is administered to a woman in labor to prevent exhaustion and facilitate the birth of a child.
It is not recommended to exceed the daily allowance of honey and consume it on an empty stomach!
Honey strengthens the male body, increases immune defense and serves as a prevention of colds. Also, natural honey helps to cope with diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are in the first place among the "male" diseases.
Benefits of honey for men.
The main "male" health problems are: heart attack, nervous disorders, prostate disease, decreased potency and baldness. All these diseases of men can be treated with honey and bee products to varying degrees:
Flower pollen normalizes the endocrine system.
Zinc in honey stimulates the production of hormones.
Vitamin C, which is rich in honey, makes sperm more mobile.
The antibacterial properties of honey help in the treatment of prostate diseases.
Vitamin B, also contained in honey in sufficient quantities, stimulates hair growth, amino acids and sugars are involved in the synthesis of testosterone, the lack of which leads to baldness.
Honey in cooking.
Honey is added to yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream and cocktails, and is also used in baking, added to meat.
We offer a simple recipe for a milkshake with cherries, yogurt and honey. For one serving you will need 100 ml of milk, 100 mg of yogurt, 45 g of cherries, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey and a little coconut flakes - for decoration. Defrost the berries, if necessary, get the seeds. Puree the cherries, add the rest of the ingredients and mix in a blender. You need to beat until airy foam appears.
How to choose and store honey?
Bee honey can be floral and fall. The taste and color of the product depend on many factors, including the characteristics of hives and weather. Preference is better to give honey in honeycombs - this guarantees its naturalness.
"Bad honey" gives out color (cloudy shade, unnatural color) and consistency (presence of sediment). It is sour or has too sugary taste, often with a foreign (for example, berry) aroma.
Sugaring is a natural process that does not deprive honey of useful properties and is not a sign that it is spoiled. Natural honey can be stored on a shelf or in a refrigerator at a temperature of -6 to 20 °C. The warmer the room, the slower crystallization occurs. However, different varieties have their own sugaring rate. Thus, honey from acacia will remain liquid for a long time, and lime will thicken quite quickly.
Honey can be stored for centuries, but for this you need to follow simple rules. In addition to the temperature regime, it is important to keep the product in dishes made of wood (linden or beech, not pine needles), glass, food plastic or clay. A more expensive option is wax barrels.
Do not allow moisture to enter the honey, otherwise it will wander. For this reason, it is not recommended to draw it with a spoon from a large jar. In addition, honey does not like sunlight - because of them it loses its useful properties. Store it in a dark place, for example, in a kitchen cabinet on a closed shelf.