12.2.09

I have a friend who eats honey.  Allot.  She swears by it.  So I decided to look up what's so sweet about honey.  And WOW.  There is so much about honey that I did not know about. From dieting aids to helping with open wounds!  Here are a few of the benefits that I found most relative.

• Sweetener: This was the most obvious.  I know loads of people that use honey in tea's and coffees instead of sugar.  Honey contains about 69% glucose and fructose enabling it to be used as a sweetener.
• Energy Source: Honey has about 64 calories per tablespoon providing an excelent source of energy.  Where sugar has about 50.  Also honey is easily converted to a glucose even by the most sensitive stomach, making honey very easy to digest.
  
• Weight Loss: Though honey has more calories than sugar, honey when consumed with warm water helps in digesting the fat stored in your body. Unlike straight sugar honey and lemon juice and honey and cinnamon help in reducing weight.
• Improving Athletic Performance: Recent research has shown that honey is an excellent ergogenic aid and helps in boosting the performance of athletes. Honey facilitates in maintaining blood sugar levels, muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration after a workout.
• Source of Vitamins and Minerals: Honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. The vitamin and mineral content of honey depends on the type of flowers used for apiculture.
• Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties: Honey has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and hence it can be used as a natural antiseptic.
• Antioxidants: Honey contains nutraceuticals, which are effective in removing free radicals from our body. As a result, our body immunity is improved.
• Skin Care with Milk and Honey: Milk and honey are often served together as both these ingredients help in getting a smooth soothing skin. Hence consuming milk and honey daily in the morning is a common practice in many countries.

I had no idea of all of the benefits.  My friend uses honey as a natural cough supressent, in her teas and coffees, as a quick sweet treat, and puts milk and honey in her oatmeal that she eats every morning.

I guess she was right...
~ko