Honey is one of the few natural foods with a very long shelf life. Not only is it easy to have on hand, it’s also great for nutrition and medicinal uses. We might have grown too used to refined sugar, so it’s time to focus on how honey is a much better alternative.
Many of us are now trying to lead healthier lives. If we start making little changes like replacing our sugar with alternatives like honey, we might be much better off. Honey is sweet, full of nutrition, filling, and gives us healthy calories instead of empty ones.
The health benefits of honey certainly seem tempting, but do we really know all of them? Here are some health benefits of this liquid gold that might surprise you:
1. Gives Us Antioxidants
If you’re able to get the genuine, high-quality honey, you can benefit from the essential antioxidants it contains. There are phenolic compounds called flavonoids in there, as well as organic acids that can give your body a much-needed health boost.
With all these powerful compounds combined, honey packs a nice punch to any toxins that might be harming our internal systems. Buckwheat honey is the best one for increasing our blood’ antioxidant value, so we might want to try that out at some point. With a decent level of antioxidants in the body, studies show that we could rescue our risk of getting strokes, heart attacks, and even certain kinds of cancer. Our eye health is likely to improve as well, so it’s a win on many counts.
2. Better Than Sugar
Diabetics are strictly forbidden to have most kinds of sugar, but honey might be a safer bet than white and even brown sugar. The evidence on this count is mixed, but it’s still worth taking a look at the pros and cons of a diabetic consuming honey.
For instance, honey might rescue the risk of getting heart disease, which is frighteningly common for those with Type 2 diabetes. There’s also the chance that honey might reduce the levels of bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol (more on this later), while inflammation and triglyceride may go down too. However, we cannot ignore the fact that honey does increase your blood sugar. It may not be as much as the effect of refined sugar, so using honey in homemade peanut butter cups is probably a safer option.
Plus, it’s a sad fact that a lot of the honey we get on the market is adulterated with sugar syrup or other additives. Honey adulteration might be illegal in several countries, but it’s widespread and difficult to detect. Those whole wheat blueberry muffins might still be a good idea, but in strict moderation.
3. Lowering Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a dangerous problem, especially as it can increase the risk of heart disease. Luckily, the antioxidants from honey might be able to lower our blood pressure and reduce our chances of heart attacks and strokes. .
4. Improving Cholesterol
If our LDL cholesterol levels are high, we have a fairy high chance of contracting heart disease. This is because that kind of cholesterol increases the fatty buildup in our parties. The result might mean strokes and heart attacks, so it’s evident that this bad cholesterol needs to stay at a low level.
It seems like honey might be able to reduce LDL cholesterol and hence decrease those harmful chances. At the same time, it also has the potential to increase HDL cholesterol. This type is the good kind, which actually protects our body’s health instead of damaging it.
5. Lowering Triglycerides
If our blood triglycerides are elevated, we’re at risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, OCIS, and many other health issues. The levels only increase when our diet consists of mainly refined sugar and simple carbs.
There are many studies that link honey consumption to lowered and controlled triglyceride levels. If your tests show an abundance of triglycerides, it might be time to replace all uses of sugar with honey (the instances shouldn’t be all too frequent either).
6. Great for Healing Burns and Wounds
While an open, gaping burn or wound requires a trip to the emergency department, you can use honey as atypical treatment for more minor injuries. We already know that the ancient Egyptians used honey for healing burns and wounds, and the practice is still quite common in modern times.
If we look at the many studies on this subject, it’s apparent that honey has the potential for bettering partial-thickness wounds and burns. This also goes for any infected places that might crop up after a surgery.
Diabetic foot ulcers can be quite serious if we don’t treat them. If they’re left to fester, many diabetic patients might even face amputation. Fortunately, research shows us that using honey for healing diabetic ulcers has a decent success rate. This benefit is attributed to the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of honey, along with the nourishment of the wounds surrounding tissue.
Speaking of ulcers, there are several skin conditions where honey might come to the resume. These conditions include herpes lesions, psoriasis, and many more.
7. Suppressing Coughs
If that hacking and wheezing have become too much to handle, it might be time to try out raw unfiltered honey for coughs. Many children suffer from upper respiratory infections if your kid is one of them, coughing could be a common issue in your household.
When left untreated, such infections could decrease the sleep your child gets, thereby lowering the quality of their life as well. With all the coughing and disturbance, you and other adults won’t be much better off.
Before reaching for the cough medicine, keep in mind the mainstream options might not be very effective in the long run. There are also problematic side effects to think of, so honey is probably the best choice in such cases. There have even been studies to prove how honey might work better than at least some cough medicines.
Some folks sear by putting a pinch of powdered black pepper in a tablespoon of honey and eating the combo for cough relief. Others recommend mixing some honey in a cup of arm water, adding some salt, cinnamon, cloves, and other components for an effective cough remedy. As long as you’re not giving it to babies under one, honey could be that alternative cough medicine you’ve been looking for.
Conclusion
The health benefits of honey are certainly vast. As long as you’re not allergic to the substance or its components, it’s probably best to have a jar on hand for your natural care needs. In addition to all the health boosts, remember that honey can play a major role in your beauty routine as well.