The 8
Health Benefits of Raw Honey
The average American consumes almost 152 pounds of refined sugar
in one year. This is equal to 3 pounds of sugar consumed in one week! Or 13
tablespoons in a day which is nearly twice the recommended limit! This is in
addition to the 42 pounds of high fructose corn syrup consumed on an annual
basis. When people eat up to 10-20% of
calories as sugar (or more), this can become a major problem and contribute to
nutrient deficiencies. Some of the unhealthy side effects of too much
sugar consumption can include fatty liver disease, Metabolic syndrome and
diabetes just to name a few. Sugar is also very bad for the teeth,
because it provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the
mouth
By itself,
it contains:
·
no
nutrients
·
no
protein
·
no
healthy fats
·
no
enzymes
So why is it that by
comparison the average American only consumes around 1.3 pounds of honey per
year? Especially when according to research, if you switch out your intake of
refined sugar and use pure raw honey instead, the health benefits can be
astronomical!
So what exactly is raw honey?
It’s a pure, unfiltered and
unpasteurized sweetener made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Most of the
honey consumed today is processed honey that’s been heated and filtered since
it was gathered from the hive, which removes and destroys the pollen, enzymes,
vitamins, and minerals naturally occurring in raw honey. Unlike processed
honey, raw honey does not get robbed of its incredible nutritional value and
health powers. It can help with everything from low energy to sleep problems to
seasonal allergies.
Let’s talk about some of the
Health Benefits of Raw Honey!
1.
Manage Weight
Number one on our list is that
by replacing sugar with honey can help weight loss, prevent packing on extra
pounds, and can also help to lower blood sugar, as presented by a study done by
San Diego State University.
Raw honey has been found to
activate hormones that help to suppress appetite, according to another study
done by University of Wyoming.
2.
Improve Allergies
As stated above the average grocery
store honey is usually high processed and loses a lot of its natural quality’s.
Raw Honey, however, contains bee pollen, which is known to ward off infection,
provide natural allergy relief, and boost your immune system. The process of
using honey to prevent allergies in what we would refer to as immunotherapy.
How does it work?!
You see bees all the time
going from flower to flower collecting pollen that cause you to suffer, so when
you consume local raw honey, you are also consuming the same local pollen causing
you allergies. Through this process of consuming the pollen you will begin to
build up an immunity to the allergen, which over time will make you less
sensitive to the pollen that caused you allergy symptoms.
A study in 2013 showed that
eating local raw honey can improver you allergy symptoms in about 8 weeks and
that it improved overall symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and
other similar symptoms.
You know what they say, a
spoon full of honey will keep the allergens away!
3.
Natural Energy Source
Raw Honey contains natural
sugars, water, minerals, vitamins, pollen, and protein. It provides an easily absorbed
supply of energy, making it perfect for morning starts or as a pre/post
exercise energy source.
Studies have shown honey to be
one of the best choices of carbohydrates to consume right before exercising. As
well as revealed that honey performs on par with glucose used in commercial
energy drinks. When it comes to exercise, raw honey is highly recommended for
both fueling and recovery.
4.
Natural Antioxidant
Studies have shown that a
daily dose of raw honey raises the levels of health-promoting antioxidants in
the body. Antioxidants protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules
called free radicals, as well as boosting the immune system, and acting as a
preventer of any number of debilitating diseases.
Honey contains polyphenols, a
powerful antioxidant, that are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and
cancer. Studies have also shown that honey contains the disease-fighting antioxidant
flavonoids pinocembrin, pinostrobin and chrysin. Pinocembrin supports enzyme
activity, and many studies have shown that pinocembrin induces apoptosis
(programmed cell death) of many types of cancer cells.
5.
Sleep Promoter
There are two ways in which
raw honey promotes restorative sleep. The first is by consuming honey before
bedtime, your body will use it to restock the liver’s glycogen supply and
prevent your brain from triggering a crisis search for fuel, which can wake you
up. So, no more midnight snacking needed!
The second way is that
consuming honey fosters the release of melatonin in the brain by creating a
small spike in insulin levels which stimulates the release of tryptophan in the
brain which then converts to serotonin, which then converts to melatonin.
Melatonin also boosts immunity
and helps rebuild tissue during periods of rest, which has been shown to
decrease risk factors for hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, stroke and arthritis. In addition, serotonin is a naturally occurring chemical
in your brain which when increased can help with depression.
6.
In First Aide
At the University of Waikato
in New Zealand, Peter Charles Molan has found in multiple studies that honey is
a natural antibacterial with wound-healing effects. He also found that honey
reacts with the body’s fluids to make hydrogen peroxide, creating an
inhospitable environment for bacteria.
For the treatment of burns and
wounds, honey is typically applied directly to the problem area or in a
dressing that’s changed every 24 to 48 hours.
7.
Diabetes Aid
Consumption of raw honey can help
to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and can also be known to help treat
diabetes. Raw honey increases insulin and decreases hyperglycemia, and has been
observed to cause a lower elevation of plasma glucose levels in diabetics.
Raw honey can be especially
beneficial to healthy blood sugar management when combined with cinnamon. Some
suggest that the insulin-boosting power of cinnamon can counteract this glucose
levels naturally occurring in honey, which would make your honey and cinnamon
mixture a low glycemic index food combination as well.
8.
Natural Cough Syrup
Raw honey has been shown to be
as effective in treating coughs as over-the-counter commercial cough syrups. In
one study, honey was just as effective as diphenhydramine and dextromethorphan,
common ingredients found in over-the counter cough medicines. Increasing
scientific evidence shows that a single dose of honey can reduce mucus
secretion and coughs.
For a cough, a half teaspoon
to two teaspoons of honey at bedtime is a studied and recommended dosage for
anyone over the age of one.
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