Home › Forums › HERBAL APOCRYPHA › The Benefits of Honey + How to Incorporate It Into Your Diet
- This topic is empty.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
-
AuthorPosts
-
2023-01-20 at 22:19 #390049
Nat Quinn
KeymasterThe Benefits of Honey + How to Incorporate It Into Your Diet
Plus, a dietitianâs tips on how to choose a good honey
Winnie the Pooh might have been on to something. While honey is known as a natural way to sweeten foods, it may have benefits for your body, too, says registered dietitian Mira Ilic, MS, RDN, LD.
How honey is made
Honey is a liquid sweetener that bees make. After they collect nectar from flowers, they take it back to the hive and regurgitate it. Then, the other bees chew it until it becomes honey. The bees deposit the honey into tiny, waxy storage units called honeycombs. They fan it with their wings to dry it out. This process makes it stickier.
âHoney gets its sweetness from its chemical makeup,â Ilic says. âItâs made up of two simple sugars called glucose and fructose, along with some minerals.â
Types of honey
The U.S. boasts more than 300 different types of honey. You can buy it:
-
Raw: Raw honey comes straight from the hive. âRaw honey is the least processed and probably has the most antioxidants,â Ilic says. Despite its raw status, itâs considered safe to eat except for children younger than 1, who should avoid all honey.
-
Pasteurized:Â Pasteurized honey has been processed to remove imperfections and improve its shelf life. âIt can also be spiked with added corn syrup or other sweeteners,â Ilic notes. âNot all honey sold in the stores is the same even though it all starts naturally in the hive.â
Why is some honey light and others dark?
Whether honey is light or dark in color depends on which kind of plant the bees who made it took the nectar from. âFor instance, dark buckwheat yields dark honey,â says Ilic. âBut nutritionally, thereâs evidence that darker honey has less water and more antioxidants than light-colored honey.â
Honey has so many different tastes you can enjoy compared to plain sugar, she adds. âIt can be sweeter or more bitter, depending on the flower source.â
Light honey varieties
Light-colored honey tends to be mild in flavor. Varieties include:
-
Acacia honey:Â It has floral scents and sweetness but doesnât change the taste of what you put it in, such as tea and oatmeal, Ilic says.
-
Clover honey:Â This honey is common in the U.S. âIt has a floral, sweet taste and a bit of a sour aftertaste,â says Ilic. âItâs good for baking, sauces and dressings.â
Dark honey varieties
Dark honeys are known for their stronger flavors. Examples include:
-
Buckwheat honey:Â âThis full-flavored honey can be used in marinades,â says Ilic.
-
Manuka honey: Manuka honey comes from the nectar and pollen of the Manuka bush in New Zealand. âStudies have shown it contains antioxidants, along with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Itâs also expensive,â adds Ilic. Itâs traditionally used topically to treat burns, cuts and sores.
Is crystallized honey bad?
Store honey in a cool location away from sunlight. But sometimes, even in the perfect spot, honey can crystallize and solidify. âHoney with a higher ratio of glucose versus fructose crystallizes sooner,â Ilic explains. âGlucose may also attach to the little particles of honeycomb and pollen in raw honey and is more likely to crystallize as a result.â
But crystallized honey is still safe to eat: Ilic recommends using it as a spread, like butter. You can also re-liquefy it by putting the container in a warm water bath.
Honeyâs health benefits
Honey contains antioxidants, minerals, enzymes that have many potential health benefits. Thereâs also evidence that honey can:
-
Soothe coughs: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics both endorse honey as a natural cough remedy.
-
Treat wounds and burns: Pharmaceutical-grade manuka honey dressings have been used in clinical settings to treat burns and pressure ulcers.
âMany other claims have been made about the health benefits of honey â some based on very small studies, others overstated and based on mixed study results,â Ilic says. âAdditional studies are needed.â
How to add honey to your diet
While honey has health qualities that other sugars only dream of, Ilic says itâs still an added sugar â and eating too much of it can wreak havoc on your health. The American Heart Association recommends:
-
Women:Â Consume no more than 6 teaspoons daily of added sugars (100 calories).
-
Men:Â Consume no more than 9 teaspoons daily of added sugars (150 calories).
Those limits include all sources of added sugar in your diet, so use honey in moderation to avoid exceeding the limits, says Ilic. âTry sweetening plain yogurt with a light drizzle of honey and add your own fruit, instead of eating flavored yogurt with too much added sugar.â You could also use honey in sauces and marinades or as a skin mask.
If you want to use honey medicinally, Ilic says talk with your health care professional first.
How to choose honey
Ilicâs first tip? The best honey doesnât come in a cute little plastic teddy bear. That kind of honey is processed and less beneficial than its counterparts.
âThe clearer the honey, the more processed it is. Raw honey seems to be the better choice,â she says.â Itâs likely to have some pollen and more enzymes because itâs not treated with heat. Pollen may have beneficial properties. But pollen does make honey look foggier.â
If youâre buying honey from a local source, she also recommends asking:
-
Where did the honey come from?
-
Did the seller produce it?
-
What can they tell you about it?
Ilic adds that an âorganicâ label doesnât automatically mean the honey is healthier or better quality. âBees sometimes fly a few miles past their pesticide- and herbicide-free property to ones with flowers that arenât. And even organic honey may be ultra-pasteurized.â
Health Benefits of Honey and How to Use It â Cleveland Clinic
-
-
AuthorPosts
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.