What 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. 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. Switching to raw honey may even
help weight-loss efforts when compared to diets containing sugar. I’m
super excited to write about this amazing natural sweetener today.
According to new research, if you can
switch out your intake of refined sugar and use pure raw honey instead, the
health benefits can be enormous.
8 Health Benefits of Raw Honey
1. Healthy Weight Management: Research studies have linked honey
consumption with weight loss. A San Diego State
University study found that replacing sugar with honey can actually help
prevent accumulation of fat and also lower blood sugar levels. The research
results also suggest that in comparison to sugar, honey may lower serum triglycerides.
Raw honey has also been found to activate
hormones that suppress appetite. Raw honey consumption offers potential
obesity protective and preventive effects.
2. Counters Pollen Allergies: Raw honey contains bee pollen,
which is known to ward off infections, provide natural allergy relief and boost overall immunity. Honey’s
ability to prevent allergies is based on a concept called immunotherapy. Bees
in your neighbourhood fly from flower to flower collecting pollen that causes
you to suffer, but when you consume local raw honey, you also consume that
same offending local pollen. After some time, an allergy sufferer may become
less sensitive to this pollen that previously caused problems and experience
less seasonal allergy symptoms.
Many seasonal allergy sufferers have found local, raw honey to be helpful
because it desensitizes their hyper-reaction pollen allergy.
Some people believe daily tablespoon of honey can
actually serve as an allergy shot. The honey must be raw honey though. Refined
or pasteurized honey does not contain any pollen. Thus for possible seasonal
allergy relief, it’s advisable you consume raw honey with pollen in it.
3. Natural Energy Source: Raw honey contains natural sugars (80
percent), water (18 percent), and minerals, vitamins, pollen and protein
(2 percent). It’s not surprising that honey has been called “the perfect
running fuel.” It provides an easily absorbed supply of energy in the form
of liver glycogen, making it ideal for energetic morning starts and as a pre- and
post-exercise energy source.
A research by University of Memphis
Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory found honey to be one of the best
choices of carbohydrate to consume right before exercising. Also, studies
have revealed that as a sporting fuel, honey performs alongside glucose,
which is the sugar used in most commercial energy gels.
When it comes to raw honey’s use
in athletic endeavors, raw honey is highly recommend for both fueling and refuelling
(after exercise).
4. Antioxidant Powerhouse: Studies have shown that a
daily dose of raw honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants in
the body. Antioxidants help block free radicals in the body that cause
disease. It also boosts the immune
system, acting as a preventative against any number of debilitating
diseases. Honey contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that have
been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Somewhere, one 25 people were
given about four tablespoons of honey per day for 29 days in addition to
their regular diets. When blood samples were taken before and after the
research, they found a direct link between honey consumption and an increased
level of disease-fighting polyphenols in the blood.
Studies have also shown that
honey contains some disease-fighting antioxidant flavonoids such as; 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. Also, laboratory research suggests that chrysin
may increase the male hormone testosterone and improve bodybuilding results,
but human research hasn’t found any effect on testosterone levels.
5. Sleep Promoter: Raw honey promotes restorative
sleep in two ways. By consuming honey before
bedtime, it restocks the liver’s glycogen supply and prevents the
brain from triggering a crisis search for fuel, which can wake you up.
Secondly, taking raw 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. Tryptophan
converts to serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin.
Melatonin also boosts immunity and
helps rebuild tissue during periods of rest. Poor sleep, by comparison, has
been shown to be a risk factor for hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes,
heart disease, stroke and arthritis. As honey is a proven natural sleep aid, it naturally lowers
the risk of all these health problems.
6. Wound and Ulcer Healer: Honey-infused bandages are known
to aid healing. Peter Charles Molan at the University of Waikato, New Zealand,
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. Sometimes the dressing is left in place for up to
25 days. A combination of honey and ghee has also been advocated and used
as dressing for infected wounds since 1991 in four Mumbai hospitals.
Honey has been studied for its
use in effectively treating various types of ulcers as well. Honey may reduce
the size, pain and odor of problematic skin ulcers.
7. Diabetes Aid: Consumption of raw honey can
reduce the risk of developing diabetes and help aid medication used to treat
diabetes. The combination of raw
honey and cinnamon can be especially beneficial to healthy blood sugar management, as well as
many other health concerns like gingivitis and acne.
According to a study out of
Dubai, honey has been observed to cause a lower elevation of plasma glucose
levels in diabetics compared to dextrose and sucrose. Some suggest that the
insulin-boosting power of cinnamon can counteract this glucose elevation in
honey, which would make your honey and cinnamon mixture a low glycemic index food
combination.
Raw honey increases insulin and decreases
hyperglycemia. Try consuming a little at a time and see how your blood
sugar reacts to it, and add both raw honey and cinnamon to your diabetic diet plan.
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8. Natural Cough Syrup: Raw honey has been shown
to be as effective in treating
coughs as over-the-counter commercial cough syrups. Increasing
scientific evidence shows that a single dose of honey can reduce mucus
secretion and coughs. In one study, honey was just as effective as
diphenhydramine and dextromethorphan, common ingredients found in over-the
counter cough medicines.
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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