General considerations on the benefits of honey

Honey has several therapeutic and nutritional properties capable of bringing benefits to health. Rich in antioxidants, it acts as a protector of cells, preventing premature aging. In addition, it also helps regulate cholesterol and triglycerides.

In addition, the presence of antioxidants in honey also helps to reduce blood pressure and has antimicrobial properties. Thus, it fights infections that are caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses. Therefore, a very common use is in the treatment of sore throats.

Throughout the article, more details about the properties and benefits of honey will be commented on. If you want to know more about it, just continue reading.

Honey, how to choose, properties and recommended amount

Produced from the nectar of flowers, honey is processed by the digestive enzymes of the bee. Thus, it has been used since ancient times both as a sweetener and for its medicinal properties. However, nowadays it is necessary to follow some criteria to make a good choice of honey and really enjoy its benefits.

We will tell you more about this below. Want to know how to choose a quality honey and how to consume it? See more about this in the next section!

Honey

Honey is a natural food produced from the nectar of flowers and further processed by the digestive enzymes of bees. Since ancient times it has several uses, ranging from cooking to medicine.

Due to the high presence of sugars in its composition, it is currently used as a natural sweetener, since it contains fructose and glucose. In addition, it is a great source of carbohydrates, which also makes it a good source of energy in general.

How to choose honey

To choose a quality honey it is necessary to pay attention to some details. The first of them is the seal of the Federal Inspection Service (SIF), since it represents the verification of the Ministry of Agriculture and therefore provides quality assurance. In addition, there is the possibility of buying the product directly from a beekeeper.

However, there are ways to recognize quality through the physical properties of honey, such as its texture. For example, as much as some people think that crystallization is a negative sign, it actually represents purity and attests to the quality of the product.

How to consume honey

The health benefits of honey will only be felt if its consumption is regular. Therefore, one way to do this is to use honey as a sweetener for drinks, since it has a capacity twice as large as traditional sugar. In addition, it can also be incorporated into recipes and consumed in fruit salads.

Other ways to insert honey in a diet is to associate it with yogurt during breakfast. However, it is important to observe the indicated amounts so that the replacement is really effective and beneficial to health.

The properties of honey

Honey has several nutritious and beneficial properties for the body. Among them, it is possible to highlight the presence of antioxidants, which act to combat premature aging. However, the food also has several minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and zinc, and vitamin C.

Given this, honey has the ability to reduce blood pressure. Thus, it acts to combat conditions such as hypertension by helping to replenish minerals. When these are absent from the body, sodium accumulates in excess in the blood.

Recommended quantity

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the ideal is that any type of sugar should be ingested at a rate of 50g/day. However, it may be even more interesting to halve this consumption and adhere to a diet with only 25g/day.

Thus, honey fits in these amounts even though it is a less processed form than crystal and refined sugars. So, its consumption should be quite moderate to really bring benefits to health and ideally should be ingested only one tablespoon per day.

The benefits of honey

Honey can bring several health benefits, acting from fighting obesity to preventing premature aging. Currently, some of its uses, especially in the treatment of everyday infections, such as sore throats, are widespread.

However, others remain distant from the knowledge of the general public. Want to know more about the advantages of consuming this food? See below more information about the benefits of honey!

Combating obesity

As honey helps to control the levels of sugar in the blood, besides being used to replace refined sugar, it is able to help in the control of obesity. In addition, the food also acts to combat the accumulation of fat in the blood by eliminating the "bad cholesterol" and encouraging the production of "good cholesterol".

Due to the highlighted facts, inflammatory processes are reduced significantly and this helps in weight maintenance.

Contains antioxidants

The presence of antioxidants in honey is one of the main reasons to incorporate it into your diet. The phenolic compounds in the food help protect the body from cell damage, which is caused by free radicals and has as a consequence the aging process. However, it is not only in this sense that antioxidants help the body.

However, it is worth mentioning that they also prevent the appearance of chronic diseases, such as heart problems and some types of cancer. However, it is worth remembering that consumption needs to be associated with other healthy habits to be effective.

Reduction of blood pressure

Directly associated with heart diseases, blood pressure can also be reduced from the consumption of honey and this also happens thanks to the antioxidants. Thus, eating a shallow tablespoon of honey daily is a good way to do this, since this amount has about 18g of potassium.

The mineral in question helps maintain the balance of water in the cells. Therefore, its action happens in order to minimize the effects of daily sodium intake. In addition, potassium also contributes to the elimination of sodium through urine.

Improves heart health

Because honey is able to increase blood flow and reduce the possibility of clot formation, it is beneficial for maintaining heart health. The process described is able to help lower blood pressure, which is directly associated with various heart conditions.

Therefore, through the consumption of this food it is possible to reduce the risks of heart attacks and also a number of other conditions that are directly linked to the circulatory system, to which the heart is connected.

Relieves symptoms of colds

Honey is also an excellent ally in fighting colds. In fact, this is one of its most popular uses in Brazil. According to some researchers at Oxford University, the food is able to relieve infections that occur in the upper respiratory tract.

It is also worth mentioning that honey relieves discomforts related to throat information. This happens thanks to the presence of its sugars, such as sucrose and fructose, which provide relief for these discomforts by stimulating the production of saliva and, consequently, hydrate the throat.

Improves gastrointestinal health

According to some studies, the consumption of honey is able to help in the protection and recovery of the gastric mucosa. This happens thanks to the anti-inflammatory action and also the antioxidant action of food. In addition, honey is able to contribute to maintain good bacteria in the digestive system.

Thus, it is usually very effective in treating digestive problems and also milder intestinal problems. It is worth noting that more serious conditions need to be observed by doctors because they present a high risk to health.

Assists in immune defenses

The immune defenses are also benefited by honey consumption. Due to the antimicrobial activities present in the food, it can be used when some respiratory infection presents itself and helps to increase the body's defenses. There are several bacteria that are sensitive or little resistant to the honey properties.

However, it is important to note that conditions such as infections, especially persistent ones, require medical treatment because they can worsen and trigger more serious conditions. It is recommended that honey is an ally of this treatment.

Helps memory and anxiety

Some recent studies have made an association between replacing sugar with honey and memory improvement. In addition, research also points out that the food has an important role in controlling anxiety. Thus, consumption has become popular in this sense as well.

Another aspect that deserves to be highlighted is the fact that researchers have commented on the positive impact that honey can have on memory, especially women and during the menopausal and postmenopausal period.

Relieves sore throat, asthma and cough

Since honey has anti-inflammatory properties, it is able to help with sore throats and also other conditions associated with the lungs, such as asthma and cough. Thus, it is efficient in cases of flu and cold and can even help improve the sleep of people suffering from these conditions.

According to the indications of experts, when the purpose of using honey is this type of combat, you should consume 2 teaspoons near bedtime. The sugars present in honey encourage the production of saliva and protect the throat.

Fights bacteria and fungi in wounds

A study still in progress is checking the healing properties of honey, as well as its ability to fight bacteria and fungi present in wounds. According to preliminary research considerations, the food's antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties may help in this regard.

However, it is important to note that this effect is not exactly associated with the consumption of honey. For these properties to be activated, it must be applied directly to the wound. The study in question made this type of use in patients with burns and unhealed wounds.

Improves cholesterol levels and decreases triglycerides

The improvement in cholesterol levels is one of the positive impacts of honey on health. It is able to reduce the "bad cholesterol" (LDL) and increase the "good cholesterol (HDL)". According to the information of a study, when compared to sugar, honey showed a 5.8% reduction of LDL and a 3.3% increase of HDL.

It is also worth mentioning that regular consumption of this food decreases triglycerides. This is potentiated when honey is used to replace refined sugar, a regular presence in Brazilian kitchens.

The risks and contraindications of honey

Despite all its health benefits, honey has some risks and some contraindications that cannot be ignored. In this sense, the most obvious is to highlight the consumption by diabetic people, who must have medical monitoring to be able to consume this food safely.

However, there are other groups that are negatively affected. Want to know more about the risks and contraindications of honey? See the next section of the article!

Children under 1 year

According to a study conducted in the United States, honey is not indicated for children under one year of age. In addition, it is recommended to avoid the food until babies turn two years. This is linked to the spores of a bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, which may be present in honey.

These spores can end up causing a serious disease, botulism, which is an infection. In this age group the biggest concern is the form of botulism that attacks the intestine and can cause serious sequelae in children.

For diabetics

Honey should be avoided by diabetic people due to the presence of simple sugars, which act increasing blood glucose. Even though its glycemic index is lower than crystal sugar, it can still cause significant changes and affect the control of the disease as a whole.

Therefore, diabetic people need to consult a doctor before inserting any type of sugar in their diet. Only then can the quantities be established safely and in a way that the benefits can be felt.

For allergy sufferers

In the case of allergic people, it can be pointed out that this mainly happens to people who are also allergic to bee stings or pollen. Thus, honey arouses a strong reaction in the immune system, which can cause symptoms such as redness of the skin, swollen lips and watering eyes.

So, when talking about allergic people, the only way to avoid the highlighted symptoms is not to consume honey. In addition, any kind of product that contains it in its composition should be cut from the diet. Therefore, try to pay attention to the labels of natural products.

For fructose intolerant people

Fructose intolerance happens when the intestine cannot digest this type of sugar efficiently. Since it is present in honey and in foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as in other industrialized products, it is necessary to exclude its consumption from the diet.

Therefore, people who are fructose intolerant should cut out honey and all products containing it in their diet to avoid problems in this regard.

Different uses and ways of consuming honey

There are several types of uses and also ways of consumption of honey. Moreover, as it can bring benefits to some parts of the body when applied directly to them, such uses go beyond cooking and diet.

Thus, the next section of the article will present some of the most common and beneficial ways to use or consume this food. Want to know more about the different ways to make use of honey? See below in more detail!

Honey for hair

Honey helps a lot in hair care, especially with curly and chemically damaged hair. This happens because the natural oil found in the scalp has difficulty getting down to the tips of the wire, so it can acquire a drier look. Thus, honey helps prevent this from happening.

Therefore, when talking about hair care, honey has nourishing properties that also help prevent damage caused by external factors such as sun rays and city pollution.

Honey for the skin

When talking about the benefits of honey for the skin, the healing properties are the first that come to mind. However, it can also help a lot in the treatment of acne due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, it is able to get a more efficient response from the body than some creams aimed at this purpose.

In addition, in the case of dry skin, honey acts as a powerful moisturizer and ensures a brightening effect, restoring radiance, something that is associated with its antioxidant properties, capable of reducing the effects of premature aging.

Honey with milk

In association with milk and slightly warmed, honey has its effects enhanced. Thus, the drink in question is able to help improve digestion due to its probiotic properties, which stimulate the development of good bacteria for the functioning of the digestive system as a whole. These bacteria also contribute to the functioning of the intestine.

In addition, honey with milk also helps to combat insomnia, since it is able to stimulate the body to produce the sleep hormone. Thus, those who suffer from this disorder can have more peaceful nights.

Honey with lemon

The combination of honey and lemon is commonly used for flu treatments. Due to the presence of phytonutrients, vitamin A and vitamin C, the immune system is strengthened. In addition, the antioxidant properties are also positive for this type of combat. However, all this has more to do with prevention than combat.

What happens when you consume honey with lemon is that the nerve endings are anesthetized for a short period. So when it comes to actual treatment honey with lemon only works in the early stages of coughing.

Honey with cinnamon

The use of honey associated with cinnamon brings several health benefits. Thus, the combination is able to control diabetes, help in wound healing, reduce the risks of heart disease and also to increase the levels of antioxidants present in the body.

When talking about diabetes control, it is worth noting that a 2020 study found that cinnamon is able to reduce blood sugar levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Therefore, this cancels the harm that honey could bring, making it can be used as a sweetener. However, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Are there benefits to substituting honey for refined sugar?

The replacement of refined sugar by honey is considered a healthy alternative. This happens because it avoids the use of industrialized products, but keeps the quality in terms of sweetener. Thus, the diet becomes more nutritious due to the beneficial properties of honey.

Therefore, the simple act of making this exchange helps in issues such as increased immunity, since honey has powerful antioxidants, plus minerals and vitamins important for the functioning of the human body. Soon, it leaves the body protected against a number of diseases.

It is worth mentioning, however, that people with allergies, intolerances or diabetes should consult a doctor to get a professional opinion regarding the consumption of honey, which in these cases may present health risks.