The Health Benefits of Honey
By Sara Butler
Bees are buzzing all around and producing a lot of that sweet stuff that people love to indulge in. But honey is more than simply a sweetener. It actually has some time-tested benefits for your health that may surprise you. Here are just a few of the ways honey can be used to improve your health.
What's Honey Made Of?
Honey has a lot of sugar in it, about 17 grams per tablespoon. It contains specific types of sugar too, such as maltose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose. The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that there are actually 96 nutrients in honey.
Nutrition
Honey can be a very healthy part of a diet. Nutritionally, it is full of antioxidants that differ depending on the type of flower the bee used the nectar of to make it. According to the National Institutes of Health, darker honey often has more antioxidants than lighter colored honey.
Honey is also sweeter than regular table sugar, which means it can work as a great sugar substitute because you use less of it to make it just as sweet. Plus, it can be a great way to boost your energy levels pre-workout due to the carbohydrates it contains and Vitamin B it contains since it's a vitamin that helps your body produce energy.
Personal Care Benefits
Honey isn't simply for eating. You can use it on your skin and in your hair to help moisturize. That's probably why you find honey as an ingredient in a lot of personal care items such as shampoos, lip balm, and facial cleansers.
Illness Prevention and Healing
For centuries, honey has been used to treat minor burns, cuts, and scrapes. It has natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help to protect injuries from infection and soothe them, too. Honey has also been found to be used on some skin conditions such as diaper rash and dandruff.
If you've got a cough, then honey could be just what you need to help soothe it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that honey does help to soothe sore throats and coughs, helping you to sleep better at night when you're ill and recover.
Honey has a lot of benefits, but remember that it's not recommended for children under the one year of age because of their immature immune systems. Also, honey is a source of sugar in the diet, so it's best to enjoy it in moderation.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Arvada, Colo.