How Beneficial Is Honey?

By Stepy Kamei

Nutrition is one of the most vital aspects of your total health and wellness. Making the choice to eat foods that are nutritional and beneficial to your well-being is one of the best ways you can ensure you're living a truly healthy lifestyle. Specifically, many health experts talk about the benefits of certain natural foods, such as honey. However, is honey really as healthy as many claim it to be? Some experts are now starting to claim that it's not much healthier than refined white sugar. Keep on reading to learn more about the health properties honey contains, as well as how you can better incorporate it into your favorite meals, desserts, and other recipes.

The Facts About Honey

Generally speaking, honey is a pretty common ingredient found in many households and grocery stores. However, do you really know what honey is, where it comes from, and just how many different types of honey there are available to you?

You probably know that bees produce honey. They do this by gathering nectar from flowering plants, then consuming and digesting that nectar before regurgitating it into honey. It doesn't sound too glamorous, but you can't deny that honey has a nice taste considering where it comes from. There are many different types of honey, depending on the plant source. Clover honey, alfalfa honey, and orange blossom honey are just a few of the more common varieties.

From this stage, honey is collected from honeycombs by professional beekeepers. From there honey can be pasteurized or kept in its natural raw form.

Health Benefits of Honey

Now, onto the good stuff -- what can honey do for your health? For starters, honey is loaded with antioxidants, including flavonoids. These substances help protect the skin from sun damage by fighting free radicals from the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Honey also has antibacterial properties, which can help fight off illness and infections. Honey has also been shown to help skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis when applied in small amounts.

One of the most crucial things you can do to improve your diet is to use honey to replace refined white sugar. White sugar is an unhealthy additive with no nutritional content. It tends to increase inflammation within the body and weaken the immune system. Honey, meanwhile, truly is more beneficial to your health -- especially raw honey. Consider replacing sugar with honey in your favorite recipes in order to eat sweets in a healthier manner.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Jacksonville, Fla.