Nutritional Benefits Of Honey
RAW, unstrained, unfiltered
and unheated honey obtained directly from the beehive contains some pollen and
small particles of beeswax and is the best form of honey.
However, the particulate
material can be removed by passing the honey through a mesh material
without removing the pollen, and this is called filtered honey.
Pure and unadulterated honey does
not grow mold, therefore, it is free of preservatives, artificial flavours or
colorants and it keeps best if stored in a dry cool place and in a tightly
covered container to prevent it from absorbing moisture or odours from the
air.
Most of the honeys sold in
supermarkets are ultra-filtered and heat-treated. These processes of
purification remove all solids particles and pollen grains and make the honey
to appear very bright and clear.
However, they destroy most of
the essential nutrients present in pure honey.
With the increased demands
for honey, our markets today are flooded with all kinds of artificial or
adulterated honey. It is, therefore, imperative to mention here that there are
several ways of detecting the purity of honey, the most common method being to
drop a spoon of pure honey in a glass of water.
Adulterated honey dissolves
easily in water, while pure honey does not.
Another method is to dip a
cotton wick or bud into the honey. Pure honey burns when the wick is lighted
with a matchstick. The presence of water in the adulterated honey will not
allow the wick to burn.
It is equally important to
point out here that, depending on the source, if pure honey is stored in a very
cool place, one of the natural sugar content may crystallise and precipitate
and this may be mistaken for adulteration. The precipitates, however, disappear
at warm temperature if the honey is pure.
Pure honey is composed of
water, predigested carbohydrates- glucose, fructose, protein, fatty acids,
enzymes, organic acids, antimicrobial compounds, hormones, vitamins A, C, D, E,
K and the B-groups like the B-complex, Riboflavin (Vitamin. B2), Niacin
(Vitamin B3), Pantothenic acid (B5) Vitamin B6, Folate (Vitamin. B9) and
Thiamin, 28 different minerals including calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium,
sulfur, chlorine, potassium, iodine, sodium, copper, manganese, etc.
Honey has no fat or
cholesterol. It has no substitute and is the best sweetener ever known to man.
It is twice as sweet as table sugar. Four teaspoons of pure honey is
approximately equivalent to five teaspoons of white table sugar. Therefore,
only a small amount of pure honey is needed at a time.
Honey is added to various
foods and beverages, such as tea, used as a spread on breads, in baking whole
wheat bread and cakes to keep them moist and improves their quality.
Honey aids digestion,
promotes peristaltic movement and helps in protecting the mucous membrane
lining the entire length of the gastro-intestinal system from the irritant
effects of the digestive juice or substances that could give rise to
inflammatory reaction along the digestive tracts.
It, therefore, helps in
preventing most of the disease affecting the digestive system, such as
indigestion, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, gastritis, peptic ulcer,
gastroenteritis, anal fistula and hemorrhoids.
A Natural Source of Fast
Energy
THE natural sugars (carbohydrates)
present in honey are already broken down and require little or no digestion and
are easily assimilated into the bloodstream within 20 minutes of
ingestion.
Honey is, therefore, a
natural source of fuel for quick energy. A teaspoon of pure honey is believed
to be capable of providing the body with about 64 calorie of energy as soon as
it is consumed.
It is on record that in the
ancient times, athletes and other sports men and women drank pure and
unadulterated honey in water to enhance their performance.
Pure, unrefined and unheated
honey is an excellent food supplement for those recovering from ill-health (it
helps in building up wasted or damaged body tissues).
It serves as a useful
nutritive and rejuvenating tonic for adults and children, pregnant women and
nursing mothers and those that suffering chronic fatigue syndrome.
It is recommended as a
supplementary diet when treating anemia associated with iron or B-complex
deficiency.
Honey is very rich in all the
blood-building nutrients. It is one of the foods that nourishes and builds up
the entire central nervous systems.
It enhances the functions of
the brain and memory and prevents senility at an old age when it is taken
regularly.
When taken regularly, pure
honey will improve the motility and production of spermatozoa.
Studies have shown that when
taken with “pap” made from cornstarch or Quaker oats, honey will increase the
secretion of seminal fluid (the nourishing and protective medium for sperm
cells).
Honey helps in promoting
sexual endurance and increases male youthful virility, as well as rejuvenates
the entire human reproductive organs in both male and female sexes.
Diabetics And Honey
DIABETES is regarded as a
degenerative disease of the pancreas, arising from a combination factors, such
as poor, unwholesome, faulty nutrition and life style.
Among these factors,
excessive consumption of refined (white) table sugar is thought to have the
most destructive effects on the pancreas and is the most important cause of
diabetes.
That is the main reason why
diabetes mellitus was called sugar diabetes in most rural communities of the
world. The name, sugar diabetes, summed it all up.
It is on record, however,
that for market and profit reasons and to conceal the health implications of
table sugar on human body, the influential sugar industries lobbied and
probably bribed the health industry to drop the word “sugar” from original name
“sugar diabetes” and the disease became diabetes mellitus.
Apart from “sugar diabetes,”
Nancy Appleton (PhD), the author of the book Lick the Sugar Habit, listed 78
ways in which refined white sugar can ruin our health.
It is known that white
sweeteners overwhelm the activities of certain vital organs in the human body,
upsetting mineral and hormonal balance, etc, which may trigger numerous health
problems, like arthritis, circulatory, candidacies (thrush), weak eyesight,
cataract, tooth decay, just to mention but a few.
Unlike most of the artificial
sweeteners, a minimal use of pure and unadulterated honey by the diabetics may
not cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
However, it is important to
mention again that pure honey contains pre-digested simple carbohydrates, such
as glucose.
Fructose (laevulose), which
is monosaccharides, enters the bloodstream directly and rapidly when consumed
in excess and may, therefore, react like those of refined table sugar in
diabetic conditions.
Consequently, those suffering
from diabetes mellitus are advised to use honey with care and in moderation,
just as is applicable with the very sweet fruits, like pineapples, mangoes,
etc.
To be continued.
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