I have recently been experimenting with healthy recipes in which I have included honey as a sweetener but I haven't really considered what it's true benefits are because honey is usually taken for granted as being a "healthy ingredient".

I decided then to delve a bit deeper to see what benefits honey really brings?

Honey is a sweet liquid produced by female worker honey bees collecting nectar from flowers which goes through a process of regurgitation with enzymes in their second stomach. This is then deposited in a honeycomb where it evaporates to 17% water that is then protected in a wax coating.

It’s estimated that bees can produce two to three times more honey than they need.

So how does this honey benefit us?

Benefits of Honey

1 Natural source of energy
Honey is a natural source of carbohydrates and is made up of glucose, fructose, and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium chlorine, potassium, magnesium. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy.

2 Alternative to sugar
Honey is popular as a baking ingredient and as a natural alternative to sugar. Honey contains about 300 calories per 100g, which is slightly less than sugar.

3. Increasing athletic performance.
Honey is superior in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time than other sweeteners.

4. Preventing cancer and heart disease:
Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

5. Reducing ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders.
Honey treatment may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis.

6. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal:
Honey is antibacterial, due to the bees adding an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide.

7. Reducing cough and throat irritation.
Honey helps with coughs, particularly relieving nocturnal cough and allowing proper sleep.

8. Improving body imbalances:
Honey is useful in improving eyesight, weight loss, curing impotence and premature ejaculation, urinary tract disorders, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, and nausea.

9. Blood sugar regulation:
Honey's exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.

10. Healing wounds and burns:
External application of honey has been shown to be as effective as a method of accelerating wound healing caused by the drying effect of the honey's simple sugars and anti-bacterial nature combining.

11.. Probiotic:
Some varieties of honey possess large amounts of friendly bacteria. This includes up to 6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria.

12.. Healthy skin:
Its anti-bacterial qualities are particularly useful for moisturising and nourishing the skin.

As can be seen there many benefits coming from this natural energy source, perhaps giving good reason to be incorporating honey in to your diet?

Author's Bio: 

My name is Kenny McDowell - 50 years young ! I was fat not so long ago and in just 2 years transformed my physique from what it was losing 60 lbs on the way to become a champion fitness model. To find out how I did it and see if you can do the same - just visit My Story page. http://www.physiqueoverfifty.co.uk/my-story/