Knock the honeycomb! "Honey" Benefits beyond Sweetness

Talking about something nutrient-dense food which is easy to eat and ready to go with various menus in addition to your meal for additional health benefits, the first thing that comes to our mind is “honey”. Honey offers amazing health advantages at a friendly price! Join us in digging into honey’s sources, advantages and properties as well as intake recommendations.

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Where does honey come from?

Most people are acquainted with “honey.” Because of its unique floral aroma along with sweet flavor, honey makes a perfect component for food and dessert menus. But do you know where honey come from? The journey of honey begins as a worker bee sucking up the nectar from flower which is a component of sucrose. Once the nectar goes through worker bee’s proboscis, the enzyme invertase in its saliva turns sucrose sugar into invert sugar or dextrose and fructose. These sugars will be stored in the wax cells in the hive to nourish other bees and bee broods. Invert sugar is resistant to crystallization, so we do not usually see crystalized honey in new honey products. However, if honey is stored for longer than 3 months, it will be slightly crystalized.

How many types of honey are there?

As nowadays a great variety of honey products are available in the market, you probably wonder how many types of honey there are. Here’s a guideline when it comes to selecting the right honey that suits your lifestyle. Real honey can be categorized into 3 types:

1.Honey from bees fed on artificial food : This type of honey is obtained by feeding bees granulated sugar or honey produced when there’s no flower blooming. In general, bees depend on nectar from flowers to survive but when there’s no nectar from the flowers, bee farmers have to feed them artificial food or a mixture of sugar, bee pollen and soy milk, so that the bees can live their lives and produce honey.

2.Honey from flower nectar with thermal processing : This type of honey is commonly found at the grocery stores. It’s recognized as commercial honey. The bee farmers will place artificial honeycomb or cleansed beeswax into a wooden box, then they will place a queen bee into the box in order to prepare for honey production. The queen bee begins the process by pulling the nectar from the hive at night to collect 29-33% of flower nectar into the hive. Honey is then processed using evaporation of moisture at approximately 60 degrees Celsius before manufacturing products for consumption later on.

3.Honey from flower nectar without thermal processing : This type of honey is produced using the same storage method as that with the thermal processing. The difference is that time for evaporation of moisture takes longer. The bees have 8-10 days to suck nectar from flowers to store in their hives, and the advantage is this particular type of honey has lower moisture levels and a longer shelf life compared to other kinds of honey.

Benefits and properties beyond sweetness

As you already know where honey comes from, let’s find out more about benefits and properties of honey. The major components of honey are 80% glucose and fructose, 20% water, minerals and vitamins. Now explore its benefits and properties below.

1.Treat cough and sore throat : Most of you might have heard that a mixture of lime juice and honey can soothe a sore throat. And according to some studies, it’s been confirmed that honey has the same medicinal properties as Dextromethorphan or a common antitussive that everyone young and old can apply. The medicine works most effectively among 2-year-old children and above. Furthermore, its sweet flavor stimulates the production of saliva which keeps the throat moist as well as soothes cough and sore throat. That’s the reason why honey is found to be a major component of cough suppressants and medicines for sore throat.

2.Remedy for Dyspepsia : Another property of honey that most people don’t know is that it offers medicinal properties to treat both internal and external ulcers as well as relieve all types of inflammation. So, it’s perfect for anyone with dyspepsia or gastric ulcers. It’s also a remedy to relieve gastric infection and bacteria in stomach.

3.The best sort of detox : For any of you who look for food to naturally detox your body, honey is highly recommended as it contains “Probiotics” and “Lactobasilus”, beneficial bacteria that have properties to relieve constipation, improve colon health, and promote bowel function. It works effectively when you drink honey with boiled potatoes, lime juice, or Nam Wa banana before bedtime and after waking up. This could be a great way to detox and restore your body balance.

4.Relieve allergy : Honey is another indispensable item for those with allergy as its unique property is to relieve ulcers and inflammation. The property can be found especially in honey from naturally grown flowers that provide quite a lot of small bee pollens. These small pollens stimulate immune system to produce less histamine, a compound that causes allergy such as running nose, cough, sneeze, or rash. So, it should be a good idea for those with allergy to store honey at home!

5.Help with insomnia : Beyond its sweet aromatic flavor to add some sweetness to your life, it also stimulates insulin and serotonin production. We usually recognize these 2 compounds as neurochemicals of happiness. Once the neurochemicals are released, the serotonin is transformed into melatonin or neurochemicals or sleep hormone. As a result, going to bed won’t be difficult any longer and you’ll get better deep sleep at night. With honey, you can take a good rest and help your body fully recover.

Intake Recommendations

These are the best way to consume honey and take its benefits to the maximum. Health professional suggests the best way to consume honey for people at all ages. First, it’s advisable to consume honey 1 hour before meal so that it helps stimulate absorption of nutrients in gastrointestinal tract efficiently. Consuming honey before bed helps you get better sleep. An appropriate amount for consumption is 1 tablespoon. You can add honey to your favorite beverages such as coffee, milk, or add it to other foods as a condiment based on your preference.

Now if you wish to give honey a try or add honey to your food for better health, our recommended item is “My Choice 100% Longan Honey”. It’s rich in nutrients with no additive or preservatives added. You can also try “Tops Longan Honey” made from 100% real longan blossom. It’s the best sugar substitute that goes perfectly with any food or beverage recipes when you need to add a sweet flavor. You can easily find these quality honey products at all branches of Tops market near you or place your order at Tops Online.