Healty - Honey has long been known as one of the foods that have a sweet taste and is loved by many people. How to process this golden-colored liquid is also fairly simple. Simply mixing it with food or drink, honey can improve the taste of a culinary.
However, did you know that honey also has a variety of health benefits? In fact, some of them are able to prevent cancer and increase the body's immune system. Of course not many people think of the benefits of honey because most delicious foods are not good for consumption.
The sweet taste of honey is different from that given by sugar. The reason, the source of the sweet taste that is typical of honey is fructose monosaccharides and glucose. The calorie content of sugar is also able to absorb fat, especially when consumed together with warm water.
Knowing this, genuine honey is certainly suitable for consumption by everyone, including diabetics. Well, the great efficacy of consuming honey for health is not only that. For more details, consider the following 10 benefits of genuine honey for health.
10 Benefits of Genuine Honey
1. Strengthen the body's immune system
The School of Medicine, at Cardiff University, England, has conducted research on the benefits possessed by honey. Through these studies it is known that honey is able to stimulate the body to produce immune cells.
With the stimulation of the production of immune cells, your metabolism will also be stronger. Not only that, indirectly, stamina will also increase because the body becomes more fit.
Adding to his findings, based on these studies also note that honey has a role in fighting bacteria in the body. Bacteria that make the body vulnerable to disease can be overcome by regularly consuming them. That way, not only strengthens the body's immune system, honey can also be an antidote from various diseases due to viral or bacterial infections.
2. Being able to be a source of energy for the body
Busy work or daily activities often make the body feel tired easily. Lack of physical activity such as exercise can also be a major source of why the body is easily exhausted. To overcome this problem, consuming honey can be the solution.
One of the main ingredients possessed by honey is natural carbohydrates. The content is able to become a source of energy lost in the body immediately. Not only that, honey also contains calcium, potassium, and also iron which can maintain the strength of muscles and bones so it is not easy to get tired even when you are doing heavy activities.
3. Natural remedies to relieve colds and coughs
Cough and runny nose are diseases that are quite often suffered by people in Indonesia. Well, to relieve the symptoms of the flu, honey can be used as an antidote. The reason, honey contains antioxidants, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties to fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi that cause flu symptoms.
Not only that, honey is also efficacious to relieve sore throat due to irritation naturally and increase body immunity so flu symptoms can be resolved soon. So, when experiencing coughs and colds, it is advisable to consume them in order to speed up the process of healing the flu symptoms.
4. Solution to Avoid Diabetes
It is undeniable that diabetes has become one of the diseases that attack many people today. Unhealthy lifestyles and hobbies consuming sweet culinary and contain lots of sugar are the main causes for someone affected by diabetes. As a result, sugar consumption for diabetics must really be controlled.
Despite having a sweet taste, honey turned out to have properties to prevent diabetes. Because the sweet taste produced by honey is much different from that of sugar. This is what makes not a few people who replace sugar with honey as a food and drink sweetener.
The combination of glucose and fructose content in the natural sweetener is also able to control blood sugar levels in the body. That way, diabetes will not recur and cause complications that can endanger the sufferer.
5. High Antioxidant Content that Can Prevent Cancer
One of the ingredients that honey has the most is antioxidants. It is widely understood that antioxidants play a role in fighting free radicals in the body which are the main cause of many bad cells, including cancer cells.
With the presence of antioxidants, the oxidation process on molecules in the body will be slower to occur. As a result, cancer cells will be less likely to appear because chemical reactions in the body that produce free radicals are inhibited.
6. Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
The next property is to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is because these sweet foods contain not only antioxidants, but also flavonoids that can make the heart healthier.
Blood clots in blood vessels can also be prevented with honey. As a result, blood circulation will become smoother and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
7. Suppress Effects of Bad Cholesterol in the Body
Not only does it prevent cancer, its antioxidant content is able to suppress the bad effects of bad cholesterol in the body. Antioxidants can also limit the impact of bad cholesterol to spread cholesterol throughout the body and settles in blood vessels. That way, blood vessels will not be disrupted.
Bad cholesterol trapped in artery walls will become plaque when exposed to free radicals. Similar to sedimentation, plaque on artery walls will block blood flow in the body. In the presence of antioxidants, free radicals will be reduced and prevent bad cholesterol to form plaque on artery walls.
8. Controlling Overweight
One of the benefits of honey that not many people know is losing weight and belly fat. The method is to mix honey with warm water and lime or lemon juice. A mixture of honey and lime or lemon is known to be effective for naturally triggering fat burning and improving the digestive system.
9. Keep Skin Look Healthier
Not only for health, honey also has a myriad of benefits to maintain beauty. One of them is to help the skin become more moist and able to eliminate dead skin cells. Blackheads, black spots, and acne scars can also be removed by using it.
In addition, honey can also shrink facial pores and make the skin smoother and softer. Fine lines and wrinkles on the skin can also be disguised by honey so as to prevent premature aging.
When used on hair, honey can make hair stronger, shiny, appear darker, to overcome lice on the scalp. So, if applied properly, honey can provide a variety of benefits for health and beauty.
10. As a Medicine to Cure Wounds
The last benefit of honey is as a medicine to heal wounds, both wounds from falls and burns. By applying it to wounds or scratched skin, honey can accelerate the wound healing process.
In fact, the natural sweetener can also prevent infection in the wound because it has antibacterial and antibiotic properties. So, it never hurts to use honey as the first treatment when wound medicine or the like is not available.
Benefits of Original Honey More Great Than Honey Packaging
Derived from nectar flowers taken by bees and stored nests. Honey is obtained from the beehive, there are some who immediately package and sell it on the market. However, because consumer demand is booming, it is not uncommon for honey sellers to mix it with other ingredients.
Certainly, the quality of genuine honey with a mixture is quite different, as well as its properties. There are several ways you can do to distinguish between genuine honey and which has been mixed with other ingredients.
Test with Paper
The first way is to test it using paper. When poured on paper, honey will make paper more difficult to tear. So, when the paper is still torn even though it has been poured, then it is likely that the honey has got a variety of mixtures in it.
Boil with Spoon
Another way to test it is to boil it using a spoon. Take a spoon and pour honey over it, then heat over low heat. If a lot of foam appears to melt, it means the honey is still pure and of good quality.