Nutrition: Five benefits of honey

The health benefits of one of the oldest sweeteners on earth are limitless, aside from being a perfect replacement for sugar, this sweetener is much healthier. Bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar to make honey; this nectar contains almost 600 compounds. Honey is so good and is definitely on the list of power food that should be in every kitchen. It prevents cancer and heart disease: Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease. Reduces ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders: Recent research shows that honey treatment may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal: “All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide,” said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Increases athletic performance: Daniel Kazungu, a basketball player, attributes his strength and efficiency to eating honey and eggs. “Our body needs the energy to power up that the food we eat sometimes doesn’t have. Natural sugars are better – honey is one of the natural sugars,” he notes. Reduces cough and throat irritation: Honey helps with coughs, particularly buckwheat honey. In a study of 110 children done in South Africa, a single dose of buckwheat honey was just as effective as a single dose of dextromethorphan in relieving nocturnal cough and allowing proper sleep.

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Nutrition: Five benefits of honey