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Honey
Honey is an excellent natural sweetener that has been used by
mankind for thousands of years. Honey is a golden colored
fluid naturally produced by honeybees from the nectar of
flowers. It is a casket of nutritional values and medicinal
remedies that made it an important ingredient of traditional
medicines such as Ayurveda. Honey is healthier choice over
refined sugar as it is rich in minerals and vitamins and
contains fewer calories and carbohydrates than sugar. The
sugar resides into honey in the form of glucose and fructose
that give its natural sweetness.
Organic Honey
Organic honey is honey produced, processed, and packaged
according to certain standards. The beekeepers follow set
rules and methods for honey production, the bees are
protected for their natural life cycle, natural habitat, and
nourishment as well. In conventional or non-organic method,
beekeepers generally use many chemicals or synthetic products
for example sulfa compounds and antibiotics are used to
control bee diseases, carbolic acid to remove honey from the
hive and calcium cyanide to kill colonies before extracting
the honey. These artificial chemicals make the honey impure
and contaminated also. In natural method too, honeybees
gather nectar from plants that have been sprayed with
pesticides, the honey made from this nectar also contains
residues of those pesticides. Thus the natural honey is also
not free from adverse effects of harmful chemicals. The
organic honey offers a healthy solution to these problems. As
no artificial drugs, chemicals are used in the production and
processing of this honey, it is safe to eat, and keep our
planet healthy, too.
The health
benefits of honey
Sweetener:
Honey is natural sweetener, it contains about 69% glucose and
fructose that provide it natural sweetness. It can be used as
substitute for sugar because it contains fewer calories and
carbohydrates than sugar.
Energy Source:
honey is a good source of energy as it provides more calories
per tablespoon than sugar. The sugar presents in honey easily
converted into glucose by even the most sensitive stomachs,
hence it is very easy to digest.
Improves Athletic Performance: Some recent researches have revealed that honey is an excellent
ergogenic aid and helpful in boosting the performance of
athletes. It helps in maintaining blood sugar levels, muscle
healing and glycogen restoration after a workout.
Source of Vitamins and Minerals:
Honey is rich source of variety of vitamins and minerals. It
contains many important Vitamins like B1, B2, B5, B6, and C
and some essential minerals like Calcium and Iron, depending
on the flowers from which the nectar is obtained.
Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties: Honey also comprises anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
properties which make it a natural antiseptic.
Antioxidants:
Honey contains antioxidants such as nutraceuticals, which are
effective in removing free radicals from our body. They help
to improve the immunity of our body and restore youthfulness.
Skin Care:
Honey is widely used in skin care products as it helps to
make the skin soothing and lustrous. Honey is commonly
consumed with milk in many countries for improving skin
health.
Wound Management:
The use of honey in wound treatment is being researched.
Some of the known benefits of honey in wound management are:
*Honey possesses antimicrobial properties.
*It is helpful in promoting autolytic debridement.
*It deodorizes stinking wounds.
*It speeds up the healing process by stimulating wound
tissues.
*It helps in promoting moist wound healing.
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