“The only reason for being a bee that I know of is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey, is so as I can eat it.” – Winnie the Pooh
Honey is the real deal, folks. Unlike table sugar or most other sweeteners, raw honey contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 in varying amounts based on the quality of nectar and pollen. It’s worth noting, however, is that you’re not likely to consume much of these vitamins from honey alone unless you have the fierce honey-sucking determination and insatiable appetite of Winnie the Pooh.
Still, it’s got some nutrients in it, and that;s a good thing. But as with many other natural substances, mass-producers are finding ways to make honey less healthy through incessant processing. So if available, look for local raw honey or honey that has been “minimally processed” to get the most health benefit for the spoonful.
And watch out – honey actually packs in 33 percent more calories than sugar, which means a tablespoon of honey will pump you up with 64 calories as opposed to 48 with sugar. But according to a 2008 study in the Journal of Food Science, scientists found that rats fed a honey-sweetened diet gained 23 percent less weight than those that consumed food sweetened with refined sugar over one year. Even Steven, right? Maybe, but as with any other sweetener, you’ll have to really watch your quantities if you actually want to lose weight.
Personally, I prefer the taste of honey over table sugar and some of the other alternative sweeteners like agave nectar and stevia. I use it for everything from sweetening tea, cereals, and desserts, over pancakes, and as a sugar substitute in cooking.
Other nifty factoids: for thousands of years, diverse peoples including the Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks used honey for a variety of purposes. They used it as an ointment for rashes and burns, to help soothe sore throats, and even embalm the dead.
We’re still playing around with other ways to use honey: researchers at Penn State tested honey against the active ingredient in most cough medicines (dextromethorphan) as a cough suppressant and found that honey is more effective. Let me say that again: honey is a better cough suppressant than cough medicine!
That gives you a good reason to avoid gurgling chemical-laden and often expensive cough medicines when you’ve got a case of the sniffles. Sip on some lemon echinacea tea with a spoonful of honey instead.
Here’s a quick warning, though… Don’t give honey to an infant younger than one. Raw honey rarely contains spores of a bacteria that can cause botulism, which a baby’s immature immune system can’t handle. But unless you’re a baby genius who reads blogs, yours can.
So okay, it’s not like honey will help you burn fat, but it’s certainly a much better sweetening option than table sugar and other refined or chemical sweeteners. Use honey sparingly and enjoy it when you do.
LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD
Since consuming raw organic honey for breakfast in place of stevia or Splenda in my tea daily and sometimes also having such tea in the evening, I have gained weight in my mid-section during a time I was not working out or physically active. I’ve also noticed that anytime I go on an organic diet I also gain weight. In other words, when not on an organic diet I’m especially calorie conscious regarding what I consume but when on an organic diet I just figure that it’s organic so it must be healthy and I don’t pay too attention to the calories. I just go on whether I’m hungry or not hungry. I’ve used how I feel as a barometer and can’t say that I have more energy and I definitely feel as if I’ve gained weight. My measurements have proven this to be fact. I started out slim being closer to a size 4/6 or S and noticed that now I’m closer to a M or a 6 or even an 8. It seems that most people in the studies on honey had to lose weight so maybe they were consuming too many calories to start and consuming honey allowed them to replace table sugar. In my case I was using a non-caloric alternative sweetener like stevia or Splenda before using honey. During this same period, I was consuming a tbsp of molasses daily for the supposed nutrients. I’ve also found that when I consumed coconut palm sugar previous to the period I was consuming raw organic honey both in place of non-caloric alternative sweeteners in my tea I gained weight. It seems that this either reflects additional calories or the sweeteners are affecting my blood sugar in a way that’s led to gaining weight. I suppose a change in my activity level could also apply here now that I think of the periods that apply. I became much more sedentary, spending far too much time at my desk and indoors. I used to walk everywhere as part of my daily routine even if I wasn’t specifically working out. Since my knee injury is sufficiently healed and the weather is nice, I will be reintroducing a workout regimen. I should say that when I was especially lean I was working out daily and then maintained what I had. At a certain point I allowed life to get in the way and a supposed need for additional sleep over workouts due to chronic exhaustion. I will try switching it up and see what happens.
thank you very much for taking the time to write this. I thought it was useful.
I wish you all the very best luck getting back to being active. I also suffer from that chronic exhaustion…… 🙂
Your overweight Chachi or your fitness freak cousin, neighbour, and even your maid have all given you this fabulous weight loss tip of losing weight with honey, and sworn by its magical properties. But so sorry to say, there are no shortcuts to weight loss, and certainly no magic potions. You’ll have to do workout to achieve the realistic weight loss goal.