Honey is Good for You, Sugar!

Honey is one of the best health foods out here in terms of the benefits it can offer, but this of course, like with all foods, depends on the quality of the honey you buy. No I’m not talking about the honey at most people’s homes which is often half corn syrup and tastes like sugar.  I’m talking about the real deal.  You see, the processing of honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive. Raw honey on the other hand, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis, a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms.

Honeybee propolis atually contains anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.  Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two key enzymes. But remember, when raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.

And do remember honey this winter when upper respiratory infections keep your child awake coughing at night.  In a study involving 105 children aged 2-18 years with upper respiratory tract infections of 7 days or less and night-time coughing, a single night-time dose of buckwheat honey was an effective alternative treatment for symptomatic relief of nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty, compared to a single dose of dextromethorphan (DM).  Significant symptom improvements were seen in the honey-supplemented children, compared with the no treatment group and DM-treated group, with honey consistently scoring the best and no-treatment scoring the worst.  Pick up your honey from an organic market you trust to be sure you’re getting top quality.

Note: If you are thinking of honey as a sugar substitute in terms of weight loss, its not lower in calories but may provide more in the way of flavor satisfaction, which means less honey used and less calories in!