Are you a fan of honey and often wonder “is honey healthy for you?” Then you landed on the right article! Not only does honey make your tea (or coffee) taste better, but it can also be used as a natural sweetener in many of your favorite dishes. Aside from boosting the flavor of your meals, honey also packs a few noteworthy health benefits. From treating a cough to helping calm seasonal allergies, honey is one sweetener that you'll want to keep on hand.
To discover even more sweet facts about honey, we had our Bob's Red Mill food experts put together a complete guide on honey's benefits. Here are six things you might not know about honey that will have you falling in love with this sweet treat all over again.
How Is Honey Made?
Before diving into the benefits of honey, let's first talk about where it comes from. Honey differs from nearly all other natural sweeteners due to how it's made. While technically honey is derived from flowers, it isn't produced by them. Instead, honey is produced by a large team (anywhere from 5,000 to 40,000) of bees. To make honey, bees travel to local flowers in search of nectar. Once they find that nectar, they then bring it back to the hive where it's transferred from bee to be and processed into honey. Once this sweet syrup reaches its final destination, the honeycomb, it is sealed in the cells to be preserved for future use.
In order for the honey to reach your favorite store's shelves, beekeepers must first extract it from the honeycomb, remove any impurities (flowers, nectar, debris) and bottle it up. While there are several methods used to retrieve it, most honey is extracted in two ways: beekeepers either drain out the syrup to preserve the wax, or manipulate it to remove the honey. For a genuinely raw form of honey that is straight from the hive, we recommend purchasing your honey from a local beekeeper. However, if you do, don't be alarmed if you see some pollen floating about! Raw honey is often not filtered and placed into the jar exactly how it was found in the hive.
Benefits of Honey
Now that you know how honey is made, it's time to learn about the health benefits. While there are countless advantages when it comes to eating honey, here are a few of our favorites:
Honey Boosts Energy Levels
When we indulge in sugar-filled foods within minutes, they're frequently accompanied by a rapid energy boost and crash. For a much healthier way to boost your energy levels and get through that mid-day slump, try using honey as a sweetener instead of processed sugars. The natural sugars found in honey will provide you with sustainable energy, sure to hold you over until your next meal.
Honey can also act as a healthier form of energy drink! Most energy drinks on the market today are filled with simple sugars, processed ingredients and artificial flavors. This means that while you may feel a boost of energy after drinking a sports drink, it's likely to be accompanied by harmful additives that can harm your health.
Instead of reaching for that bright sports drink, add honey to a healthy energy-boosting beverage like tea. Honey's natural sugars work to prevent fatigue during exercise, which in return may boost athletic performance. The glucose in honey is absorbed quickly by the body and provides an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly, providing more sustainable energy. The energy boost provided by honey works wonders for your workout, especially when performing endurance exercises. Compared to other sugars, honey has also been found to help keep blood sugar levels relatively constant.
Honey Can Help Treat a Cough
Feel a cough coming on? Reach for a spoonful of honey! Honey has long been praised for its antimicrobial properties, which not only helps to soothe the throat but may also work to kill certain bacteria that cause infection. If you'd rather not eat honey straight, there are many ways that you can use honey to calm a cough. Add honey to warm water, mix it into a soothing tea, or purchase a cough remedy that lists honey as one of the main ingredients. You'll begin to feel better in no time, and you won't have to endure a spoonful of unpleasant cough syrup.
Honey Can Boost Your Immunity
We previously talked about honey's antimicrobial properties; now, it's time to shed light on its antioxidant and antibacterial properties! These health-boosting properties of honey work to support your digestive system and improve immunity. A powerhouse of antioxidants, enjoying honey in the morning before breakfast, is a great way to ensure that you reap all of the incredible benefits.
Honey Acts as a Natural Sleeping Aid
Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? Honey can help with that. If you find that you are tossing and turning in bed, try drinking a calming beverage like chamomile tea made with honey. The natural sugars found in honey can slightly raise your insulin levels, allowing the compound tryptophan, known for making us sleepy, to enter the brain more smoothly.
Honey Can Provide Allergy Relief
Honey can help with allergy relief! Because local honey is made with flowers found in the area, it often contains traces of the pollen that aggravates seasonal allergies. By consuming local honey, you can build up your body's immune system and resistance to the pollen in your area, which may work to provide allergy relief.
Having trouble finding local honey? Many natural grocery stores and farmer's markets carry honey from beekeepers in your area.
Honey is Moisturizing
Honey not only attracts water, but it also helps your skin and hair absorb it! By adding honey to shampoo, soaps and cosmetics, you can enjoy the moisturizing benefits of honey. Or, if you're eager to make your own at-home moisturizer combine honey with olive oil or crushed oats for a blend of soothing skin ingredients.
Honey Inspired Recipes
Honey Jalapeno Cornbread
Searching for a honey-infused side dish to bring to your next backyard BBQ? Look no further. This Honey Jalapeno Cornbread is a tasty rendition of traditional cornbread. The agreeable combo of both sweet and spicy comes together in this dish to create a mouthwatering treat that's hard to pass up. Made with our Gluten Free Cornbread Mix, this cornbread is the perfect treat to serve to a large crowd in which food allergies may not be accounted for.
Honey Cookies
Who doesn't love cookies? Cookies are a treat that can (and should) be included in any occasion, no matter what you're celebrating. They are the perfection portion size, easy to make, and are a no-fail way to put a smile on someone's face. While honey can be included in a variety of dessert recipes, these Honey Cookies may be our favorite. They are mouthwatering good, and the perfect summertime dessert to serve alongside sweet tea or fresh orange juice. To adjust the amount of honey flavor these cookies have, make sure that you're using honey that represents your taste preferences. For a more mild-tasting cookie, use light honey, like clove honey. To achieve a more rich honey taste, opt for amber honey, like orange blossom honey. No matter how you choose to make this treat, they're sure to be the recipe of the summer!
Honey Oat Granola Pancakes
It's hard to turn down a pancake breakfast, especially one that's infused with the taste of sweet honey! Wake your household up this week with the smell of these tasty Honey Oat Granola Pancakes. Full of good-for-you ingredients, these pancakes are a satisfying and filling dish that will give your family the energy boost needed to take on the day ahead. Made with whole food ingredients and sweetened with honey, these pancakes are so good your kids will have no idea just how healthy they are. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix is used to make a gluten free pancake batter and serves as the perfect base for this delicious meal. The ideal way to satisfy your sweet tooth, without breaking your healthy diet, this is one meal the entire house will love.
Blueberry Honey Cream Sandwiches
This homemade dessert recipe is one that will have everybody's mouth's dropping. A genuinely next-level dessert, these Blueberry Honey Cream Sandwiches are easy to make and delicious. A Blueberry Honey Cream Filling is sandwiched between freshly baked brown sugar cookies to create a combination of flavors that will send you into food-induced bliss. Plus, this recipe is entirely customizable. Add your favorite ingredients to the cream filling, or roll the edges of your cookie sandwich in healthy, homemade granola.
Sweet, tasty and incredibly healthy, honey is loaded with nutritional benefits that can quickly upgrade your diet. Work honey into your favorite dessert recipes, or use it as a natural sweetener in your morning coffee. However you choose to enjoy honey, this healthy food is one that will not disappoint!
