What is Raw Honey and how it works?
Raw honey is a natural sweetener and has many health benefits. It is a product that comes from the nectar of flowers collected by honeybees. They collect the nectar only to save the golden-colored wonderful sweet liquid during the time of shortage of food. They extract this delicious sugary drink with the help of their long thin tubes, known as a proboscis.
Honeybees have a special stomach for saving the nectar to carry it till the beehive; the same is familiar as a crop. Nature has endowed the bees to carry up to 80% of their body weight of nectar in their bodies.
Raw honey has been used for centuries as a natural remedy to treat various ailments such as allergies, colds, sore throats, coughs, stomach upsets and more. It also has many health benefits including boosting immunity and energy levels.
A glance at the natural content of honey
The essential ingredients in this sweet thick liquid from Mother Nature are mainly sugars and water. In addition, honey also contains various vitamins and minerals –Vitamin B, amino acids, proteins, antioxidants, and micronutrients.
The sugars present in honey are sweeter than raw sugar and are known to give more energy. The most abundant sugar being - fructose.1 tablespoon or 20 gms of raw honey contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar. Raw honey also contains smaller amounts micronutrients, vitamins and minerals:
- calcium
- magnesium
- manganese
- niacin
- pantothenic acid
- phosphorous
- potassium
- riboflavin
- zinc
Besides the above, it also has the presence of varying amounts of amino acids, enzymes, and other beneficial compounds.
Honey- a natural gift with health benefits
• A goldmine of nutrients - Let’s examines the actual composition of one spoonful of honey; you will be surprised to know that it has only 61 calories despite its sugary content. From the point of view of health, a tablespoon of honey has 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of protein and an equal amount of fiber. The presence of 15 grams of carbohydrate in it is also minimal. Additionally, the quantity of Riboflavin and Copper in honey is also 1%, respectively. The natural content of raw honey is essential for the holistic management of human health.
• Rich in antioxidants- As various essential bioactive plant compounds are present with antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids, it is excellent for health. Especially the Honey with darker color is known to be richer in antioxidants.
Antioxidants are beneficial in neutralizing very reactive oxygen species in the human body. It can further help in building up cells and restraining damage to them. Honey is clinically proven to be helpful in containing type-II diabetes, premature aging, and heart ailments.
• An ideal replacement for blood sugar compared to natural sugar- Proper blood sugar management is complex, raw honey provides some benefits compared to raw sugar. The antioxidants available in honey help protect against metabolic syndrome and type-II diabetes.
• Helpful for the health of the heart- It is unbelievable but true that raw honey, despite of its sugar content, is helpful in preventing heart ailments. It can help in lowering blood pressure, causing improvement in fat blood levels. Regulating heartbeat that can eradicate the demise of healthy cells. All these can develop better function of your heart, bringing holistic improvement to our health.
• Helps in the healing of burns and wounds- In ancient Egypt they used honey for the treatment and recovery of burns and wounds. With its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey is known to heal burns, wounds.
• Helps cure cough- Honey has been used for millennia in traditional medicine, and has long acted as a common medication for cough. Without any side effects, this nature's gift has the properties to reduce cough and aids in good sleep.
The importance of Raw Honey in our daily lives
Raw honey is one of the most popular types of honey sold in the market today because it is not processed or heated at all during production, keeping all the nutrients intact. Raw honey is best described - “as it exists in the beehive”. In fact, it is so popular that it accounts for about two-thirds of all honey sold worldwide.
When it comes to holistic health management, raw honey is known to be the most natural additive to boost antioxidants and other beneficial components in the diet, and keep the human body healthy by helping in reducing risk factors for heart ailments such as blood pressure and cholesterol.
Rich in antimicrobial and antibacterial properties due to an enzyme called ‘glucose oxidase’. This enzyme is only found in raw honey as it is easily destroyed when honey is processed, heated and filtered. Hence, this enzyme is not present in processed honey.
If you want to be sure to get all the health benefits honey contain, then you should choose raw honey in your daily diet.
Raw Honey Recipes To Try On Your Own
https://gramyafarms.com/blogs/blogs/recipe-for-a-healthy-winter-drink-wild-honey-with-ginger