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The SuperFoods Honey and Your Health
The SuperFoods Honey and Your Health
Honey and Your Health |
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Maintaining optimal blood sugar levels has a positive effect on overall health, and honey seems to contribute to this goal. Indeed, the ancient Olympic competitors relied on foods such as figs and honey to enhance performance by helping to maintain energy levels and restore muscle recovery. In one recent study of thirty-nine male and female athletes, following a workout the participants ate a protein supplement blended with a sweetener. Those who ate the supplement sweetened with honey, as opposed to sugar or maltodextrin, enjoyed the best results. They maintained optimal blood sugar levels for two hours following the workout and enjoyed better muscle recuperation. There are more than three hundred kinds of honey in the United States, such as clover, buckwheat, and orange blossom. Light-colored honeys are generally mildly flavored, while dark honeys are more robust. Perhaps honey’s most important health-promoting benefit is its antioxidant ability. We know that daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidants. In one study, participants were given about four tablespoons daily of buckwheat honey while eating their regular diets for twenty-nine days. A direct link was found between the subjects’ honey consumption and the levels of protective polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood. In another study, twenty-five healthy men drank plain water or water with buckwheat honey. Those consuming the honey enjoyed a 7 percent increase in their antioxidant capacity. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average U.S. citizen consumes about 68 kilograms of sweetener annually, substituting honey for at least part of this amount would make an impressive contribution to our overall antioxidant status and would no doubt be a significant health promoter. Never give honey to children younger than a year old. About 10 percent of honey contains dormant Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism in infants. Honey, long recognized as a wound healer, has been used for centuries as a topical antiseptic for treating burns, ulcers, and wounds. A study in India compared the effectiveness of honey with a conventional wound-healing treatment, silver sulfadiazine, on patients suffering from first-degree burns. Amazingly, in the honey-dressed wounds, early subsidence of acute inflammatory changes, better control of infection, and quicker wound healing were observed. Some researchers attribute this effect to the nutrients in honey that promote skin growth and to the antibacterial substances present in honey. While I’m not recommending that you consider using honey topically, its power in this role is further evidence of its wide range of health benefits. An additional benefit of honey is found in the oligosaccharides it contains. They increase the numbers of good bacteria in the colon, reduce levels of toxic metabolites in the intestine, help prevent constipation, and help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Feeling under the weather? Throat sore and scratchy? Try sipping some hot green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of red pepper (cayenne). The potent mix of SuperFoods tea and honey along with red pepper can soothe that inflamed throat. Researchers think that the red pepper subdues one of the body’s pain chemical, substance P - a neuropeptide that carries pain signals to the brain-so that you can swallow more comfortably. |
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What is a “Super Food”? Well, the most important thing for everyone to know is that superfoods are easy to find in every local supermarket. They’re worth looking for! These nutritional powerhouse foods are loaded with nutrients crucial to a healthy, long life. If you can include a variety of them in your diet, everyday, we promise they will change your life! These foods were chosen because they contain high concentrations of crucial nutrients, as well as the fact that many of them are low in calories. Foods containing these nutrients have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers. When you click on each superfood you’ll find information including a list of the primary nutrients that elevated them to superfood status. This is not meant to be a complete list of every single nutrient that food contains, but rather, a list of the high-profile nutrients that have shown health benefits and that are present in that food in sufficient quantity to make a difference. Many of the superfoods have “Sidekicks”. These are foods that are generally in the same category as the flagship superfood and offer a similar nutrient profile. So click around and find recipes and tips on how to incorporate these foods in your daily diet. SUPERFOODSRX PRINCIPLES: Principle 1: SuperFoodsRx- the best diet in the world Principle 2: Super Foods are whole foods Principle 3: SuperFoods Rx equals synergy Principle 4: SuperFoods Rx are simple and positive |
