Five fruits and vegetables. 10,000 steps. Eight hours sleep. Two litres of water. What do all of these things have in common? They’re all recommended on a daily basis in order to look after our health.
But here at Necta & Hive, we think there’s one very important piece of heath advice missing – a spoonful of honey each day! After all, wasn’t that what Mary Poppins really meant when she sung about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down?
Here’s why a teaspoon of high quality, active, healing honey each day will help you look after your health and wellbeing.
Honey is rich in nutrients
Vitamins, minerals, prebiotic fibre (more on that later), polyphenols, amino acids, enzymes, zero fat. Sounds like a superfood, right? And you’re right, honey is a superfood, packed with valuable micronutrients and coming in at only 50 to 60 calories per tablespoon. So if you eat a teaspoon a day, the calorific content is negligible, yet you’re still consuming a small amount of beneficial nutrients.
Honey can help prevent colds and flu
Active, healing honeys such as Jarrah and Marri honey are rich in antimicrobial agents, that can help to support the immune system in fighting off colds, sore throats and other winter bugs.
This is all down to the phytonutrients, or plant chemicals (good chemicals, not harsh, manmade ones) in high quality honey, that also provide antioxidant prowess. The antimicrobial and antioxidant qualities of honey support a strong, healthy immune system, thereby helping to protect against bacteria and viruses that can cause us to become unwell.
Honey supports a healthy gut
The prebiotic fibre in honey that we mentioned above has gut healthy properties. In our guts, we have trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that happily reside there, helping to keep our bowels healthy. Known as the microbiota, these bugs are crucial for not just gut health, but our overall physical and mental wellbeing.
A poor diet, stress, taking antibiotics and many other 21st century lifestyle factors can however, cause the microbiota to deplete. This can result in gut issues, and problems with our general health.
The microbiota thrive when fed prebiotic fibre, therefore eating honey each day can contribute to a happy, healthy gut.
Honey is better at regulating blood sugar levels than sugar
Yes, honey is sweet, and it contains a combination of fructose and glucose – and it does raise blood sugar levels, like any sweet food does. But there is evidence to suggest that honey has a protective effect over developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
This is because honey has the ability to raise levels of a hormone called adiponectin. Adiponectin helps to improve blood sugar regulation and decrease levels of inflammation. Research has found that this dual effect helps to improve fasting blood sugar levels, even in those with diabetes.
So next time the sugar cravings hit, try a spoonful of honey with some fruit rather than a chocolate bar – you’ll be far less likely to experience the sugary highs followed by the crushing lows.
Honey is easy to incorporate into your diet
So, just like eating your greens, staying hydrated and getting enough restful sleep, will you be adding a teaspoon of honey to your diet each day? It’s super easy with delicious Necta & Hive Jarrah Honey 10+TA.
Drizzle it over your morning granola, add it to warm (not hot) herbal tea, whizz it up in a smoothie, or enjoy it straight from the spoon. You could also enjoy chewing a piece of Necta & Hive Marri Wild Honeycomb 15+TA – the honeycomb provides even more beneficial nutrients.
However you take your honey, make your health a priority by consuming a teaspoon each day. Enjoy!
