Bee honey taste and nutritional qualities are well known since ancient times. Today it is classified as super food (functional food) because of its numerous properties concentrated in a small volume of product.
The famous physician Avicenna recommended honey as a food which increases work efficiency and lifetime. Honey keeps youth, sharpens the mind and restores memory.
Ancient Greeks adored honey, considering it as important element in nutrition, which is reflected in their mythology – ambrosia the gods’ food was a mixture of honey and milk. In UK mead is known as a national drink since 2000 years, Proto-Bulgarians also liked this drink.
Together with the valuable properties honey possesses we can add that it relieves headache and hangover, as it contains fructose which helps in faster destruction of alcohol. Furthermore it keeps us away from abrupt changes in blood level of alcohol which is the cause for headaches on the next morning. There are bio stimulators in bee honey. Observations show athletes who take honey before or during competitions, restore the consumed muscle energy faster. Many physicians recommend it to adults and children and to those who need fast improvement after long lasting diseases. Honey has curative effect if it is taken in proper daily doses.
Honey is wholesome if it is taken in the form of 12-13% water solution (1Tbs honey in 1l cool water) 3 times a day, 1.5-2 hours before meal.
Crystallization of honey
Natural property of honey is sooner or later to crystallize. In Bulgaria this is known as ‘sugared’ and such honey is looked with distrust. But in some European countries crystalized honey is better accepted in the market because it is sure water content is no more than 18% in this way and all other properties are preserved. Crystalized honey possesses one more advantage: it is mixed better with other products in the preparation of drugs. Difficulties are met in liquid methods for drug preparations with honey because of the difference in the relative weight of the components and their sedimentation in layers.
Basic elements presented in honey
100g honey contains: water – 21%, proteins – 0.4%, fat – 0%, carbohydrates – 78.3%, calories – 323, which are digested very fast.
Carbohydrates (70-80%) are presented mainly by glucose, fructose, sucrose and around 20 others di- and trisaccharides. Organic acids are tartaric, citric, lactic, fumaric etc. The mineral content in honey is potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur and magnesium.
Amino acids are around 20 – glutamate, glycerin, tyrosine, lysine etc.
Honey can be used instead of sugar in all recipes using half of the necessary amounts of sugar. One tablespoon honey has 60 kcal.
It helps you fasten your metabolism, hormonal balance and fat burning if taken in the morning on fasting. You must know honey consumption should not be extreme – it cannot and should not be the only nutritional source. So honey is excellent medical and nutritional mean in combination with other foods. Organism will be provided with all necessary in this way.
Honey - the divine food