Buckwheat HoneyGo to Honey Price ListEvery time I reread my books on honey I am reminded of what an incredibly nutritious sweetener God has given us!!! This started out as a short review of the amazing recent research on buckwheat honey - but I could not overlook the incredible healthy qualities of raw unpasteurized honey in general.
Besides being a powerhouse of good natural energy, raw, unpasteurized honey is loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and even some amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). Honey has an alkalizing affect on the body, which is of utmost importance to maintain health and vitality. Honey has antibiotic properties, though at the same time it promotes the growth of healthy gut organisms. Only God can create such a food as this!!
Energy: The human body depends on sugar for its source of energy. All sugars are broken down in the human body in the small intestine into two simple sugars, glucose and levulose. Honey consists almost entirely of glucose and levulose, making it a very digestible food. In addition to the simple sugars, raw bee honey contains a number of other substances necessary for the cells, tissue, and organs to function properly.
Honey, as you can see, is an excellent source of easily assimilated energy and has been found to be one of the most effective forms of carbohydrates to ingest just prior to exercise, and an excellent carbohydrate source for post-workout muscle recuperation and energy repletion. This could translate into greater endurance during a workout or a race. Honey, particularly Sage, Tupelo and Buckwheat varieties, appears to be a carbohydrate source that is relatively mild in its effects upon blood sugar compared to other carbohydrate sources.
Enzymes: Poor digestion is becoming a growing problem among Americans, young and old alike. Enzyme supplementation is gaining attention with most health related professionals. But God has a solution. Most of us have heard the saying, "you are what you eat". More accurately, however, we are what we digest! Honey has one of the highest enzymatic contents of all foods.
Honey's healing benefits to such disorders as ulcerative colitis, ulcers, stomach aches and dehydration can not go unnoticed. If taken a hour or two before a meal honey tends to inhibit the secretion of gastric juices helping to ease the discomfort of over acidity. Taken just prior to a meal, however, honey stimulates secretion, helping with digestion.
Minerals: The minerals in honey are perhaps even more important than the vitamins. Experiments have consistently shown that animals die when fed diets lacking in minerals, even when sufficient in proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins. The minerals found in honey are: calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, chlorine, phosphorous, sulfur, and iodine. The percentage of some of the minerals is almost equal to their concentration found in human blood serum.
Typically, darker honey has a higher mineral content than lighter honey. A spectral analysis of buckwheat and wildflower honey showed that these honeys also contained manganese, silicon, boron, chromium, copper, lithium, zinc, and more!
As the minute quantities of minerals essential for health are used up in certain of the body processes, they need to be constantly replaced. What a perfectly "sweet" and simple way to replenish these valuable nutrients - economical and kid friendly too!!! So spread some honey on that daily bread!!!
Vitamins: It is a well known fact that vitamins play a critical role in all vital processes of the human body. Honey contains a number of vitamins, significantly vitamins B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), biotin, vitamin K, vitamin C, and many others.
Riboflavin participates in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, the absorption of glucose from the intestinal tract and improves vision. It raises immunity and particularly seems to increase resistance to streptococcal infections. Investigations show that honey contains significant amounts of riboflavin making it an excellent source of this very important vitamin.
Vitamin B6 promotes protein metabolism and healthy skin. Honey has a longstanding reputation for its skin healing and beautifying properties.
Biotin is also a necessary nutrient for healthy skin. It prevents such skin ailments as eczema and psoriasis.
Most of us are aware of Vitamin C's role in increasing the body's resistance to infection as well as it role as an antioxidant.
Honey has been in use for thousands of years as a natural remedy for many ailments. Ancient medical books give honey a prominent place among its many "prescriptions". It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties making it a very affective treatment for many types of infections and is safe for use whether old or young, as well as during pregnancy. Recently, Buckwheat honey has been studied for its relief of cold, throat and upper respiratory infections. It was found to be more affective than traditionally prescribed cough remedies, instantly soothing throat irritation and even improving sleep. Many health conscious doctors are actually prescribing honey for children, recognizing both its effectiveness and safety. There are no harmful side affects and no danger of over dose (See Proverbs 25:16). Medical doctors today, however, still do not recommend the use of honey for children under the age of one.
Just recently, my son experienced the soothing affects of honey first hand. Suffering from a terrible cold and sore throat, he called to ask what he could do. I suggested of course that he gargle with salt water and begin taking grapefruit seed extract immediately (10 drops 3x daily). I then remembered what I was studying about honey and added "also try taking a spoonful of honey several times a day". He told me several days later that the honey brought the most immediate relief to his symptoms. I now know that swallowing the honey brought the antimicrobial properties in direct contact with the throat infection and the viscous, soothing properties of the honey brought instant relief to the irritation.
The antibacterial properties of honey can also help clear infection in wounds, while its anti-inflammatory action can ease pain and improve circulation, thus promoting quicker healing and reduced scarring.
Of particular recent interest, researchers are studying the antioxidant content of honey. Honey contains a variety of flavonoids and phenolic acids which act as antioxidants, scavenging and eliminating free radicals.
Free radicals are everywhere - in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even the sunlight we love so much. Every moment, the body absorbs oxygen and turns it into energy in a process called oxidation. This process also releases free radicals.
These are usually mopped up by antioxidants before they can hurt us. As we age, however, this process becomes more inefficient. Highly reactive, these harmful molecules travel around our bodies. They damage cells and DNA, causing aging, heart disease, strokes and cancers. Also, whether young or old, the more toxic our environment becomes, the more all of us are suffering from the constant damage of free radicals
Antioxidants slow cell damage by neutralizing these free radicals. They perform healing at the deepest cellular level, allowing the benefits to manifest in a myriad of different ways.
The exciting news is, the right kind of honey contains enough antioxidants to rival common fruits and vegetables without introducing weight gain!!
Numerous studies have been conducted on the amazing antioxidant protection found in honey.
Mild Protective EffectA 2003 study conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign concluded that honey had a "mild protective effect". This is the first study to examine honey's effect on human blood.
In this honey antioxidant study, researchers tested the blood of 25 men aged 18 - 68 over five weeks. They found drinking 4 tablespoons of buckwheat honey mixed into a 16-ounce glass of water improved the antioxidant levels in their blood.
As Good As Common FruitsA 2004 study conducted by the University of California concluded that honey contains as many antioxidants as spinach, apples, oranges or strawberries.
The types of flowers the bees pollinate determine the flavor and color of honey. It was already known that honey contained varying levels of antioxidants, with dark honey having more than light.
Buckwheat honey comes from the buckwheat plant and is dark in color with a distinct flavor. It has gained significant recognition in numerous university studies.
Researchers Heidrun Gross and his team asked 25 participants to eat between 4 and 10 tablespoons of buckwheat honey each day for a month. They could eat the honey in almost any form, but it couldn't be baked or dissolved in tea.
Many chose to eat it straight from the spoon. The researchers found that consuming more honey increased the level of polyphenolic antioxidants in the blood.
Interestingly, the study showed no weight gain in participants for the month they were consuming honey. And some claimed that eating honey for breakfast actually made them feel full and satisfied.
This honey antioxidant study was presented to the American Chemical Society Meeting in 2004.
Honey As An Ideal Food SupplementWith so many articles on nutrition appearing in newspapers and magazines one becomes nutrition conscious and tries to arrange the daily food intake so that it will contain all the human body needs. If you wish to be doubly sure the daily food intake is adequate for body needs, then take two or more teaspoonfuls of honey each meal. The honey bee is, in effect, a wonderful little chemist and everything has been put in honey that seems desirable from a nutritional point of view. D. C. Jarvis, M.D. American Bee Journal.
When buying honey, go for the raw, unprocessed varieties. Darker honeys, specifically honey from buckwheat flowers, as well as sage and tupelo, contain a greater amount of antioxidants than other honeys.
Feed your body and your palate. Enjoy some honey today!
ReferencesGheldof N, Wang XH, Engeseth NJ (2003). Buckwheat honey increases serum antioxidant capacity in humans. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Feb 26;51(5):1500-5.
Gross H, Polagruto J, Zhu Q, Kim S, Schramm D, Keen C (2004). Effect of honey consumption on plasma antioxidant status in human subjects. Paper presented at the 227th American Chemical Society Meeting, Anahein CA, March 28, 2004
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