10 Benefits Of Honey That Are Sweeter Than Its Taste

Most people use honey because they like its sweet taste. It goes nicely with many types of tea, and can be a great accompaniment to toast. Very few ever consider the nutritional profile of this tasty food. The fact that it's delicious is more than enough reason to keep buying it. Everything else is an afterthought.

But honey is more than just a yummy treat. Each spoonful of it offers up potent health benefits, which when learned, will make you love it even more. Below are 10 great reasons to use honey regularly. Here's why you should always have a quality jar of it stocked away in your cupboard.

Benefit One: Honey Helps Regulate Blood Sugar
It seems strange to list this as a benefit of eating honey, but surprisingly, it is one. The body breaks down honey slowly, meaning it enters the blood stream at a slower pace than refined sugar. Because of this, you won't experience a blood sugar spike. You get to enjoy the sweet taste of it without it affecting your precious levels.

Benefit Two: Honey Is Anti-bacterial
There's a reason why sick people sip honey and lemon drinks. While they're extremely comforting, the two main ingredients also help people feel better. By fighting off the harmful bacteria that's made its way into the body, honey helps aid in recovery process. As an anti-bacterial agent, honey is great to ingest or to put on wounds.

Benefit Three: Honey Helps Ward Off Hangovers
A hangover is caused by dehydration and imbalanced blood sugars. Drinking drinks (such as honey as orange) helps normalize the body's sugar levels and rehydrates it efficiently. The mix of natural sugars found in honey can help act as a sobering-agent. They help the liver with the oxidation process, meaning the alcohol will be out of your system faster and you can get back to feeling normal again.

Benefit Four: Honey Is An Energy Booster
Everyone would like a little more energy. Whether they want to improve performance at work or just get through a workout without feeling sleepy, people are looking for a little boost from somewhere. Athletes - as well as honey lovers - have known for centuries the value of honey when it comes to improving energy levels. As a natural carbohydrate, honey fuels the body without causing the inevitable carb-crash afterwards. If you're feeling drained, help yourself to a honey sandwich. It could be a difference maker.

Benefit Five: Honey Helps Aid Weight Loss
The market is filled with many "natural" weight loss products, many of which are actually quite dangerous. For a truly natural weight loss aid without any of the nasty side effects, look no further than your humble jar of honey. Honey and lemon drinks can be used alongside meals to create metabolic changes that will fuel weight loss. Best of all, these drinks don't leave a craving for sugar. You'll feel energized (as honey is a source of carbohydrates) and manage to shed some of those annoying pounds.

Benefit Six: Honey Is Great For The Skin
As a source of vitamin E, honey helps to keep the complexion glowing. Nicknamed the 'beauty vitamin', vitamin E is essential if you want to ward of the signs of aging. Honey - especially Manuka honey - can even make a great face mask. If suffering from problem skin, layer a small spoonful of the product on your face, then wash off after 20 minutes. You'll find your skin feels soothed and moisturized.

Benefit Seven: Honey Reduces Bad Cholesterol
This is one of the more recently discovered health benefits of honey, and is exciting many doctors who are looking to find creative ways to help patients lower their cholesterol levels. It's believed the main anti-oxidant compounds found in honey are able to improve fat metabolism and rid fatty builds ups from the arteries.

Benefit Eight: Honey Is An Anti-fungal
If dealing with persistent fungal infections or illnesses like Candida, adding honey to your diet can be a great way to get on top of your problem. For years, honey has been used as a natural remedy to the conditions, as well as to other similar ones such as athlete's foot.

Benefit Nine: Honey May Help Protect Against Cancer
Cancer will affect one in three people during their lifetimes. This rampant disease can cause havoc with a sufferer's mind and body. Because of the worryingly high odds of developing cancer, more and more people have started looking for holistic ways to protect against It. One of those ways is to consume honey. Honey's anti-carcinogen properties can prevent against the development of tumors. More studies are currently being done to find out just how helpful honey can be in the progressive stages of the illness. Currently, it looks promising.

Benefit Ten: Honey Boosts The Immune System
In the winter time, getting sick is almost inevitable. But not, perhaps, for those who make honey a regular part of their diets. Its anti-oxidant properties can help with everything from digestive health to warding off colds and viruses. If you do happen to get sick, honey can still play a huge part in your recovery. As we've already mentioned, honey has some powerful anti-bacterial properties, meaning the body's resistance will be given a huge boost when honey is ingested.

Little Else Compares To Honey
There isn't much on the grocery stores shelves that can help with everything from cancer prevention to great skin. In that respect, honey really is something of a special product.

The great thing about honey isn't just how good it can be for you, but its flexibility. Honey is actually enjoyable to eat, unlike some of these other health foods which taste like something that can only be described as cardboard.

If you don't consume honey regularly, consider buying honey and adding it to your diet. Whether you put it in your drinks, smoothies, sandwiches or oats, you'll get to enjoy those terrific benefits listed in this article.