This week is National Honey Week, so we've decided to share with you all of the facts about Honey and why we should all be eating more of it.
It is in fact a superfood that we need to be including in our diets. Read on to find out why.
Honey is one of nature's greatest health boosters that can prevent cancer and Alzheimer's, alleviate seasonal allergy symptoms and defend against bacteria and infection.
You've most likely relied on honey before to soothe an aching throat with your cup of tea, but did you know it has been used to treat wounds and gastrointestinal problems?
Harvested raw from pure, unpolluted environments, New Zealand Honey Co's are carefully selected for their extremely high health properties and each one is marked with a bioactivity rating to indicate its strength.
Honey is composed of two simple sugars, glucose and fructose, honey is absorbed differently than sugar and thus causes a slower, more gradual rise in blood sugar. This is great because unlike sweets and chocolate which give you an instant rise, once it begins to wear off you're not left craving more.
Because honey has a slightly higher percentage of fructose than sugar, so it tastes sweeter and you end up using less.
If you're feeling a little sluggish and in need of a little boost, try one teaspoon of New Zealand Honey Co's Beech Forest Honeydew Honey in your porridge every morning. With a pre-biotic rating of 20+, it is one of the highest rated pre-biotic honeys in the world, making it ideal for keeping your digestive system in shape. The honey feeds the good bacteria in the gut to neutralise harmful toxins and increase the absorption of nutrients.
Honey is a valuable dietary source of antioxidants that can help to neutralise the harmful free radicals that can cause anxiety, premature ageing and other common health problems. Try adding a teaspoon to a cup of green tea each day, not only does it taste great but the honey boosts the natural antioxidant level in the tea by up to five times.
Not only this, but the antioxidant also acts as a substance that can prevent the effects of free radicals, which we're exposed to from enviromental toxins such as tobacco smoke or radiation and which can contribute to disease.
It mus be remembered that the colour of honey is relevant when your buying it for health benefits - the dark the colour the more antioxidants it contains.
How will you eat yours then?
Femalefirst Taryn Davies