It is commonly believed that mixing honey with tea or herbal tea is a good idea, especially when you are sick and looking to take advantage of its antiseptic properties. However, heating honey can negatively impact its benefits. Explanations.
Honey: a superfood
Honey is often considered a super food because of its many health benefits. Honey contains probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria for the health of the microbiota; a healthy microbiota helping to strengthen the body’s immune and protective functions! Researchers from Cairo University have also discovered the presence of bacteria in honey, which help us digest. Finally, honey consumption has also been linked to a reduction in bad cholesterol. Clearly, honey has many virtues!
To get the year off to a good start and refuel while fighting the viruses circulating in this cold period, consuming honey is therefore advisable. However, it is important to enjoy it at room temperature or slightly warm in order to take full advantage of its benefits.
Why shouldn’t honey be added to a hot infusion?
In effect, when heated to high temperatures, honey loses many important nutrients, such as enzymes, minerals and other nutrients. Only its sugar content remains unchanged, which is not ideal… It is therefore preferable to avoid putting honey in your tea or herbal tea, in order to take full advantage of its benefits by tasting it differently.
Read also – 7 tips to recognize natural honey from fake honey
What is the best way to consume honey?
There are several ways to consume honey to take full advantage of its many health benefits. Here are a few tips :
- Consume it at room temperature or slightly warm. As mentioned earlier, heating honey to high temperatures can alter its health-promoting properties.
- Add it to your diet in moderation. Although honey is beneficial for health, it contains sugar, so it is important to consume it in moderation.
- Pay attention to the quality of the honey you buy. Be sure to source quality honey and, if possible, buy local honey to support small producers.
- Use it as a sugar substitute in your recipes. The sweet taste of honey makes it an interesting substitute for pure sugar in many recipes. This can be a way to reduce your sugar intake while enjoying the natural benefits of honey. Just avoid overheating it.
- Consume it with other health beneficial foods. Honey can be eaten on its own or added to other healthy foods, such as whole grains, nuts and fresh fruit… So many simple and delicious recipes!
Read also – Which honeys for which symptoms?
How much honey per day?
One question remains: how much honey can you eat every day, in order to enjoy the benefits of this super food, without excess sugar?
Nutritionists generally recommend consuming between 6 and 7 sugar cubes per day for a woman et between 8 and 10 pieces for a man, depending on the level of physical activity. For its part, honey contains approximately 70 to 80% sugarjust like jam. One tablespoon of honey is regarding two sugar cubes.
If you do not add another source of sugar to your daily diet, you may as well consume up to 3 tablespoons of honey per day, without exceeding the recommended amounts of sugar. Keep in mind, however, that any consumption of sweet foods should be moderate.
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