What Is The Healthiest Honey For Women?

Ivan Red Jr. Author: Ivan Red Jr. Time for reading: ~8 minutes Last Updated: August 10, 2022
What Is The Healthiest Honey For Women?

What do bees make honey from? Useful substances contained in honey. The use of specific types of honey in various conditions. The use of honey in cosmetology. How to determine if honey is real or not, and how to store it properly.

Content

  • How honey is made.
  • Composition of honey.
  • Benefits of different varieties of honey.
  • How to eat honey.
  • beauty recipes.
  • How to distinguish real honey from counterfeit.
  • How to properly store honey.
  • Contraindications to the use of honey.
  • Artificial and medical honey.
  • Conclusion.

How honey is made

Lucky for those who are on vacation in the summer. Those who do not have a vacation are saved by the weekend. Someone works constantly, tirelessly, or rather wings. These are honey bees. It is thanks to them that we have honey, propolis, perga, royal jelly, wax, bee venom. All bee products are, of course, valuable and useful. However, it must be remembered that these biologically active substances must be used correctly. With excessive use or hypersensitivity, allergies, they can become toxic to the human body. Before we figure out which honey is the most beneficial for women, let's talk about it in general.

Honey is obtained when bees process the nectar of flowers or honeydew. Pad is of two types: vegetable (honeydew) and animal. Honeydew appears on leaves (birch, linden) and needles (spruce, pine) during the dry period. Honeydew of animal origin is the sweet waste products of insects.

When there is little nectar, the bees switch to honeydew. The composition of nectar and honeydew is similar. However, the latter contains more minerals, protein, free amino acids, polysaccharides. Honeydew honey is useful for humans, which cannot be said about bees. Their digestive system suffers due to the high amount of protein. Fortunately, beekeepers have their own secrets on how to help these insects.

 

Composition of honey

When bees collect nectar mainly from one type of plant, monofloral honey is obtained: buckwheat, mountain ash, linden. From different species - polyfloral: flower, meadow, mountain, May.

The composition of honey depends on many factors:

  • the region where it is collected;
  • breeds of bees;
  • weather conditions;
  • maturity of honey, etc.

Nevertheless, it is possible to single out the main beneficial substances that are mostly present in honey:

  • carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose, glucose, polysaccharides, dextrin. The more dextrin, the thicker the honey);
  • enzymes (catalase, lipase, amylase, etc.);
  • proteins and free amino acids (when honey is stored incorrectly or for a long time, their quantity decreases);
  • macro- and microelements (aluminum, boron, iron, iodine, potassium, silicon, calcium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, copper, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus, chromium, zinc, etc.);
  • organic and inorganic acids (succinic, citric, formic, tartaric, phosphoric);
  • flavonoids;
  • phytoncides;
  • vitamins (C, K, E, group B. By the way, there is more vitamin C in dark honey than in light honey);
  • aromatic substances (essential oils, alcohols), which, if not properly stored and heated, quickly evaporate;
  • dyes;
  • pollen;
  • lipids.

The amount of nutrients in honey is small, but together they enhance each other's action.

Polyfloral honey contains more minerals than monofloral honey.

 

The benefits of specific types of honey

So what kind of honey is the most beneficial for women? It all depends on the problems that need to be solved:

  • buckwheat honey is the best remedy for anemia, especially in combination with royal jelly;
  • with a lack of B vitamins, different types of honey will help - chestnut (B9, B3), linden (B9), acacia (B6), buckwheat (B3);
  • if it is necessary to enhance the antioxidant activity, buckwheat and chestnut honey will do;
  • for peace of mind it is good to use acacia honey;
  • sweet clover honey is used in the treatment of varicose veins;
  • linden honey has an excellent diaphoretic property and expectorant effect;
  • clover honey will help with excessive overwork;
  • with atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, it is recommended to pay attention to one of the rare varieties of honey - mountain ash;
  • heather honey has a diuretic effect.

 

How to eat honey

Honey, of course, is not only healthy, but also very tasty. Therein lies its danger. You can't eat too much honey. Enough 1-2 teaspoons a day, otherwise the fructose contained in honey will load the liver and be deposited in the form of adipose tissue. The bee product should be consumed on a full stomach so that there is no sharp jump in blood glucose and the production of a large amount of insulin.

Often people like to pour hot tea into a mug, put a slice of lemon and a spoonful of honey. And they do it in vain: vitamin C contained in lemon is gradually destroyed in boiling water, and honey loses its benefits. Therefore, it is better to eat honey from a spoon, washed down with warm drinks. It is strongly not recommended to use honey in baking - the product acquires carcinogenic properties!

beauty recipes

The beneficial properties of honey are used not only in medicine, they are also used in cosmetology. Various masks, scrubs based on it are very popular. The main thing to remember is that even if you are not allergic to bee products, it is still better to test for sensitivity before applying. Apply a drop of the mixture to the back of your wrist. If no negative reactions are observed, the composition can be used.

A few simple and easy recipes for maintaining beauty.

  • Honey mask to improve hair shine. Mix honey and burdock, almond or coconut oil (1 tablespoon each). Add 1 egg yolk and 2-3 drops of citrus essential oil. Apply the mixture along the length of the hair (no need for the roots), wrap your head (with a bag and a hat), rinse off after 30–60 minutes. The mask lightens the hair a little. It can be used once a week.
  • Nourishing honey face mask. Whisk 1 tablespoon of honey and a banana. Apply to face, leave on for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. This mask is suitable for use once a week. How to look perfect even without makeup? Get a step-by-step plan to restore the beauty and health of the skin at the webinar "5 Steps to Healthy Skin"
  • Honey scrub for cleansing. Mix 1 part sea, pink Himalayan or regular salt and 2 parts honey. Depending on the grinding of salt, this scrub can be applied both on the body and on the face, avoiding the area of ​​​​the eyes and lips. So that the salt does not dissolve in honey, you need to prepare the scrub immediately before application. It is enough to apply it 3-4 times a month.
  • Honey wrap. Cleanse the skin on problem areas. Apply honey with patting motions. Wrap with foil and insulate, for example with a shawl. Wraps are contraindicated for varicose veins.

It is important to remember that scrubs and masks (except for specially designed ones) should not be applied to skin with signs of inflammation, wounds, rashes.

 

How to distinguish real honey from counterfeit

It is clear that the benefit will be from real honey. Unscrupulous beekeepers can add extra substances for various reasons. For example, to increase the mass of the finished product or hide that the honey is unripe.

There are homemade ways to determine a fake honey - they will help those who do not have trusted suppliers:

  • It is quite difficult to determine the taste of real honey or not. However, if a little honey is sucked in, a tart, slightly burning aftertaste should remain;
  • stir a spoonful of honey in a glass of warm water. Honey will completely dissolve, and impurities will settle to the bottom;
  • add to diluted honey (a tablespoon per glass of water) a little bit of 70% vinegar essence (sold in grocery stores). Are there bubbles and hiss? Therefore, chalk is present;
  • if, with proper storage, honey does not become candied for a long time (the exception is chestnut or acacia), it means that sugar syrup was added to it;
  • Honey contains a small amount of natural starch. However, if there is a suspicion that starch has been added for density, it is enough to dilute a little honey in water, drop a few drops of iodine. If the solution turns blue, then the starch is mixed;
  • if there is a lot of foam in freshly pumped honey, it is unripe, and, most likely, fermentation processes will begin in it;
  • if the top of the honey is runny and the bottom is candied, it means that water has been added.

How to store honey

You have chosen real honey. Now it's time to think about its storage, otherwise there will be little benefit from the bee product.

Honey contains acids, therefore, in order to avoid chemical reactions, it is best to store it in containers made of inert materials: glass (preferably dark), clay, wood, and with hermetically sealed lids and in a cool dark place. Then odorous substances will not evaporate, and honey will not acquire foreign odors. Due to too low or high temperature (above 45 degrees) and long storage (more than a year), the concentration of useful substances is sharply reduced.

Contraindications to the use of honey

The conclusion suggests itself: all varieties of honey are useful. But, of course, do not forget about contraindications:

  • allergy, hypersensitivity to bee products;
  • disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, in particular diabetes mellitus;
  • urolithiasis disease;
  • gout;
  • diseases of the stomach, pancreas, gallbladder in acute form and with exacerbations of chronic forms.

Pregnant women can consume honey in moderation (if there are no contraindications) - no more than 1-2 teaspoons per day.

Artificial and medical honey

A few words about honey from dandelions or watermelon. This is artificial honey, used only as a substitute for sugar (sweetener), alas, it has no medicinal properties. Preparing such honey is simple: you need to boil the juice with pulp until it thickens and strain.

There is also medicinal honey. It is obtained with the help of bees, which, instead of natural nectar, process sugar syrup, where extracts of herbs or vitamin solutions are first added.

It is better to choose natural natural honey without added sugars.

Conclusion

Summer is a favorable time for new travels and emotions. One of the options is apitourism (travels in which they observe bees, taste and buy bee products). Then, in addition to acquiring a wonderful drug with useful properties, you will get a lot of new impressions, bright discoveries and feel harmony. Here is such an unusual one - honey. 

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