Honey has long been known as one of the foods that have a sweet taste and are loved by many people, and the way people love it is not only limited in taste, but also the way to process this golden liquid is also fairly simple. You can just simply mix it with food or drink, and the honey can enhance the taste of a culinary treat.
However, besides the benefits of prunes, did you know that honey also has various health benefits? Some of them are able to prevent cancer and boost the body’s immune system that’s useful to defend our bodies from various harmful diseases and discomforts. Of course, not many people think about the benefits of honey because most of the delicious foods are not good for consumption.
Just like benefits of dates, the sweet taste of honey is different from that of sugar and the reason behind that is the source of the distinctive sweet taste of honey is the monosaccharide fructose and glucose. The calorie content of sugar is also able to absorb fat, especially when consumed together with warm water like honey tea, or honey syrup.
Knowing this, real honey is certainly suitable for consumption by everyone, including diabetics, and fortunately, the benefit doesn’t stop there. The honey can be a calming and refreshing material for a more fit body, like benefits of cabbage.
School of Medicine at Cardiff University in UK has conducted research on the benefits of honey and through this research, they found that honey is able to stimulate the body to produce immune cells.
By stimulating the production of immune cells, the body’s metabolism will also be stronger while directly effecting an increase in stamina because the body becomes more fit and durable.
Adding to his findings, based on these studies it is also known that honey has a role in fighting bacteria in the body which make it more protected to disease and can be overcome by consuming them regularly.
That way, not only does it strengthen the body’s immune system, honey can also be an antidote to various diseases due to viral or bacterial infections, so the chemical medicines are no longer needed.
At the same time, honey is also truly beneficial for pregnant women to reduce some discomforts including morning sickness, loss of energy, and nausea. In order to get the full information, here’s the benefits of honey during pregnancy :
1. Relieves Cough Naturally
Medicines that can be consumed during pregnancy are very limited due to their harmful side effects for the baby, and that’s why honey comes as a natural remedy that you can still consume. But what is the reason behind this?
Honey contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial components which when combined with natural ingredients, such as ginger or lime, the benefits of honey for pregnant women are getting better.
For example, to reduce coughing, you can simply mix one tablespoon of honey into one cup of hot milk or add something more healthy but less favorable, like garlic mash.
Honey can also reduce nasal congestion, which can be very annoying during pregnancy. For this, try to mix a tablespoon of honey and lime drops in warm water to make some tea out of it.
This remedy can also work to treat other symptoms as well like sore throat. Aside from actually drinking it, some people also use it as a mouthwash for morning and before bed.
2. Relieves Morning Sickness
The benefits of honey for the next pregnant woman are to reduce complaints of nausea. As you may know it, nausea and vomiting are common in the first trimester of pregnancy due to hormonal changes.
As explained before, honey has a relaxing character like chamomile, benefits of cashew milk or cinnamon, and you can use it by mixing honey with lime juice or other things that are sour like apple vinegar to balance the taste and thus can help to reduce nausea.
Digestion that is slowed down due to hormonal changes and an enlarged uterus that presses on the intestines and stomach often makes pregnant women feel awful.
Most of the time, the stomach feels sore, especially in the final trimester of pregnancy. Honey can treat it, again, with the help of other healthy ingredients. This time, it’s the milk, more preferably, hot milk. Simply combine both ingredients and consume it regularly.
3. A Great Source of Energy
During pregnancy, especially those of you who have entered the third trimester, of course, you will feel tired easily. Drinking honey can be a natural and safe energy booster for pregnant women, so you can be safe for facing the activities all day. Not only containing a sufficient level of calories, honey can also increase the body’s metabolism to make the moms always healthy.
Not only during the day, honey will sleep you once the sun goes down. During the night, some moms need something warm and relaxing to bring their mind and body down for a good night sleep.
Usually, most people would go for the warm milk for relaxation. What you can do if you’re out of milk is to mix honey with some warm water. You may also consume some healthy snacks too if you feel like it, like benefits of eating dried raisins for example.
4. Good for Facial Skin
Due to hormonal changes, it is not uncommon for pregnant women to have dull skin, breakouts, redness, and black spots and this could be troublesome for some women out there.
Many of them would treat it with facial masks made from natural ingredients, including honey. Yes, you can make your own natural facial mask with honey for maintaining your skin health.