- Content and Beneficial Properties
- Contraindications
- How to Take
- Useful Advises
- Best Recipes
- Questions and Answers
Honey contains a huge amount of carbohydrates and not a bit of fat. Thanks to the high content of vitamins, honey is used as a medicine for treating many diseases. Due to the presence of antioxidants, it is actively used in cosmetology. Calorie content is quite high – about 330 kcal per 100 g, however, despite such sweetness and high energy value, honey is included in many dietary methods.
So, it’s time to tell the truth – does honey really help to lose weight, or is it another trick of the modern world, which wants us to be slim and fit so much?
Content and Beneficial Properties
Thanks to the unique composition of this beekeeping product, its useful properties can aid in losing weight, even despite the fact that it is high-calorie and contains glucose and fructose. In addition to these substances, honey contains a huge amount of various vitamins and other substances that help accelerate metabolism, improve blood circulation, stimulate the work of excretory systems, and most importantly – contribute to the burning of subcutaneous fat stores.
If you do not overeat, observe moderation, and learn how to combine honey with other dietary products, you can achieve great results with its help.
- Antioxidants
During weight loss, fat cells in the body gradually break down. As a result, free radicals are released, which are known for their negative impact on health. That’s exactly why any diets that deplete the body are unanimously condemned by all doctors.
Eating honey during this period will allow the cells to be saturated with antioxidants (these include catalase, hallogen, pinobaxin, chrysin and pinocembrin), which are able to neutralize these very harmful free radicals. From this point of view, nutritionists strongly recommend choosing dark honey varieties for weight loss. They contain more antioxidants compared to light varieties.
- Nutrients
In the process of losing weight, a person loses not only kilograms, but also useful substances, along with energy. As a result, weakness, reduced performance, dizziness, and other unpleasant side effects often appear. If you eat a small amount of honey daily during the diet, you can avoid this. After all, it contains a lot of vitamins (pyridoxine, riboflavin, acids – ascorbic, pantothenic and nicotinic) and microelements (iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc.).
- Glucose
Another component of honey successfully copes with the problem of the described above loss of strength – glucose. Together with fructose, they become a useful, natural, and very necessary source of energy for the body during the difficult period of losing weight. The most important thing is not to overdo it, otherwise all their benefits will go to fat stores.
- Glycemic Index
Any product consumed by a person in one way or another affects the blood sugar level. If it increases within a few minutes after the food enters the stomach, nutritionists talk about its high glycemic index (hereinafter – GI). This leads to increased appetite and fat deposition. And if the food’s GI is low, then sugar enters the blood slowly and in portions, without causing hunger or provoking the formation of treacherous curves.
The glycemic index of honey ranges from about 50 to 70 units (the indicator depends on the variety) and it is considered one of the lowest. Therefore, it is recommended to actively use it for weight loss in the abdomen, which is the most problematic area for a female body.
So, the benefit of honey as a means for intensive weight loss is not a myth at all, even despite its calorie content and sweetness. This is a scientifically proven fact, which is beyond any doubt. But why then can you read reviews where they write that this product only helps to gain weight? Most likely, it is simply used incorrectly.
Etymology. According to one version, honey is a word of Greek origin: “μέθυ” is translated as “intoxicating drink”. This is because in ancient times it was considered almost the only product from which it was possible to make fairly strong alcoholic beverages. Some scientists find ancient Jewish roots in this word and translate it as “witchcraft potion”.
Contraindications
In order for losing weight with honey to meet expectations, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications for its active use. One honey sandwich per month is unlikely to cause any serious changes in the body. However, the dietary course implies its regular use: in dishes, drinks (for example, with ginger water), and as an external anti-cellulite agent.
As a result, its effect will increase every day. The organs and systems that cannot work at full strength due to health problems start to fail – the well-being worsens – and one has to admit defeat in the fight against excess weight.
Therefore, remember the contraindications for such a weight loss method:
- diabetes,
- a tendency to allergies,
- any pulmonary diseases: pneumosclerosis, emphysema, pulmonary infarction, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, obstructive bronchitis, and bleeding of any origin,
- problems with the cardiovascular system: cardiac asthma, heart disease, myocarditis,
- improper work of the stomach: pancreatitis, peptic ulcer disease of any part, enterocolitis, gastritis,
- cholelithiasis/nephrolithiasis,
- rheumatism,
- cholecystitis,
- any type of dermatitis and diathesis.
Each of these diseases is serious enough so that its exacerbation will not pass without a trace for health in the future. Therefore, even the slimmest figure is not worth such sacrifices. First, consult a doctor, make an appointment with a specialist if in doubt. In the presence of at least one of these contraindications, you will have to give up losing weight with honey and choose another way to correct your figure.
Interesting Fact. Honey is one of the few products that do not spoil. For example, an amphora with this amazing product was found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1330 BC), and for all these centuries, it has not lost its taste or its useful qualities.
How to Take
In order to use honey as a way to lose weight, you need to understand how to take it correctly. There are many ways, and each of them has its own distinctive features.
Independent Dietary Product
Honey can be used as an independent weight loss product. In order for it to begin to start the necessary processes in the body, you can consume it according to specially designed regimens:
- drink honey first thing in the morning on an empty stomach: 1 tablespoon per a glass of water;
- honey water half an hour before breakfast;
- honey tea in between meals;
- a tablespoon of honey at night will make your stomach work at full capacity, leaving no fat in reserve.
However, you need to understand that if you do not limit yourself in your diet, then none of these regimens will work. And it’s not about strict diets at all. All you need to do is observe the daily routine and adhere to the principles of a healthy diet. The absence of harmful products in the diet, supported by the regular consumption of honey, will show you great results on the scales in a month.
As Part of a Diet
If in the previous case, the number of lost kilograms will not be so great (3-4 per month), then much more can be achieved by consuming honey while on a weight loss diet. Moreover, it can be any diet – protein, carbohydrate, fat, etc.
This product will be an excellent support for the body during this
