- Ingredients and Properties
- Contraindications
- How to Lose Weight with Honey
- Tips
- Best Recipes
- Questions and Answers
Honey is mainly made up of carbohydrates and it is free of fats. It is used as a remedy for several illnesses due to its high vitamin concentration. It is also widely used in cosmetology thanks to its antioxidant properties. It has a high nutritional value: 100 g of honey contain around 330 calories. Despite its sweetness and high energy value, honey is included in many diets.
It is time to find out if honey can actually help you lose weight or if it is just another marketing strategy used by advertisers nowadays.
Ingredients and Properties
The unique combination of different substances found in this beekeeping product makes it effective for weight loss, despite its high calorie content and the presence of glucose and fructose. In addition to these elements, there are several vitamins and other substances in its composition that speed up metabolism, improve blood circulation, stimulate the excretory system and, most importantly, help to break down subcutaneous fat.
You can achieve good results if you have honey moderately, you are aware of the serving size and you know how to combine it with other dietary products.
- Antioxidants
When a person loses weight, fat molecules in the body are gradually broken down, which result in the release of free radicals that can be harmful to one’s health. That is why nutritionists are strongly against diets that weaken the body.
Consuming honey during this process saturates cells with antioxidants (such as catalase, globulin, pinobanksin, chrysin, and pinocembrin); they can neutralize harmful free radicals. When following dietary recommendations, nutritionists strongly recommend using darker types of honey for weight loss because they have a higher quantity of antioxidants than light-colored honeys.
- Nutrients
In the weight loss process, a person not only loses kilos but also nutrients and energy. This often leads to fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and other unpleasant symptoms. You can avoid this by eating a small amount of honey every day during your diet. After all, it is rich in vitamins (pyridoxine, riboflavin, acids – ascorbic, pantothenic, nicotinic) and micronutrients (iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc.).
- Glucose
The aforementioned problem of weakness can be effectively addressed using another honey component: glucose. Together with fructose, these two substances are a healthy, natural, and much-needed source of energy for the body during the tough weight loss process. The key is to consume them in moderation; otherwise, all the benefits will turn into fat reserves.
- Glycemic index
Any type of food consumed by a person has some impact on their blood sugar levels. If blood sugar levels increase quickly just a few minutes after eating, nutritionists say that this product has a high glycemic index (hereinafter referred to as GI). This causes increased appetite and fat accumulation. If a product has a low GI, sugar enters the bloodstream gradually and in small portions, without making you feel hungry or causing the appearance of stubborn flabby areas.
Honey has a glycemic index of approximately 50 to 70 (the index varies depending on the variety), which is among the lowest. Therefore, we recommend including it in your diet if you want to get rid of belly fat, which is the most problematic area for women.
Therefore, using honey as an intensive weight loss method is not a myth, despite it being sweet and high in calories. This is a scientifically proven fact that cannot be denied. But why, in this case, do we find reviews stating that this product only promotes weight gain? It is most likely the result of improper use.
Etymology According to one version, the word “honey” is of Greek origin: “μέθυ” translates as an “intoxicating drink,” since in the past it was almost the only product used to make alcohol. Some researchers find ancient Hebrew roots in this word and translate it as “magic spells.”
Contraindications
For weight loss using honey to meet your expectations, it is necessary to follow the contraindications for its active use. A sandwich once a month is unlikely to cause significant changes in your body. However, a weight loss diet regimen implies its regular use: in dishes, drinks (for example, with ginger water), as an external anti-cellulite treatment.
Therefore, its effects will increase every day. Organs and systems that cannot operate at their full capacity due to their health condition will start to fail, your health will deteriorate, and you will have to admit defeat in the fight against extra weight.
Therefore, remember the contraindications of this weight loss method:
- diabetes;
- allergies;
- any lung diseases: pneumosclerosis, emphysema, pulmonary infarction, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, obstructive bronchitis, any type of hemorrhage;
- cardiovascular problems: cardiac asthma, heart disease, myocarditis;
- poor functioning of the gastrointestinal tract: pancreatitis, peptic ulcer disease of all locations, enterocolitis, gastritis;
- cholelithiasis/urolithiasis;
- rheumatism;
- cholecystitis;
- different forms of dermatitis and diathesis.
Each of these illnesses is so serious that an exacerbation will not occur without harm to health in the future. Therefore, even the most beautiful figure is not worth such sacrifices. Get a checkup, consult a doctor if you have any doubts whatsoever. If you have any of these contraindications, you must abandon the idea of losing weight with honey and choose a different way to adjust your body.
Fun fact. Honey is one of the few foods that do not spoil. An amphora containing this amazing product was found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1330 BC), and all these centuries later it has not lost its flavor or its beneficial properties.
How to Lose Weight with Honey
To use honey as a weight loss method, you must know the different ways to consume it. There are several ways and each one has its own distinct features.
As an independent dietary product
Honey can be used as an independent dietary product. In order for it to start the necessary processes in the body, it can be taken following specially developed plans:
- eat honey on an empty stomach in the morning: 1 tablespoon, washed down with a glass of water;
- honey water half an hour before breakfast;
- honey tea between meals;
- a tablespoon of honey before going to bed will help your intestines work at full capacity, leaving no fat reserves.
But you must realize that none of these plans will be effective unless you limit your food intake. And we are not talking about strict diets. All you need to do is set up your daily routine and follow the principles of a healthy diet. The absence of unhealthy foods from your diet, together with regular honey consumption, will help you see excellent results on the scale within a month.
As part of a diet
If following the previous plan, the number of kilos lost will not be that significant (3–4 per month), you can achieve much more by adding honey to your weight loss diet. It can be any type of diet – protein, carbohydrate, fat, etc.
This product will provide excellent support for your body.
