In addition to being delicious, honey is also quite healthy. But honey is not just honey.
Honey is a natural product and not a standard product. As you can see in our shop, there are many different types of honey, which differ in consistency, appearance, taste, aroma and also in terms of ingredients.
In honey, a distinction is always made between blossom / nectar honey and honeydew honey. The busy honey bees collect both, but of course honey has even more components and ingredients that make it so valuable for the human body. Many of the ingredients are added by the bees during the process. But which substances are these in detail and how do bees manage to create a natural product that provides the ingredients for the human body in a balance that cannot be copied? So what makes honey healthy?
The main ingredient is sugar - but not household sugar
Even if honey is made up of a large amount of sugar (80%) - honey is far more than just sweet. Honey consists of carbohydrates, i.e. of different types of sugar such as single sugar glucose (grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar), as well as double sugars such as maltose and sucrose. There are also various multiple sugars.
Simple sugar is very easy to digest for the human body and goes directly into the blood as an energy supplier. And this is where the bees come into play. They add the enzyme invertase to the multiple sugar sucrose and in this way break down a large part of the multiple sugar into single sugars, dextrose and fructose. Normal household sugar (sucrose) becomes simple sugar that is easier to use.
The body can use the simple sugars better because they pass through the intestinal wall in unchanged form, while sucrose first has to be broken down. Since the glucose immediately goes into the intestines and then into the blood, it can be converted into energy by our body with the help of insulin from our brain and muscles. The fructose, on the other hand, only passes slowly from the intestine into the blood. It also has a mucus-forming effect in the intestine. This can have a protective effect on the stomach lining. But be careful: if consumed in excess, this can have a laxative effect.
Since the sugar spectrum in honey is different to normal household sugar, many types of honey are also suitable for consumption by diabetics. Honeys with a high fructose content are particularly suitable for this, such as acacia honey or linden honey.
Enzymes and inhibins - important ingredients
Enzymes are important and healthy components in honey, but they are not present from the start. This also shows how valuable bees are for humans, because they add enzymes to the honey through their saliva. Invertase is one of the known enzymes. Other enzymes in honey are phosphatase, diastase and amylase, which also have an antibacterial and digestive effect.
In addition to enzymes, inhibins are particularly important for the positive effects of honey. Inhibins are substances that inhibit others in their effect. This means, for example, that inhibins in honey are responsible for an anti-inflammatory effect of honey in the case of infections. For example, honey is often used successfully for colds. Inhibins are largely responsible for the soothing effect
Antioxidants and flavonoids
Antioxidants have been known for a long time and are on everyone's lips, especially when it comes to healthy nutrition and cosmetics, as they are said to have a positive effect on cell renewal. And it really is like this: antioxidants act as free radical scavengers. Free radicals damage our cell structure. Antioxidants in honey counteract this. Because of this mode of action, antioxidants could lower the risk of developing diseases such as arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, asthma or cancer.
Flavonoids are a special group of antioxidants. Bee pollen and propolis have a high proportion of these flavonoids. Some flavonoids are said to have strengthening, antiviral or antispasmodic effects. Others work against inflammation and histamine.
It is therefore important not to buy industrial honey which, due to its ultra-fine filtration, is almost entirely lacking in valuable ingredients such as pollen.
Vitamins and minerals
Honey also contains a number of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 complex, vitamin B6, vitamin H (biotin), pantothenic acid and folic acid. This vitamin complex generally has a positive effect on our organism and ensures the maintenance of all life processes.
In addition to vitamins, honey also contains a number of valuable minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus. When it comes to honey, a general distinction is made between nectar or blossom honey and honeydew honey. Blossom honeys usually contain more calcium, while honeydew honeys usually have a higher iron and potassium content. The mineral content of honeydew honey (e.g. forest honey, fir honey, Black Forest White fir honey, oak honey) is up to 10 times higher than that of blossom honey.
Amino acids and other acids
Yes, although honey is a sweet food, it still has acids. These ensure its antimicrobial effect, since microorganisms do not grow as well at a slightly acidic pH value.
Amino acids, which are actually not acids at all, are responsible for a functioning metabolism, but building blocks of proteins. There are many different amino acids in honey.
Honey is a special food with a positive effect on the human organism. It is important that honey is natural and not industrially processed, i.e. not ultra-finely filtered and heated to a high temperature, because all of the ingredients described above are easily destroyed and the honey loses its positive effect on the human body.
Natural honey is:
• Digestive thanks to enzymes, organic acids and aromatic substances
• Strengthening the heart and circulation through antioxidants
• Antibacterial through acids, inhibins, antioxidants and enzymes
• Strengthening the immune system through pollen, vitamins and trace elements
And no matter which honey you choose - enjoy it!
In our shop you can find a lot of natural honey varieties
Your Honig-Schmidt-Team
