Slimming With Honey

https://pixabay.com/en/honey-cinnamon-bowl-bee-honey-2542952/

Sweet, delectable honey has been used for eons for its medicinal and beauty benefits and it may come as a surprise that honey has extensively been used for slimming. If you are trying to lose weight, honey can be very helpful but before we discuss the benefits of honey in weight loss, we should address some of the concerns that people often have regarding honey.

 

Isn’t Honey The Same As Sugar?

Honey does contain sugar. However, unlike refined sugar, honey contains beneficial vitamins and minerals as well. Refined table sugar, which people often use to sweeten their food, is considered a source of “empty calories”, which means that there are no benefits of eating them.

Normally, to digest sugar, vitamins and minerals stored in the body are utilized, which uses up many of these essential nutrients. These nutrients are essential to dissolve fats and cholesterol, so ingesting pure sugar is somewhat wasteful. Therefore, when you eat too much sugar, you tend to gain weight not only because of the calories but from the subsequent lack of vitamins and minerals. Honey balances this effect because it is a good source of nutrients that help people in their efforts to lose weight.

Honey contains nutrients such as protein, water, energy, fibre, sugar, and various vitamins and minerals. It contains minerals such as iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and calcium. Honey is a good source of vitamins that include folate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.

For people who are overweight or obese, honey not only reduces the risk of cardiovascular disorders, it also does not increase the body weight. Findings of a research suggest that consumption of honey may help in reducing cholesterol levels as compared to sugar. It also leads to a comparatively lower increase in the plasma glucose levels.

Slimming Effects Of Honey

Honey has been used as a slimming aid for countless years, below is a glimpse of some of the slimming remedies.

Honey & Warm Water

Normally fat remains as an unused resource in the body, adding bulk and weight, but it is believed that honey has the ability to mobilize this stored fat. When this fat is burnt to provide energy for your daily activities, you will see a gradual decrease in your weight and a relief from the problems of obesity.

Honey has also been shown to positively increase the levels of “good” cholesterol in the body and also reduces cardiovascular strain, which means you can lead a more active, healthy life. This will further promote weight loss since you won’t be worried as much about atherosclerosis or the risk of heart attack or stroke while going for a morning run. Research suggests that drinking honey (about one tablespoon daily), with an equal amount of warm water can stimulate this beneficial process.

Honey & Cinnamon

Another popular recipe combines cinnamon with honey and warm water. Research studies suggest that the use of cinnamon is beneficial for weight loss.

Mix one tablespoon of cinnamon powder with one tablespoon of honey and one cup of warm water. Thoroughly mix these ingredients and drink on an empty stomach.

Cinnamon has also been shown to have a regulating effect on blood sugar levels, and the metabolism of glucose. High blood sugar levels can lead to increased storage of fat in the body, so cinnamon has a positive impact on this aspect of weight loss. Combined with the metabolism power of honey, this mixture can be a powerful boost to your weight loss efforts.

Research has not clearly explained how this mixture helps in weight loss, but many people claim to have seen positive results from its regular consumption.

Honey & Lemon Juice

Honey can help in weight loss when consumed with warm water and lemon juice. Many people drink this formula at the start of their day as a way of stimulating weight loss. Honey is packed with 22 amino acids and a number of valuable vitamins and minerals, many of which benefit the body’s metabolism. By regulating the metabolism, food is utilized properly, fat is converted into usable energy, and overall health is improved.

The lemon juice in this mixture is loaded with vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid), which increases liver function and fat metabolism. Furthermore, lemon juice increases the function of glutathione, which is a key antioxidant for detoxification and quick slimming.

Combining the weight loss powers of lemon juice with the metabolism-stimulating effects of honey, this elixir, if drunk once a day, can give you attractive results.

Hibernation Diet

With all of the new diets that spring up every year, it is difficult to know which one will benefit your body and weight loss efforts. One aspect of the hibernation diet to lose weight is to consume a spoonful of honey before going to bed. As you sleep, honey will continue stimulating the liver function, keep your metabolism burning fat, and ease a number of stress hormones which are in your system. As the name implies, it helps you hibernate in a healthy and relaxing way.

Improves Digestion

Honey improves your digestion, which can help in reducing static weight in your digestive system. Therefore, honey can be consumed after dinner, particularly after eating a large meal.

Good Substitute for Sugar

Honey is a good substitute for sugar. It can be used in different beverages such as tea and lime juice. Among other food items, it can be used in desserts and pancakes instead of sugar. One may add honey to oatmeal or peanut butter sandwiches for additional nutrients, good taste, and a lower risk of weight gain.

Many people stop eating to reduce their weight, but this is a potentially dangerous practice. If you don’t eat enough food, which is the primary way of acquiring calories, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, your immune system will weaken.

Your weight loss program should focus on reducing the intake of calories, rather than stopping the intake of calories. Furthermore, you should also increase your daily elimination of calories through regular exercise.

References

 

  1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310307
  2. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6058
  3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454257
  4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15117561
  5. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2008/961837/abs/
  6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1252985/
  7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901047/?tool=pubmed
  8. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/6/1552.short
  9. http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/2060
About the author: Brian Kitching
Tell us something about yourself.
Website | + posts

Leave a Reply