Honey, it’s all about honey!

Honey has been used from ancient times by human beings as natural food, sweetener, medicine, cosmetics and preservatives. Honey is a natural carbohydrate compound that has many medicinal values. It is a low calorie food which is capable of releasing large amount of energy. Proteins in honey are found to be very effective to regenerate lost tissues. It also helps in the formation of enzymes and biological ferments that act as a catalyst in the process of oxidation. Honey is one of the most valuable foods and its daily consumption can keep you away from many diseases.

Honey is a liquid edible substance with golden color, extracted by bees from the nectar of flowers. Artificially made honey is now available and is not effective like natural honey. Glucose, starch, and cane sugar used in artificial honey can add more calories to you body. Natural honey can be distinguished by the presence of pollen grains. This can be verified under the microscope. The condition of flower blossom is the main factor that determines the quality of honey. Honey gets its sweetness from glucose and fructose. Honey contains 20% water and about 79% sugar. The sugar part in honey is further divided into; glucose 25- 37%, fructose 34- 43%, sucrose 0.5- 3% and maltose 5-12%. The calorie level is 319 kilo calories per 100gms of honey.

Honey gets granulated when kept unused for long time however heating regains its liquid form.
People have a great affiliation towards sweetness especially children. Sweeteners are needed and not harmful for the body to an extent. But using sweeteners without control can result in weight gain and other health problems. Honey is a better option than other sweeteners since it contains less calories and carbohydrates. It is better for your health since it contains minerals and vitamins.

Honey contains two inverted sugars called laevulose and dextrose. Inversion is a process that takes place during digestion, which converts normal sugars to fruit sugars. In the case of honey this process is already done by bees. So consumption of honey saves the digestive system from this process. Person having digestive problems due to the deficiency of enzymes like invertase and amylase need not depend on monosaccharide if they use honey. More over proteins in honey can build and replace tissues. Honey has germicidal effects and is free of bacteria unlike milk.

Medicinal Uses of Honey

• Honey mixed with the carrot juice improves eyesight

• Honey and ginger juice mixed equally gives quick relief to cold, cough and sore throat.

• Honey mixed with black pepper powder and ginger juice helps to cure asthma.

• One teaspoon of garlic juice mixed with two teaspoon honey taken twice a day can reduce blood pressure.

• One glass of warm water mixed with 2 teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of lemon juice taken on empty stomach helps to purify blood, reduce fat and to clean the intestines. It is good for obesity and is an effective drink for fasting.

• One teaspoon of anise powder mixed with two teaspoon of honey strengthens the heart muscles and improves its functions.

• One drop of honey in each eye once a week cleans the eyes.

Sugar-less sweets, sweetening life!

Sweeteners are the essential part of food and drinks. It is unimaginable to think of a sugar free world. Sweeteners not only increase the taste of food they are used as preservatives to keep the freshness of food and acts as base for the fermentation for breads. They are essential for making cakes, ice creams and carbonated beverages. But the caloric level of sweeteners is high and excessive use results in health related problems like weight gain and diabetes mellitus.

Artificial sweeteners are an alternative for such nutritive (caloric) sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are free of calories and are many times sweeter than sugar. The problem with nutritive sweetener is that it contains 4 calories per gram. People using nutritive sugar in large quantities get these calories which are converted to fat deposits resulting in increased body weight. The nutritive sweeteners can come into your body from corn sweeteners, confectionery sugar, dextrose, invert sugar, natural sweetener or sugar, turbinado sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, mannitol, maple sugar, molasses, honey and sorbitol.

Artificial sweeteners can be made from chemicals or directly from sugar molecules. They can provide the sweetness of nutritive sugar without adding any extra calorie to the body. This helps to maintain the body weight without any need to avoid sweetness from your life. They will not raise the sugar level in the body and people with diabetes can use them without any fear. Aspartame, Saccharine, Cyclamates, Acesulfame K and Sucralose are low calorie sweeteners and most of them are many times sweeter than sugar.

All artificial sweeteners except aspartame are stable to heat and can be used for cooking and baking. There were certain concerns on artificial sweeteners that they are harmful to health and are carcinogenic. But latest studies prove that they don’t produce any harmful effects in the human body. Lead acetate was used as an artificial sugar in the past but it can cause lead poisoning and is no more used. Artificial sweeteners cannot be consumed like sugar; it can be used only as a food additive. Only very small quantity is required to substitute large quantities of sugar. Sometimes artificial sweeteners generate an unpleasant taste after eating.

Food and Drug Administration have set a limit called “acceptable daily intake” (ADI) for all artificial sweeteners to avoid its overuse. The maximum amount of artificial sweetener that is safe to consume everyday is:

1. Aspartame – 50 mg per kg of body weight

2. Saccharin – 5 mg per kg of body weight

3. Acesulfame K – 15 mg per kg of body weight

4. Sucralose – 5 mg per kg of body weight

5. Neotame – 18 mg per day