8 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Eat Honey Every Day

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Honey has been a part of the human diet for thousands of years, and for good reason. It satisfies our sweet tooth, provides quick energy, and doesn’t spoil. Honey is also a main component in ancient medicines, used both internally and as a topical treatment.

Even though we’ve gone on to discover sugar cane and artificial sweeteners, honey will always have a special place in our collective hearts. How great is honey? Here are eight nutritional benefits of honey.

Honey boosts your immunity

Honey is made by bees, who collect nectar and regurgitate it into wax cells. This makes it a by-product of the bees, and therefore not vegan. Nevertheless, many natural healing practitioners use it for its antibiotic properties.

A common folk remedy for seasonal pollen allergies is to take some locally sourced honey to build up a resistance to the pollen, but this has not been proven. What honey can do, however, is boost your body’s immunity by helping detoxify your system of free radicals.

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Honey improves your gut health

The antibiotic properties of honey also contribute to good digestive health. Honey naturally flushes out and neutralizes harmful bugs like salmonella and E. coli, and promotes the growth of good gut flora. This has benefits that extend all the way from the stomach to the end of the digestive tract.

The main reason honey can do this is that it contains hydrogen peroxide, a natural antimicrobial chemical. Hydrogen peroxide is what keeps the honey from spoiling in the combs.

Honey has positive effects on your brain 

Honey also has a reputation for being good for your head, both physically and mentally. Physically, honey’s main benefit is that it helps lower cholesterol, which can cause brain damage due to risk of stroke. This alone would make it a good nutritional choice.

But mentally, honey also helps to calm anxiety and soothe stress. Not to mention the sweetness gives your brain a surge of happy hormones called serotonin. If you need a treat to pick you up, you may want to choose one with honey instead of processed sugar.

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Honey is good for your heart, too

Whenever you can lower your cholesterol, your heart will benefit as well as your brain. Cholesterol will block your arteries, making it harder to pump blood efficiently, so keeping your circulation optimized is a major priority.

Whereas a stroke is caused by clogged vessels in the brain, heart attacks are caused by clogged arteries nearer the heart. Also, if you’re using honey instead of processed sugar, you are getting a healthier source of energy to power your workouts, which will also help your heart out significantly.

Honey helps with heartburn and acid reflux

Heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. It’s the sensation of stomach acid backing up into your esophagus and scarring the tissue, and it’s more appropriately called acid reflux. Honey doesn’t cure the issue, or even really treat it, but it can alleviate the symptoms.

Since it’s a thick, heavy liquid, honey can coat and protect the sides of your esophagus from any errant acid. This is especially good at night when sleeping prone can cause the stomach to spasm. If you have heartburn at night, take a little honey before you go to bed.

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Honey is good for your skin, inside and out

In ancient days, honey was used as a topical ointment and treatment for burns and small wounds. Its antimicrobial properties made it an ideal covering to protect the wound and promote faster healing. Today, honey is still a component in some beauty and skin products.

But you can also promote healthy skin by eating honey, since it contains proteins and amino acids. These are the building blocks of healthy cells. So you’re doing your skin a favor several ways by having honey around the house.

Honey promotes a good night’s sleep

Taking honey at night is actually a worldwide custom, whether it’s in milk or tea, to wind down at the end of the day and get to sleep faster. Honey can do this because it causes the body to release insulin from the pancreas, which alerts the brain to produce another chemical called tryptophan, which is a relaxant.

This in turn releases serotonin in the brain, making you feel good. And to top it all off, honey also contains melatonin, which is itself a sleep aid. All of these together make your body and your brain feel safe and comfortable and able to sleep. 

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Honey can help with a hangover

Finally, here’s honey’s biggest contribution to civilization, and it has to do with alcohol. We’re not talking about mead, which is an ancient brew made of fermented honey.

No, honey is also known as an aid to get you through a hangover. Honey helps you process the alcohol in your system faster due to its high carbohydrate content. The influx of carbs causes your body to metabolize quicker.

Also, honey can give you a quick jolt of energy from its sugar content, which will help improve your mood. So, if you are paying the toll for last night’s party, invite a spoonful of honey to your morning after.