Honey has been valued as a natural sweetener long before sugar became widely available in the 16th century. Honey is truly a remarkable substance, made even more extraordinary by the process with which it is made. This blend of sugar, trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids is quite unlike any other sweetener on the planet. It takes about 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey.
The flavor and texture of honey vary with the type of flower nectar from which it is made. It comes in varied colors such as amber, light, red, brown and almost black. The color of honey is often useful to judge the quality of honey. Light colored honey is considered to be more valued than the dark one as the light colored has a delicate flavor. Studies have also shown that poly-floral honey provides more benefits than mono-floral honey.
The benefits of honey go beyond its great taste. A great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies, honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduce muscle fatigue of athletes. Its natural sugars play an important role in preventing fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. It is known that honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to other types of sugar. It contains trace amounts of protein, vitamin B & C, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc.
You can use honey in cooking many dishes like Eggless Cookies Honey Kisses, Indian Honey Bread Sahad Roti, Honey Lemon Crispy Cauliflower, Papaya And Honey Lassi, Honey Crispy Baby Corn, Honey Chilli Cake. Some of the Health benefits with honey are listed below: