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While it's full of sugar, tastes sweet and delicious, fits well into cakes and poured over pancakes, honey might just as well be a health food. Sugar is bad for us, it leads to disease and speeds up the process of ageing. At leasts the type of sugar we put in to our tea or coffee, or is found in chocolate, donuts and fast food. Honey on the other hand has been used in natural medicine to cure many ailments with success. Honey can be added to all sorts of foods. Add it to meats and on sandwiches. Try it on toast, in tea, and on pancakes. It even tastes good on its own.

Honey is healthy. To an extent at least. The delicious produce from bees has many health benefits but that doesn't mean it's a health food that should play a central role in our daily diet. Many people have been using honey to treat sore throats and colds for centuries. It's been used as medicine since the Middle Ages and only recently in the last century or so has been seen as 'bad' due to it's high sugar content. But that could be a way for all those multi billion dollar pharmaceutical companies trying to sell their own cold, flu and other medicine.

Firstly because of honey's sugar content, it naturally boosts energy. Therefore if you need a boost in your energy levels, performance in the gym or on the field, or even in the office, a tablespoon of honey might just do the trick. The quick energy boost is due to the quick absorption of glucose into the body, but unlike other sweets, honey also contains fructose which provides energy for longer.

When you're suffering from a cold or flu, or just feeling a little bit low. A dose of honey can give a nice boost to your immune system. Honey contains antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties that are good for your health. Mixing honey with lemon and warm water is a great combination for an early morning start to the day, especially when it's cold outside.

In the past honey had been used to treat open cuts due to its anti-bacterial properties. Today this has become less common especially since western medicine has taken over. Manuka type honey works well in curing a sore throat when you're experiencing a cold. The honey will soothe the inflammation and fight the bacteria that's causing the pain and irritation.

Even though honey is a type of sugar, it should be considered a health food. It has many benefits when it comes to our health and has been used for centuries to cure many ailments before western medicine entered the equation. Just like with any other health food though, common sense and moderation should be considered, and advice from a professional doctor should be sought before making any drastic changes to your nutrition.

Learn more about this author, Katarzyna Radzka.
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