Honey with warm water, first thing in the morning is one of the oldest ritual followed by many people around the world to reduce weight. But is this just a myth or does it have some scientific backing for its claim? Let us check out.

Benefits of Honey

Honey is used as a home remedy for most of the ailments besetting us be it cold, cough, burns, stomach ulcers etc. It is a natural sweetener and can be used in place of sugar as it is far healthier to consume honey than sugar. Though honey contains more calories approximately 21 calories when compared to sugar which is 15, the vitamins and minerals present in honey more than make up for the calorie abundance.

Honey has minerals like calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium and is also loaded with vitamins like B-1, B-2, B-6 and C. Apart from this; it is also a rich source of antioxidants and is an anti-fungal, antibacterial agent.

Is Honey Useful For Weight Loss?

Honey is not a magic food which when taken regularly helps you to drastically lose weight. It has 82% sugar and 17% water content in it along with other ingredients. So it is not a miracle food which can help you shed weight.

In spite of not having the power to dissolve the fat lodged in our body, honey can still be used for aiding weight loss.

Here is how.

Raw honey (milky in appearance) which is the unfiltered honey from the bees has enzymes present in it, making honey easily digestible. As proper digestion is the key for weight loss, raw honey can be used in place of sugar. In processed honey, where honey is filtered and heated this benefit is lost.

Commercial honey is cleaner and smoother but its vitamins and minerals would have been partially destroyed due to heat.

Not being regular (constipation), can leave you bloated and a few kilograms heavier. So to kick start your metabolism and also cleanse your body you can drink warm water with few drops of lemon juice and honey.

How much honey should you consume?

Honey along with other sugars that you consume, should not be exceeding more than 10 tablespoon throughout the day. Excess consumption of honey leads to abdominal pain, insulin insensitivity and also causes tooth related problems. Honey should also not be given for babies under 12 months.

Honey Usage

Use honey for desserts and food where you generally use white sugar. Honey can also be used when you carve for something sweet.