Historical findings tell us that apiculture dates back to thousands of years before Common Era and drawings from the prehistoric era indicate that people 10,000 years ago were eating honey.
Beekeeping in America developed in the sixteenth century when the first honey bees were imported from Europe. People initially believed that bees made honey directly in the flowers and from there brought it to the nest.
Thousands of years old food and medicine
It was only in the eighteenth century that people understood how bees actually make honey, which is to forage on flowers for sweet nectar which then they take to the nest or the hive to produce the honey.
It is also since thousands of years ago that honey has been used as both food and medicine. In the ancient times, honey had many purposes: people used it to pay tribute to the gods, embalm the deceased, as a cosmetic ingredient and to treat conditions and injuries.
Honey’s nutritional value today depends very much on the quality of the product and in that sense, the more the honey is processed, the less nutritional it becomes because through processing honey loses many relevant nutrients.
So for health purposes, it is important to choose 100 percent, pure honey. It is also important to store honey properly so that it retains quality and keeps indefinitely.
Honey nutritional value
Honey is mostly sugars, and a very large percentage of the calories in it come from the sugar. 100 grams of honey contains 304 calories and 82.4 grams carbohydrates of which 82.1 are the sugar content.
Altogether, honey consists of 80 percent natural sugar, 18 percent water, and 2 percent are the minerals, the vitamins, the protein and the pollen.
The nutrition facts for approximately 339 grams of honey (1 cup) are as follows.
Calcium 20.3 mg
Iron 1.4 mg
Magnesium 6.8 mg
Phosphorus 13.6 mg
Potassium 176 mg
Sodium 13.6 mg
Zinc 0.7 mg
Copper 0.1 mg
Manganese 0.3 mg
Selenium 2.7 mcg
Fluoride 23.7 mcg
Although the compounds in honey usually vary according to the plants where the bees collect the nectar, most honey will contain flavonoids such as quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol, and hesperetin.
Studies on honey report the existence of nutrients including phenolic acids, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid. Altogether, honey contains about 200 substances among which antioxidants, are one of the most powerful nutrients that fight against cell-damaging free radicals and prevent disease.
Fat-free and free of cholesterol too, honey is an excellent natural sweetener to add to breakfast foods and various beverages for extra benefits and an instant boost of energy.
Despite the high level of fructose, honey carries a good glycemic index and is absorbed fairly easy into the bloodstream. Foods with a healthy glycemic index are particularly important when dieting, in addition lowering the risk of diabetes.
And there are so many other health benefits associated with eating honey, in traditional medicine as well as modern medicine.
- Honey has anti-inflammatory properties, hence accelerating the healing process of wounds.
- Honey, especially dark honey provides cardiovascular support, protecting against various heart diseases.
- In Ayurvedic medicine, honey is used to treat coughs, skin disorders, maintain oral health and eye health.
- The ancient Egyptians used honey to heal infected wounds, and honey was often one of the main ingredients in their medicine.
- Greeks believed that honey treats fevers and sore throat and they administered the liquid to prevent & treat scars.
- Recent studies indicate that diluted honey can treat urinary tract infections due to honey having an antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria including E. coli and Strep. Faecalis which is known to cause UTIs.
- Modern medicine confirms that honey can heal wounds and accelerate the healing process. Honey was used to treat wounds of soldiers in World War I, while more recent treatments found that burns respond well, particularly to manuka honey.