How Sweet It Is!

Although modern society has often viewed honey as just another form of sugar, history saw it differently. In the first Olympics, Greek athletes ate honey and figs to increase their stamina and performance. In fact, many people in ancient Greece and Rome believed that eating honey would help them live longer. During the Middle Ages honey was used to treat a multitude of ailments. Many old home remedies included honey for things like coughs and congestion, skin and beauty aids, an energy booster, infections, weight loss, arthritis, tumors, and digestive problems. Recent scientific studies have indicated some of these may be based in fact.

Honey comes from a process whereby honeybees take nectar from flowers and produce a sweet liquid by regurgitation and evaporation. It contains flavonoids which may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and heart disease. Current research also indicates that honey may be helpful in treating ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis. In fact, all honey seems to be antibacterial due to an enzyme the bees add that has some of the properties of hydrogen peroxide. It can be a performance enhancer for athletes, because it is better at maintaining glycogen levels and decreasing the time needed to recover from an event than other sugars. Honey has been used to suppress coughing for ages, and buckwheat honey is especially helpful in this. Although more

research is needed, many are taking a more serious look at the benefits of honey. Perhaps much of the previous skepticism came from people subconsciously believing something that tastes good can't be that good for you. However, even the Bible speaks well of honey. For example, in Proverbs Solomon said, "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste."
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