Greetings, my dear readers. Did you know that many people on a diet use honey? Supposedly this is a natural and very healthy product that will not harm your waist. To be honest, I have no doubt about the naturalness and usefulness of the sweets. But whether it is needed on a diet is a moot point. Let's figure out whether it is possible to eat honey while losing weight.
What are the benefits of honey
Honey is nectar partially digested in the crop of a honey bee. The product contains up to 22% water. And also about 80% glucose, sucrose and fructose. It contains small amounts of B vitamins, as well as provitamin A and folic acid. Sweetness contains a small amount of macro- and microelements. It contains some potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.
What beneficial properties does the delicacy have:
- has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects;
- strengthens the immune system;
- rich in fructose, therefore allowed in small quantities for patients with diabetes;
- improves digestion because it contains manganese and iron;
- perfectly stimulates peristalsis and relieves constipation.
As you can see, this is a really useful product. But we want to lose weight. This means that BJU, GI and calorie indicators are also important for us.
Benefits of honey for weight loss
According to reviews, the honey diet for weight loss not only ensures weight loss, but also improves health. The natural product is capable of:
- Normalize cholesterol levels.
- Improve the internal environment of the intestines.
- Accelerate flatulence.
- Normalize the level of acidity in the stomach.
- Relieve constipation.
- Accelerate the release of bile to absorb extra pounds.
- Remove harmful substances from the body.
In addition, honey has a healing effect. This product can strengthen the immune system, restore the balance of physical strength, normalize the emotional state, improve memory and concentration.
Is it possible to eat honey and not gain weight?
To answer this question, let's look at the calorie content of the product. And she is not small, I want to tell you.
Three tablespoons (approximately 100 g) contain 329 kcal. There is only 0.8 g of protein in the sweet. There is no fat at all. But carbohydrates, as much as 81.5 g!
Yes, this is definitely a healthy and tasty product. It is also a great appetite stimulant, high in calories and has a glycemic index of 60-90. Although any diet allows foods with a GI only up to 40. Needless to say, what kind of insulin release will occur even after a couple of spoons of this delicacy. And you will definitely want to hamster him again and again.
I think you will be interested in Elena Malysheva’s advice. Everyone can decide for themselves whether this delicacy is worth eating on a diet.
I would not treat this beekeeping product as a harmless sweet. And motivate the consumption of honey only by its usefulness. Essentially it's the same candy, but a little healthier. Those. you will gain extra kilos just like any other sweet.
Don't think that replacing sugar with honey will reduce your calorie intake. Yes, there will be more benefits for the body, but there will be no benefits for losing weight. The calorie content of sugar is 399 kcal. This is not much higher than the figure for honey.
If you absolutely cannot live without sweets during your diet, then you need to eat a little honey. With tea, literally one or two teaspoons. And not every day. Honey is a fast carbohydrate. And any fast carbohydrate is the enemy of losing weight!
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Which honey is better
Any flower honey is similar in its properties and composition. There is not much difference here. As for consistency, many believe that a liquid product is better. And this is completely wrong. The sweetness may remain in a liquid state for some time. It depends on the amount of sucrose in it. Any supersaturated solution should give a precipitate.
Those. natural honey should crystallize. At the same time, the formation of crystals does not impair its quality in any way. Honey may remain liquid for a short time after collection. This product can be purchased in the fall. The exception is linden or acacia honey. Even a couple of years after collection, the delicacy may remain in a liquid consistency. This happens due to the large amount of fructose in its composition.
If you see liquid honey on the shelves in the spring, its naturalness is in great doubt. By spring, the natural product should be candied. Therefore, it is better to buy it from trusted sellers.
Of course, the best honey is in the comb. So you can be 100% sure of its naturalness.
An important factor in its usefulness is how exactly you consume the treat. You cannot add it to baked goods or hot tea; its beneficial properties will be zero. But the worst thing is different.
Recent studies have proven that heating honey above 60 0C leads to the release of carcinogenic substances. As you know, carcinogens cause cancer
Those. The most dangerous honey is in baked goods, as well as when heated. It is often heated by unscrupulous manufacturers in order to give the already candied product a marketable appearance. You can add sweetness to warm tea. But you won’t measure the temperature of the tea with a thermometer every time, will you? Therefore, it is better to use the product in its pure form. Or spread on bread or whole grain bread, which is the most dietary bread.
How to choose the right honey
Reviews and results of the honey diet indicate that not every type of product is suitable for this nutritional system. Since caloric content and energy value directly depend on the specific variety.
The best option for the diet menu is acacia honey. The main element of its composition is fructose (about 55%). Glucose and sucrose in smaller quantities. 100 ml of this honey contains 300 kcal. This is slightly less than in buckwheat and flower varieties (305-320 kcal per 100 ml). The healthiest and most nutritious is honey in honeycombs (330 kcal per 100 ml).
The energy value of such a product is about 1300 kJ per 100 ml. This figure is much higher than in meat and eggs.
It is worth noting that crystallization of honey does not affect its beneficial properties. Therefore, during dietary nutrition, you can consume both liquid and crystallized products.
It should be remembered that when buying industrial honey, you must carefully study the information on the label:
- The manufacturer must indicate the month of collection and the date of packaging. According to the rules, these indicators must be the same or slightly different.
- Honey collected in May and bottled in August is not worth buying.
- It is advisable to compare data. As an example, linden flowers from late June to the second half of July, so linden honey is not collected in May or August.
- The composition should contain only honey without any components.
It is important to remember that storing such a product does not require additional stabilizers or preservatives.
The honey diet for weight loss does not involve the use of artificial honey, which was prepared industrially from sugar, starch, water and other substances.
It is best to purchase the product from a beekeeper or at the market. However, a person must ask the seller the right questions: in what area the bee product was collected, in what year, month and from what plant.
What is better - honey or sugar?
I’ll say right away that I’m not against honey, I like to sprinkle it on Lenten cookies. But let's think logically about the pros and cons of sugar and honey:
- Naturalness of the product. Many are sure that sugar is not a natural product, but honey is. A surprising conclusion, especially considering that sugar is made from sugar beets. So why it’s not natural... it’s unclear. Both products are organic.
- GI level. For sugar it is 100. Honey has a lower value - 60-90. If you choose a treat with a GI of 60-70, then naturally it is better than sugar.
- Product weight. It is customary to eat sugar and honey with teaspoons. A teaspoon contains 5 g of sugar, and honey - 15 g. Calorie content tsp. sugar is 20 kcal, and 15 g of honey is 50 kcal. As a rule, when consuming honey as a bite, we do not limit ourselves to one spoon. So it turns out that we eat 2-3 times more calories.
- The beekeeping product contains vitamins and microelements. There is no arguing that it is healthier than sugar.
The effectiveness of honey for weight loss
I became interested in how the product works for weight loss and how much it can be eaten. After rummaging around on the Internet I came to a conclusion. If you eat it simply, like a sweet, there will be no effect. You will also eat extra pounds. But if you use this sweetness in weight loss cocktails, with herbal teas. And also before training - the effect will definitely be!
As I wrote above, the treat helps cleanse the intestines. As you know, any weight loss will be more effective if you improve your digestion. It is very easy to prepare a cleansing drink with this sweetness. Take a glass of warm boiled water and add a spoonful of treats to it. If you can tolerate lemon normally, add a few drops to the mixture.
This drink should be drunk on an empty stomach before breakfast or an hour before dinner. It is ideal to take it 20 minutes before training. This is a kind of gainer.
Or you can drink a cocktail and go for a walk. As you know, sweets give us a boost of energy and vigor. And some are quite possible with a diet.
Separately, I would like to say a few words about taking sweets at night. I read that it will ensure sound sleep an hour before bedtime. This means that you won’t run out for a snack at night.
