Honey Water – Good For Health And Weight Loss?

If you believe various sources on the Internet, honey water is a real magic potion. It should promote beauty, ensure weight loss and protect against diseases or have a soothing effect. You can read about the truth of these claims and how to make honey water here.

Worthwhile or Hype? honey water

As a natural product, honey has always had the reputation of being healthy. The sweet bee food has been used as a home remedy for treating wounds for thousands of years. Today, many people drink honey water or tea to relieve coughs and colds, often in combination with juices rich in vitamin C. However, scientific studies have not been able to prove that hot lemon with honey helps with colds. At best, a minor effect can be expected. The reason: The ingredients in honey water with lemon that are considered positive are simply too low in concentration. The enjoyment of the bee product in teas – for example in a cardamom-honey tea – is beneficial, but not a miracle cure against viruses and bacteria. This also applies to honey water with cinnamon, which is often cited as a recipe for and against everything. If you want to relieve certain symptoms such as a cough or sore throat, teas can be helpful for a cold: but make sure that the varieties you choose have a drug approval if possible.

Health-related effects of honey water have not been proven

It is often read that honey water makes the pounds tumble. For this you should drink a glass of honey water regularly in the morning, possibly also as part of ginger water. This also improves the complexion, strengthens the immune system, detoxifies the body, and has a positive effect on cholesterol, which can prevent cardiovascular diseases. And honey water can supposedly also help against flatulence. The fact is: All of these effects are purely subjective in nature and cannot be objectively verified. Corresponding health-related advertising promises for honey are therefore prohibited under the Health Claims Regulation. If honey water is good for you, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the drink. Just don’t expect too much from it.

How do you use honey in cooking?

Honey is a food that can be used in many ways in the kitchen. Because honey is available in so many different varieties, it complements and enhances both sweet and savory dishes. So-called single-source honey mainly comes from just one specific plant, such as lavender, acacia or clover. They each have an individual aroma and give food its very own taste when it is cooked. The areas of application are numerous:

• Vegetables can be combined very well with the sweetness of honey. Add some honey to cooked carrots, turnips or peas. Honey can also be added to salad dressings – the acidity of the vinegar provides an aromatic contrast to the sweetness of the honey. After all, dips for raw vegetables can also tolerate the sweet taste. Dips based on yoghurt or quark are particularly suitable for this.
• Honey can also provide meat dishes with an additional flavor note. An example are marinades, whose spicy or pungent aroma absorbs the sweetness very well. You can brush oven-cooked meat with honey to give it a crust. Finally, honey is also very suitable for flavoring sauces for meat.
• Fish and honey are also a delicious combination. The sauce can be flavored with honey. Alternatively, you can brush fish fillets directly with honey. Salmon or prawns in particular harmonize with the honey aroma, for example in combination with mustard.
• Honey mustard sauce is a versatile classic that complements and refines many different dishes. The combination goes well with meat, fish, salads or as a base for dips. For a salad dressing, for example, mix one part mustard with two parts honey and two parts vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
• Honey is also suitable for baking. For example, replace the sugar in a batter with honey. Because of its strong sweetening power, however, 100 grams of sugar should be replaced with only about 75 grams of honey. In addition, the amount of liquid in the recipe should be reduced by two to three tablespoons. Note that cakes and pastries will have a distinct honey flavor and will also brown slightly faster.

Honey water as a beauty product for hair and skin

And what about the external use of honey water? As a shampoo, conditioner, and styling agent for the hair, it can definitely have a nourishing effect. And the skin also benefits from the bee product. Honey can therefore also be found in many natural cosmetics such as creams and soaps. Special medical honey is even used successfully for wound treatment. In order to treat a cut finger at home, however, you should not reach for your normal table honey. Only Manuka honey from the pharmacy has a healing effect.