Did you know that thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians used honey to treat their wounds? They added animal fats and vegetable fiber to the honey to create a strong paste to apply to their wounds.¹

As time went on, honey eventually turned into something that people eat rather than use for medicine practices. Many people add honey to drinks, fruits, and desserts as a favorite part of their recipes. Today, there are several ways that honey can benefit your health. Here are 5 health benefits of honey.

Low in Unhealthy Nutrients

One health benefit of honey is that it contains very few unhealthy nutrients. For example, one tablespoon of honey has:

• 0 Grams of Fat
• 0.8 Milligrams of Sodium
• 6.5% of the Daily Recommended Value of Carbs
• 63 Calories² 

It is important to know that in order to ensure you are not consuming additional unhealthy nutrients, it is recommended to eat natural honey versus processed honey.³

Helps with Cough/Sore Throat

Another health benefit of honey is that it may help alleviate symptoms associated with coughs and sore throats. This is because honey can lessen the irritation and inflammation in your throat, thus helping your throat feel less sore and may prevent the urge to cough.⁴

There are a couple of methods you can use honey to help with your cough and sore throat. One way is to add honey to your tea, a spoonful of honey, or mix honey, lemon juice, and a little bit of salt, and gargle.^5,6

Full of Antioxidants

Another health benefit of honey is that it is full of antioxidants, specifically flavonoids and phenolic acids. These antioxidants can help fight cancer and other chronic diseases by destroying free radicals, which are partially responsible for cancer and chronic disease.⁷

Antioxidants also help offset reactive oxygen species, or ROS, which can cause premature aging and heart disease if the cells in your body get damaged. It is important to note that the darker the honey you consume, the greater the number of antioxidants.⁸

Better Than Sugar

Another health benefit of honey is that it is a healthier alternative to sugar. This is especially beneficial to those who have diabetes because honey has a lower glycemic index (GI) than sugar. Specifically, honey has a GI of 50, whereas sugar has a GI of 80.⁹ 

The lower the glycemic index, the slower it takes for your blood sugar to rise. It is important to know that you should eat natural honey instead of processed honey in order to avoid any added sugars.¹⁰ Talk with a healthcare professional to see if it is fine for you to consume honey.

Lower Cholesterol

Another health benefit of honey is that it may help lower LDL, or bad cholesterol. A study found that those who eat 2.5 ounces of honey per day for weeks had lower LDL cholesterol and a higher level of HDL or good cholesterol.¹¹

A recent study from the University of Toronto found that in order to benefit from having lower bad cholesterol, you should eat natural monofloral honey because processed honey contains more sugar.¹²

How to Add to Your Diet

There are a variety of ways that you can incorporate honey into your diet. Here are some examples of how you can enjoy honey.

• Eat honey raw
• Add honey to your morning tea
• Drizzle honey on top of your yogurt
• Add honey to a slice of cheese
• Drizzle honey on your fruit
• Add honey to ice cream
• Sweeten your smoothie with honey¹³