A sweet treat on a warm summer day goes a long way to rejuvenating mind and body. But if we are going to live the sweet life…let’s do it the right way. In this Mystery Minute post we reveal a healthier (and more guilt free) way to live the sweet life.

The Health Benefits of Honey

This golden product of plant nectar and the hard work of the honeybee, is crammed full of health benefiting qualities.

• Potent anti-inflammatory effects: Honey can trigger the downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and signaling molecules to lower your inflammatory response.

• A boost in antioxidants: Honey is chock-full of powerful antioxidants that neutralize harmful free radicals. This neutralization of free radicals prevents oxidative damage that leads to cellular dysfunction, chronic disease, and accelerated aging.

• Powerful anti-microbial properties: Honey has the ability to combat various types of infections – including infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Honey not only helps eliminate existing harmful microbes but also inhibits the proliferation and growth of these stealthy intruders.

• Anti-cancer activity: The natural compounds in honey have been found to have significant cancer-fighting properties – inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells while killing cancerous cells.

That is very impressive on it’s own but new research is revealing promising and fascinating results regarding the antiviral effect of honey.

Honey’s Antiviral Properties

Honey’s antiviral benefits are built on two pillars:

• Immune system support
• Inhibition of viral replication.

Let’s dive deeper into these for a better understanding.

Immune-Boosting:

Honey supports your immune system and helps enhance your body’s natural abilities to combat viral trespassers by:

• Improving the proliferation of long-term immunity cells T and B lymphocytes – giving your immune system a boost.

• Stimulating phagocytosis – immune cells “eat” and elimination infected cells.

• Decreases the production of body chemistry that promotes inflammation. (For you health geeks out there we are talking about pro-inflammatory cytokines including monocytes, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1 beta, and IL-6).

• Protecting cells from free radical damage. This helps to safeguard your cells from harmful viruses.

These actions collectively are potent protection against viral invaders.

Reduce Viral Replication:

Any time we can reduce a virus’s ability to replicate, it improves our chances of not becoming ill from the virus. Compounds found in honey have also been found to directly inhibit viral replication. Substances such as Levan interrupting crucial enzymatic reactions and block mRNA synthesis. This action of honey effectively halts the virus’s ability to reproduce and spread.

Adding Honey to Your Diet

Incorporating honey into your diet can give you a concentrated dose of the healing compounds that have been discovered in honey.

You must keep in mind three very important factors about honey:

1. Quality matters: Nearly all of the honey in a typical grocery store is processed and pasteurized. The heat treatment and ultrafiltration can lower or completely destroy all of the micronutrients that make honey beneficial. Additionally, many manufacturers add sugar, other sweeteners or preservatives which is completely unnecessary. My advice is to uncover a high-quality, raw, unfiltered source honey, in your area.

1. A little goes a long way: Honey is packed with beneficial nutrients, but it’s still very calorie-dense…mostly from the natural sugar. We know a diet high in sugar is linked to many chronic health issues. Watch those portion sizes and remember that a little goes a long way.

1. Allergies. Some people have allergic reactions when consuming raw honey. If you are one of these people then this super food is not for you. Some experts do not recommend giving honey to children less than one year old.

Your Health is Your Choice.

Revealing the truth about the health benefits of honey can be very exciting. It is good to have tools like this to use in our health journey. However, there’s no single compound or supplement that’s going to drastically improve everyone’s health.

When it comes to your health, you are in charge. The daily choices you make about how you eat, move, sleep, and think are the pillars of your health. All other things are tools and clues we use to navigate our health care mystery.

If you need help recovering your health or you’re ready to truly optimize your health and well-being, I can help.

My promise to you is that I want you to get the help that you need. If I realized that your situation is better addressed along a different path, I will tell you this and won’t waste your time or money.

Check out many other topics I have written about in my blogs and case studies. Perhaps your case will be the next success story.