Did you know what makes a ‘melody’ so sweet? Well, one possible reason is the word ‘mel’ which means honey. A very interesting word oenomel stands for a beverage, which is a combination of wine (oeno) and a dab of honey (mel). However, despite its sweetness, honey fails to attract Indians who do not consider its nutritional value against some common favourites like milk and sugar.
Most of us Indians are addicted to sugar puree used in Gulaab Jamun or Roshogulla. Others are so much in love with milk that is relished in a delicacy called Doodh-Jalebi. But any nutrition expert would tell you that honey is twice as healthier as milk.
Milk is an excellent breeding medium for bacteria. In India, we consume milk in several different ways like curds, cheese etc simply because of our warm climate that is not conducive to preservation of milk otherwise. Honey, on the other hand, requires little attention and does not deteriorate even in the tropics.
Honey is a carbohydrate compound which is a singularly acceptable, practical and most effective aliment to generate heat, create and replace energy, and furthermore, to form certain tissues. It has distinct germicidal properties and in this respect greatly differs from milk. That is why honey should be preferred over milk.
Better digestion
Honey contains two invert sugars, levulose and dextrose and thus has many advantages as a food substance. While cane-sugar and starches, must undergo during digestion a process of inversion which changes them into grape and fruit-sugars, in honey this is already accomplished because it has been predigested by the bees, inverted and concentrated. This saves the stomach additional labor.
For a healthy human body, which is capable of digesting sugar, the actuality that honey is an already predigested sugar has less importance, but in a case of weak digestion, (especially in those who lack invertase and amylase and depend on monosaccarides) it is a different matter and deserves consideration.
Calorie consumption
Despite that one tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, and one tablespoon of sugar has 46 calories, honey is a better bet. While the amount of calorie in honey is more, we actually use less of it since it is sweeter than table sugar. And for many people, honey is still a preferred healthier choice because of its vitamins and minerals that can aid in digestion, and its anti-oxidants which can also bring health benefits.
If honey and table sugar are compared, you will find that honey contains the same basic sugar units as table sugar — glucose and fructose. Ganulated table sugar has glucose and fructose hooked together while in honey, fructose and glucose remain in individual units. Since fructose is sweeter than glucose, it is used in so many food products today. However, fructose does not convert to energy as efficiently as glucose.
As a result, processed foods containing granulated sugar high in fructose convert to fat stores more easily than honey. Honey, a natural sweetener, has only one processing step involved – heating to prevent crystallization and yeast fermentation during storage, whereas, table sugar is highly processed, whereby all naturally occurring trace minerals from the sugar cane plant are removed, leaving us with “empty calories” which are devoid of nutrition like vitamins, minerals, and important enzymes.
Craving for chocolates?
As human beings, we have natural cravings for eating something sweet. Lets replace the high-calorie chocolates, sweeteners and sugar with honey. Honey is the best source of carbohydrates and is sweet indeed. You may also try some useful recipes made of honey and include them in your daily meals to get the much-needed carbohydrates. So next time you feel like eating chocolates, lick some honey from grandma’s bottle.
HONEY RECIPES
BADAM DOODH RECIPE
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup Almonds (blanched and roughly chopped)
• 4 cups Milk
• 3-4 tbsp Honey
• A pinch oF Green Cardamom Powder
• A pinch oF Nutmeg Powder
• 1-2 leaves oF Silver Varq
Method:
• Boil milk in thick bottomed vessel.
• Lower the flame and add chopped almonds. Simmer for fifteen minutes.
• Add green cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to the milk and bring it to boil again.
• Put off the flame and add honey to the milk.
• Pour out in earthen cups and garnish with silver varq.
• Serve hot.
HONEY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE RECIPE
Ingredients:
• 2 Egg Whites (stiffly beaten)
• 4 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Nuts (chopped)
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Honey
• ½ cup Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method:
• Mix one cup of sugar and ½ cup of water and boil at a temperature of 234°F to 238°F.
• Pour the syrup gradually over beaten egg white. Set aside.
• Now, boil the remaining three cups of sugar, honey, peanut butter and ½ cup of water together, at a temperature of 234°F to 238°F.
• Slowly add this mixture to the first mixture.
• Beat constantly, till the time the mixture becomes thick.
• Add chopped nuts and vanilla extract.
• Drop on to waxed paper by using teaspoon.
• Leave aside for sometime, let the fudge set and then serve.
Merifitness Blog by Anumita is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
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