Everyone has their preferred pre workout snack, and mine was a simple protein shake. But a few weeks ago, my protein shake did not sit so well with me. I guess it felt too heavy right after waking up, so I was forced to try something else.
I looked around the kitchen to find a simple carb that will supply enough energy to sustain me through an intense workout.
I noticed there was some organic honey on the counter and decided to go for it since I was running out of time. So, I mixed a tablespoon with some cinnamon and creatine and headed off to the gym. Surprisingly, my stomach felt calm and my body was enjoying it, so I continued with the same concoction for the rest of the week.
The conclusion was that honey was my perfect pre-workout supplement.
I couldn’t wait to look it up and see if there was any validity to what I was experiencing. And there was!
Dr. Richard Kreider of the University of Memphis Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory, conducted various studies that revealed honey’s amazing fitness benefits.
One of the studies compared honey’s effects to other carbohydrate gels. Honey showed to be just as good or better than those industry sport gels!
As a pre-workout snack, honey can increase power, speed and endurance. Honey acted as a time-released carb source that did not create a sugar spike and crash. It’s low glycemic index, sustained blood sugar for up to 2 hours after a workout.
As a post-workout supplement, honey mixed with protein was shown to be great and effective for refueling and recovering the muscles.
According to a study conducted by the University of California, honey contains as many antioxidants as spinach, apples, oranges and strawberries. WOW.
Another study showed that eating 1-2 tbsp before bedtime can improve sleep.
Here are just a few more of honey’s nutritional benefits:
- Infused with vitamins & minerals
- Contains Amino Acids
- Speeds wound healing
- Contains Anti-inflammatory properties
- Acts as a hydratng skin treatment
- Contains Enzymes and friendly bacteria to aid in digestion
- Tastes Yummy!
If you’re looking for a natural energy booster full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, or just looking for better zzzz’s tonight, then why not give honey a try.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Another benefit honey is that it aids in treating allergies if you purchase honey that is locally grown. The reason is because Honeybees collect pollen form all sorts of plant species that cause many common allergies and a small amounts of this pollen will be present in the honey. If you consume a few teaspoonfuls a day of the locally grown honey it will act as booster against those allergens!
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Hey girl! Love the site
I just wanted to point out 2 other things on your honey blog here – 1) look for “raw” honey, unfiltered – it has even more of what you’re in need of, and 2) check out bee pollen granules – really super healthy and it can actually help with allergies. I like to mix it in with my yogurt, or you could probably add it to your protein shakes 
Thanks for the information Devon! There’s always something to learn from one another. I love bee pollen! I do mix it in my shakes with a little hemp seeds. Have you tried them? They’re a great source of protein and Omega 3-6-9. Love you Devon!
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Does it have to be organic?
Hi Brad! Great Question!
Good Quality Honey can be judged by 5 factors:
1. Water content
Good quality honey essentially has low water content. Honey is likely to ferment if the water content of honey is greater than 19%. The reason is that all unpasteurized honey contains wild yeasts. Due to the high sugar concentration, these yeasts will pose little risk in low moisture honey because osmosis will draw sufficient water from the yeast to force them into dormancy. In honey that has a higher proportion of water, the yeast may survive and cause fermentation to begin in storage.
Honey is very hygroscopic, which means that it easily absorbs moisture from the air. Thus, in areas with a very high humidity it can be difficult to produce good quality honey of sufficiently low water content, which can be measured using a gadget called refractometer. Raw honey’s moisture content can be as low as 14%, and is usually deemed as more valuable and hence is relatively more costly. Honey containing up to 20% water is not recommended for mead-making. One simple way of judging the relative quantity of water in honey involves taking two same-size, same-temperature, well-sealed jars of honey from different sources. Turn the two jars upside-down and watch the bubbles rise. Bubbles in the honey with more water content will rise faster.
2. HMF(Hydroxymethylfurfural)
HMF is a break-down product of fructose (one of the main sugars in honey) formed slowly during storage and very quickly when honey is heated. The amount of HMF present in honey is therefore used as a guide to storage guide to storage length and the amount of heating which has taken place. HMF’s occurrence and accumulation in honey is variable depending on honey type. High levels of HMF may indicate excessive heating during the extraction process. Honey that is traded in a bulk form is usually required to be below 10 or 15mg/kg to enable further processing and then give some shelf life before a level of 40 mg/kg is reached. It is not uncommon for honey sold in hot climates to be well over 100 mg/kg in HMF. This is mostly due to the ambient temperatures (over 35°C) that honey is exposed to in the distribution channel. Some countries set an HMF limit for imported honey. You may also want to note the colour of the honey as it can sometimes be an indicator of quality because honey becomes darker during storage and heating.
3. Inverted sugars
High levels of HMF (greater than 100 mg/kg) can also be an indicator of adulteration with inverted sugars . Cane sugar (sucrose) is “inverted” by heating with a food acid, and this process creates HMF. Many food items sweetened with high fructose corn syrups, e.g. carbonated soft drinks, can have levels of HMF up to 1,000 mg/kg
4. Impurities
For most consumers, good quality honey is expected to be visually free of defect — clean and clear. Honey which has a very high pollen content appears cloudy, and the presence of many other contaminations such as particles of wax, bees, splinters of wood, and dust certainly does make it look unappetising and unappealing for anyone to buy and consume, and hence it appears as if it’s of very low value. Unfortunately, no matter how much food value or health benefits some of these particles like pollen can offer, this kind of honey is hard to be associated with good quality honey and is immediately rejected by most consumers at the super-mart. And this explains why it’s almost impossible to find unfiltered, raw honey on the shelf. Its cloudy appearance makes them commercially unattractive.
5. Colour
Honey is color graded into light, amber, and dark categories which do not really have any bearing on quality. Some of the most distinctively and strongly flavored honey varieties, such as basswood, are very light, while very mild and pleasant honeys such as tulip poplar can be quite dark. Honey color is measured on the Pfund Scale in millimeters. While it is not an indicator of honey quality and there are exceptions to the rule, generally speaking, the darker color the honey, the higher its mineral contents, the pH readings, and the aroma/flavor levels. Minerals such as potassium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, magnesium, and sodium have been found to be much higher in darker honeys.
Check out Ruth Tan’s great informational site on the benefits of honey. I love her! http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/
Proleva is rich with natural herbs which makes it a safe supplement. Proleva’s unique formula impressed me with its results; about a week of taking Proleva I could not believe how good I was feeling, I wake up early feeling completely rested and I have more energy during the day. Needless to say I’m very impressed, thank you.
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I love honey and I eat it everyday since I was a kid
what I do is
A) drink it first at the morning when i wake up with some water, mix 3 spoons with warm water and it will keep me active for the work
B) drink it before playing sports, again with warm water and the quantity depends on the work out or the sport, if it is just joggin for few miles i will take only one spoon if it is football or if i am going to the gym it will be more
C) after the work-out sometimes ( but now after reading this i will make it a must )
but one question is aways in my mind about honey,
how do I test the honey I bought to see if it has good quality or not?? some people add brown sugars and water to a quanity of honey and mix them up to produce higher quanity and TBH it tastes as good as the 100% good quality honey
anyone has any idea about this?
another question is, dark honey or light honey?
Sul
Nothing compares to honey.