Honey is a very nutritious food and is also a high-quality traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years, people have come to a deeper understanding of the nutritional value of honey, and more and more people are consuming it. So, what are the nutritional values of honey? Is honey suitable for children under one year old? What are the precautions for consuming honey? These are the most basic facts; let's learn about them together.
Nutritional Value of Honey
Honey is rich in nutrients, containing various vitamins, inorganic salts, trace elements, and more. Many of these nutrients are similar in concentration to human blood serum, making them very suitable for human consumption. Various inorganic salts such as iron, calcium, copper, manganese, potassium, and phosphorus have various effects on the human body; it contains fructose, glucose, diastase, oxidase, reductase, etc., which have the effects of nourishing, moisturizing, detoxifying, whitening and beautifying the skin, and relaxing the bowels.
The calcium and phosphorus in honey can promote bone development in children and prevent osteoporosis in the elderly; the vitamin B it contains can quickly relieve fatigue, enhance endurance, boost resistance, delay aging, and prolong life; the magnesium element has a sedative effect; the potassium element is beneficial to both body and mind; consuming honey also has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects.
Honey is rich in calcium and phosphorus, making it the best supplement for bone formation in children and calcium deficiency in the elderly. The heat produced by honey in the human body is equivalent to 15 times that of milk; its vitamin B content is equal to that of an egg and 16 times that of glucose or an apple. Consuming honey can quickly relieve fatigue, enhance endurance, delay aging, and prolong life.
Honey is rich in various minerals, such as potassium, which is beneficial to the body and mind; magnesium, which has a sedative effect; calcium, which strengthens bones; iron and copper, which enrich the blood; phosphorus, which is good for the brain; and various vitamins that are beneficial to the body.
Is honey suitable for people of all ages?
Infants under one year of age should not eat it.
Honey is nutritious and a great food for the general diet. Many new mothers also add honey to their babies' complementary foods to improve the taste and increase nutritional value. However, experts point out that infants under 1 year old are not suitable for consuming honey.
Experts say that during the brewing and transportation process, honey is easily contaminated by *Clostridium botulinum*. This is because bees may bring pollen and honey contaminated with *Clostridium botulinum* back to the hive during the process of collecting nectar. The spores of *Clostridium botulinum* are highly adaptable and can still survive at high temperatures of 100°C.
Because the gastrointestinal function of infants is weak and their liver's detoxification function is poor, especially for infants under 6 months old, *Clostridium botulinum* can easily multiply in the intestines and produce toxins, leading to poisoning. Poisoning symptoms often occur 8 to 36 hours after consuming honey or foods containing honey, and symptoms often include constipation, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Although the chance of an infant getting a *Clostridium botulinum* infection is small, doctors still recommend: do not give your child honey or its products before they are 1 year old. In addition, experts also remind that children over 1 year old should also be cautious when drinking honey, and the amount consumed should be appropriately reduced compared to adults.
As a natural nutritional supplement, what precautions should be taken when consuming honey?
1. Do not take too much.
Because the glucose and fructose in honey are monosaccharides, they can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream. If a large amount of honey is consumed at once, blood sugar can rise rapidly. Long-term excessive consumption of honey can lead to insufficient insulin secretion and easily trigger diabetes. How much honey is the right amount to eat? Currently, there is no standard answer. However, from a clinical practice perspective, it is appropriate for normal adults to consume about 1 to 2 tablespoons (about 20 grams) per day. Honey is relatively safe, but if the amount needs to be temporarily increased due to special circumstances, it should still be less than 50 grams per day.
2. It is not advisable to heat it before consumption.
Honey contains many enzymes that play important roles in human metabolism, such as glucose invertase, sucrase, amylase, etc. These enzymes are heat-sensitive; their activity is lost and their nutritional value disappears as the temperature rises. In addition, nutrients in honey such as vitamins and amino acids are also heat-sensitive. High temperatures or mixing with boiling water will destroy them. Therefore, when heating honey, it is best to dissolve it in warm water not exceeding 50°C. In summer, it can also be mixed with cooled boiled water, or a few drops of ginger juice can be added to prevent stomach cold.
3. It is not advisable to eat with chives.
Chives are rich in vitamin C, which can be easily oxidized by minerals in honey such as copper and iron ions, thus losing its effect. In addition, honey can relax the bowels, and chives are rich in fiber and have a laxative effect, which can easily cause diarrhea.