Drinking honey water as the very first thing on an empty stomach in the morning is not advisable. Honey water contains sugar and is not in the form of plain water. After consumption, the fructose in the honey must be metabolized by the body into glucose before it can be absorbed and utilized. This process defeats the purpose of the first glass of water in the morning, which is to cleanse the body's internal environment.
As the first drink of the day, honey water cannot effectively replenish the body's cells with moisture. It slows down urination compared to plain water, thereby reducing the body's detoxification efficacy. At this point, the body has not yet cleared waste products, and introducing new substances causes them to mix with the metabolic residues from the night. This results in a process where the body absorbs a mixture of old and new substances, making it difficult to properly absorb the nutrients from the honey. The re-metabolism of these residues is even more detrimental to health.
Therefore, it is better to consume honey after drinking a glass of plain water in the morning, once the body is relatively cleansed. This allows its health benefits to be more effectively realized. To avoid affecting appetite for breakfast, you can eat honey directly, or have it with bread, or mix it with yogurt or fruit and vegetable juice.
Drinking a glass of honey water 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime is also not suitable for everyone. The reason is that drinking honey water at this time can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. Cells are already dehydrated at night, leading to higher blood viscosity. Drinking honey water will further increase this viscosity, which is not conducive to preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents. Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly individuals, and those with abnormal blood lipids, plain water is a more suitable choice.