Table of contents:
- What is honeycomb and how is it different from honey?
- Nutritional content in honeycomb
- Health benefits of honeycomb
- Be aware of the dangers of eating too much honeycomb
Humans have been using honey from beekeeping for a very long time because of its sweet and healthy taste. But did you know that honeycomb or honeycomb can also be consumed? Even though it is not as popular as honey, it turns out that the benefits of honeycomb are no less important for health, especially in maintaining endurance.
What is honeycomb and how is it different from honey?
Honeycomb is a part of a honeycomb with a cross-sectional shape with a hexagonal pattern of cells. Honeycomb is made by bees using honey sap. It has very little water content, in contrast to common honey, so it looks denser and has a lot of sap. Honeycomb also contains pure honey in each cell, which is not touched by human intervention when taking and processing honey.
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While honey is only used as a sweetener, honeycomb can be a food with a sweet taste, but tends to be safe for oral health. The honey sap in honeycomb also contains vitamins A and C which are good for the skin so that it can be used as an ingredient in creams and soaps.
Nutritional content in honeycomb
Honeycomb contains about 391 calories per 100 grams, and contains unsaturated fats which are good for health. The largest nutritional content of honeycomb is sodium (563 milligrams) and minerals such as potassium (115 milligrams) with a total carbohydrate of about 89 grams. In addition, honeycomb also contains a small amount of dietary fiber and protein, each of which is 3 grams.
Although consumed together with honey, basically honeycomb has the amount and type of nutritional content that is less. Honey and honey sap has more calories, sugar, vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron but is low in sodium when compared to honeycomb. Both honey and honeycomb do not have saturated fat and trans fat so there are no calories from fat.
Health benefits of honeycomb
Here are some of the benefits that can be obtained when consuming honeycomb:
- Speed up wound healing - Pure honey contained in honeycomb is rich in vitamins and minerals potassium which are useful for repairing damaged cells and accelerating healing. In addition, honey has natural anti-microbial properties that are useful for preventing bacterial infection of the damaged tissue.
- Strengthens respiratory tract resistance - As well as preventing bacterial infection of wounds, consumption of honeycomb by chewing can prevent infection and strengthen the respiratory tract in the sinuses and around the nose. If used to cure flu, honeycomb can be consumed several times a day or chewed in the mouth for a few hours until flu symptoms subside or about 4 to 6 hours.
- Maintain oral health - The antibacterial substances in honeycomb are also useful for cleaning and healing infections of the teeth and gums. In addition, the unique honeycomb texture and honey sap in it can help remove plaque on teeth and strengthen gums.
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- Helps balance cholesterol - As a source of unsaturated fat, honeycomb is useful in increasing HDL levels. One clinical study in 2004 (as reported by Livestrong.com) showed that fat from honeycomb can reduce the proportion of LDL by about 21-29%.
- Helps glucose metabolism - As a vital nutrient for the human body, glucose is used as the main ingredient for energy. Honeycomb and honey sap it contains have a unique alcohol compound that can help glucose metabolism by reducing excess insulin levels in individuals with insulin-resistant conditions such as those with diabetes.
Be aware of the dangers of eating too much honeycomb
Honeycomb and honey sap which tend to be difficult to digest and can trigger indigestion if consumed too much and too often. There was one case of gastric obstruction in 2009 due to routine honeycomb consumption for two months. As a result, honey and honeycomb sap can accumulate in the stomach causing obstruction and blockage of the digestive tract to the intestine, requiring surgery to resolve it.
Although it is not yet known exactly what is the safe limit for consuming honeycomb, it is necessary to know the nature of the honeycomb constituents which have sap and very little water which will make it difficult for the digestive system to break down. Therefore, limit the portion of honeycomb consumption to about 100 grams in one meal, because it can meet one-fifth of daily calorie needs (391 calories). Make sure not to consume it every day, or to a limit of three times per week.
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