Digestive Health

Science is realising how important our digestive health is for our overall health and wellbeing.  A healthy digestive system is able to absorb our essential nutrients, neutralise harmful toxins, reduce allergies and protect us from disease by boosting the immune system. 

The key to a healthy digestive system is the maintenance of the beneficial bacteria known as the pro-biotic bacteria that live in our digestive system.  Many aspects of modern life can have a detrimental effect on these essential bacteria such as antibiotics, poor diet, highly processed foods and a stressful life style. This upsets the balance of bacteria in the digestive systems and allows harmful bacteria to become established. 

For these beneficial pro-biotic bacteria to thrive in our digestive system, we need to eat what is known as pre-biotic foods.  Pre-biotic foods contain special pre-biotic sugars (oligosaccharides) that only the good pro-biotic bacteria can digest.  This gives them the competitive advantage over the harmful bacteria that cannot digest these sugars. 

New Zealand Honey Co Prebiotic Beech Forest Honeydew is very high in oligosaccharides and taking this honey straight or mixed with other foods will give you the pre-biotic’s your digestive system needs.

Recent research has shown that taking a pre-biotic with pro-biotic supplements will significantly increase the benefit of the pro-biotic.  Try mixing a teaspoon of our Pre-biotic Honeydew with your pro-biotic yogurt. It tastes great and is very good for you.

Try 1-2 teaspoons per day of our Beech Forest Honeydew 20+ or 2-4 teaspoons per day of our Beech Forest Honeydew 10+, either by itself or with other food.

Skin Condition

People have used honey for centuries for such diverse things as preserving fruit to the soothing of sunburns and ulcers. Manuka Honey in particular is known to help with fighting skin infections and promoting tissue re-growth. 

Hunger Management

The type of sugars in our diet can have a significant impact on the amount of food we eat. Sugary drinks and foods quickly erase our blood sugar levels. This dramatic drop in blood sugar causes hunger pangs and so we want to eat.  What we need is foods that help maintain our blood sugar levels over time. The mix of sugars in honey not only boosts our energy (our blood sugars) but it maintains that energy level (blood sugar level), for up to 2 hours and therefore we don’t get hungry and eat as often. Those clever little bees!

Try taking honey regularly and use it as a sweetener instead of sugar in and on your food and drinks. Visit our cooking with honey section for other ideas. 

Lack of Energy

Would you like the energy to be as busy as a bee? Then honey is nature’s natural source of carbohydrates, which gives you strength and energy. The glucose in honey is absorbed very quickly giving an immediate energy boost, while the fructose in honey gives you sustained energy over time.

Try taking New Zealand Honey Co ‘Honey Health Lemon & Honey’ drink with a glass of still or sparkling water or simply take 1 teaspoon of your favourite New Zealand Honey Co Honey.

Antioxidant Boost

Antioxidants are nature’s molecules that fight and neutralise the harmful free  radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are formed from many sources including radiation, pollution, stress and naturally from metabolism within our bodies. These free radicals cause cell damage resulting in disease and accelerated aging. Antioxidants are the body’s only defence against free radicals and it is believed by many, that dietary antioxidants such as those found in honey are an important source of antioxidants. New Zealand Honey Co Thyme Honey has antioxidant levels up to five times higher than other honeys. Two servings of this honey has the equivalent amount of antioxidant as a single apple. Try 1-2 teaspoons per day of our Thyme 20+ or 2-4 teaspoons per day of  our Thyme 10+.  You can also add our Thyme Honey to your green tea to supercharge the antioxidants. 

A Sweet Night's Sleep

Strange as it may seem honey can help us sleep. When we close our eyes the body produces a sleep hormone called melatonin and honey enhances the production of this hormone. The natural sugars in the honey also fill the body’s fuel tank with the correct sugars needed by the brain through the night, so we don’t run out of brain food while asleep and therefore we sleep better.

Try 1-2 teaspoons of New Zealand Honey Co Honey or even better, our ‘Honey Health Blackcurrant & Honey’ drink with warm water, just before bed.

Colds & Throats

Many people take honey to sooth a sore throat and relieve the symptoms of a cold. The anti-inflammatory action of honey helps reduce swelling, relieving the pain, while the antibacterial action of honey helps fight the harmful bacteria associated with sore throats and colds.

Dissolve a teaspoon of New Zealand Honey Co Manuka 15+ honey in your mouth and feel the relief, or try our ‘Honey Health Lemon & Honey’ drink in hot water.  If symptoms persist seek medical advice. 

Sport

Honey designed by nature and made by bees is the perfect energy source that will keep you buzzing and performing at your best.  The mixture of simple sugars gives the sports person a fantastic balance of instant energy and sustained energy all wrapped up in one. It is ideally suited for prolonged performance, not just fueling the body but also the mind. Whether you are running a marathon or out on a weekend mountain bike ride it will help to keep you focused and alert. Try taking 2 teaspoons of New Zealand Honey Co Honey twenty minutes before excessive exercise and then add it to your water bottle to give you the boost you need to get up that hill.  You can also try our 100% natural Honey Health Cordials in your drink bottle for a delicious energy drink on the go.