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Old 03-22-2007, 01:26 PM   #1  
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Smile Honey?

Last night my bf told me last night that honey was healthier then sugar (as I tend to drink lots of tea). I surfed the net and found this:

"The latest theory based on the hibernation diet also builds a link between honey and weight loss. It suggests taking a generous spoonful or two of honey at night, either as a warm drink or straight from the jar, and promises to help us sleep and lose weight at the same time by fuelling the liver, speeding up fat-burning metabolism and easing stress hormones.

Many people have found this home remedy very effective in losing pounds. The steps are easy: mix a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder (or ground cinnamon) into a paste in a cup and pour a cup of boiling water. Stir and cover for half and hour. Filter away any big particles before consumption. Take it in the morning with an empty stomach about half an hour before breakfast."

So what do you think? Is there any truth to these statements?
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Old 03-22-2007, 01:29 PM   #2  
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Fueling the liver?

Do YOU believe this?
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Old 03-22-2007, 01:35 PM   #3  
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Cinnamon is a natural appetite suppresant so I can see why drinking something with cinnamon might lower your calories although adding extra calories with honey? Not sure how that works.

It doesn't really make sense to me why honey would speed up your metabolism. Honey is a concentrated food source for high metabolism creatures.

The only sweetener I'm really interested in right now is agave because of its low glycemic index factor.
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Old 03-22-2007, 01:39 PM   #4  
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I don't know, I do belive that there are things in nature that can help people health wise. I tend to get overwhelmed by all the info out there though and I'm not sure what to believe.
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Old 03-22-2007, 01:43 PM   #5  
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I'm a believer in honey and cinnamon, but NOT for the reasons you've found. Here's why I incorporate honey and cinnamon into my diet.....

From the Whole Health Reference Library:

"Not only does honey add flavor to numerous foods but it is a sweetener that is relatively good for you. The only natural sweetener that requires no additional refining or processing to be utilized, honey is composed of 38% fructose, 31% glucose, 1% sucrose, and 9% other sugars, along with water and small amounts of vitamins, minerals and acids. Honey also contains small amounts of Amino acids as well as Vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and trace amounts of essential minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. Even though these substances appear in trace amounts, they do nonetheless contribute to overall nutrition intake."

I eat whole foods, and I do prefer to use honey in place of sugar when I can - but I still choose to use both as sparingly as possible. Just because honey has some health properties and antioxidants, I don't consider that a license to use it judiciously - a little in black tea, or sometimes on my toast or over some plain yogurt is about as far as I go. I do personally think that it's a better choice over sugar in your tea, but just be careful how much you're adding and how many cups of tea you're drinking!

With regards to cinnamon, the USDA has actually found (and Dr. Pratt mentions this in "Superfoods RX") that 1/2 teaspoon a day actually helped to lower blood sugar and "bad" cholesterol level in people with T2 diabetes. It aids digestion, can prevent ulcers, etc.....all good reasons to enjoy some cinnamon, but not really for the reasons you've found. I don't go out of my way to eat cinnamon every single day, but I like it and so have some in one way or another quite frequently.

I personally think the "hibernation theory" is silly - you might ease stress drinking this concoction, but that's no different than drinking ANY warm drink - milk, tea, cocoa. There is no "fat burning" metabolism - just a metabolism, and honey isn't some miracle metabolic booster. As far as "fueling the liver"...well, anything we eat or drink fuels our liver!
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Old 03-22-2007, 01:53 PM   #6  
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sugarlove,

What does your whole health reference say about agave nectar? Just curious since it is neither refined or processed.
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Old 03-22-2007, 04:04 PM   #7  
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Hey Nelie!

I'm really not too sure on agave - I can't get it easily locally so have never really thought too much about it. I checked the link I got from Glory87 (http://209.196.51.230/ME2/dirmod.asp...d=Foods&tier=1 and there's no mention of agave. I also checked another I got from wyllen - http://www.whfoods.com and again couldn't find anything.

In browsing various websites, I did come up with a couple of things:

"Agave Syrup is not a “whole” food. It is a fractionated and processed food. Manufacturers take the liquid portion of the agave plant and “boil” it down, thus concentrating the sugar to make it sweet. This is similar to how maple “sap” that comes directly from a tree is heated and concentrated to make maple “syrup.” Agave Syrup is missing many of the nutrients that the original plant had to begin with."

and

"Agave Syrup is advertised as “low glycemic” and marketed towards diabetics. It is true, that agave itself is low glycemic. We have to consider why agave syrup is “low glycemic.” It is due to the unusually high concentration of fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%). Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally. One of the next closest foods that contain almost this concentration of glucose to fructose is high fructose corn syrup, which may contain up to 80% fructose."

I guess it really all just comes down to what your preference is! To me, the differences don't appear to be great enough to go on a hunt for agave when organic honey is so readily available from a farm nearby.
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Old 03-22-2007, 04:55 PM   #8  
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Ahh interesting, actually I was looking at somethings because I wasn't sure what they mean by raw agave syrup. Apparently they do heat it up to 120 degrees. Although the numbers have a slight discrepancy, like I read 70% fructose but maybe more refined agave syrups have more.
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Old 03-22-2007, 05:48 PM   #9  
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It's a fairly well accepted fact that eating something boosts your metabolism. Your body uses calories to digest food. It's the fact that we're talking about honey that gives me pause. It's not hard to digest, so you won't use many calories to do that. And it has little nutritional value. And if it means you're upping your calorie intake .... what's the point?
By all means eat something in the morning, I just don't think honey is the best choice.
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