Some people put sugar in, brown for espresso, white for black coffee, but some don’t put any sugar into their daily caffeine dose. Milk is also widely used with coffee, it makes it more pleasant for some people. Sugar can be scary for a lot of people that are on diets or are just trying to avoid it, but it really helps with soothing the strong flavor of the coffee. There is one very healthy, and most importantly, delicious alternative, and it is honey. It will give you a new dimension of flavors and it’s good for you and your body.
Coffee is perhaps the most popular drink in the world, with hundreds of billions of cups consumed each year. Just in the USA, 450 million cups of coffee are consumed each day. There are many regional varieties, for example, the Italian tradition is inextricably tied to espresso, while in the Balkan region, it’s black coffee that people consume the most, and drip coffee in the western world.
Why is Honey a Better Option
Sugar VS Honey – Caloric Intake
So if we want to talk this through, we have to get down and find out why it is better. The first thing many of us think is your daily caloric intake. A calorie is a unit of energy, so if you don’t have enough of it, you can lose weight, but if you take in too much, it can result in a weight gain.
A common teaspoon of sugar (4,9gr) is worth 16 calories, while a teaspoon of honey is worth 23. Just because the calorie number of honey is higher than sugar, it doesn’t mean that the sugar breaks down in your body more easily. Sugar is made up of complex sugars that must be broken down into forms that can be used by the body.
Is Honey in Coffee Toxic? – No
There’s no doubt that honey is way healthier than regular sugar or artificial sweeteners, it contains a high level of vitamins and minerals- vitamins A, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, amino acids, and pantothenic acid, and minerals are magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, copper, iodine, zinc and phosphorus. Honey is a 5000 year old food and it can’t go bad.
Honey Containt’s Anti-Bacterial Properties
Honey found even in the pyramids is safe to eat. Honey with black coffee for weight loss is a good option for those looking for a few kilos off. It’s also an antioxidant, which means it will protect your cells from damage, and it’s also used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent. It’s also a reliable option to have your coffee with honey when you have a sore throat because it’s a good home remedy.
Commerical Energy Drinks Can Cause Caffeine Intoxication
You should use it in your coffee because it will give you the desired sweetness, but it won’t give you the “crash” that we all experience with our daily coffee cups.
You also avoid the negative effects of all the commercial drinks, such as caffeine intoxication- some energy drinks, which is consumed by many young people, contain as much as 80mg of caffeine per 250ml (8oz) can, has the same amount as a cup of coffee, but the thing is, that it’s full of other stuff we don’t really know much about, so careful people, these drinks aren’t the best option for you.
Health Problems Caused by Caffeine Intoxication
Caffeine intoxication can lead to many problems: restlessness, nervousness, insomnia, stomach problems… Not only that, but it slows down your body’s ability to absorb water, and we don’t have to explain that that is bad for you.
By having your coffee with honey, you avoid the energy drinks with their high fructose syrup, made from white corn starch, responsible for weight gain, obesity, and a lot of other nasty ill-health effects. The final thing about these energy drinks that are full of caffeine, artificial sugars, and other mystery ingredients, we have CITRIC ACID AND PRESERVATIVES.
Those are used to enhance flavors and extend shelf lives, a very bad move done by worldwide corporations. All in all, it’s a bad option for your teeth, brain, metabolism, and energy.
How to Create Your Own Energy Drink Using Honey
On the side note, if you don’t like coffee that much, you can create YOUR OWN ENERGY DRINK USING HONEY: 1/4 cup of honey, 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt, and 8 cups of water, combine it and mix it until its homogeneous mixture and leave it to chill overnight.
A Wide Variety of Honey Products
Being made by bees, there’s no doubt that they can make honey from a wide variety of plants. Each plant gives the honey a unique flavor, which can be tasted even through the strong flavor of the coffee.
The ones we should accentuate are: Acacia honey, very light, very sweet, and a classic honey taste, Blackberry, with a deep and rich flavor with some kind of a fruity aftertaste, Chestnut, darker and a strong yet a bit bitter flavor, Macadamia Nut, that has a dark chocolate color with a sweet and nutty flavor and floral scent.
The healthiest honey in the world is the Manuka honey. Manuka honey can be used in coffee as well, but it’s not the best idea to put it when the coffee is very hot, because the bio-benefits of this product will diminish at higher temperatures.
Now, is Honey in Coffee Good or Bad For You?
The thing is, it is good for you. However, don’t expect some major health improvements just because you put a half teaspoon of honey into your coffee. Although they will give you a portion of recommended daily vitamin intake, it’s not enough for a grown person to physically endure the whole day of work.
It might be a bit strange at the start, because you’re used to drinking your coffee with sugar, and now it’s a sudden change in flavors. Who is ready to make even the slightest change in their diet, with wishes of a healthier body (and mind) should try swapping the sugar with honey. Who knows, maybe you’ll like this even more.
Everything we eat or drink today is full of sugar, for example, carbonated drinks, more than often in a smaller bottle (0,5l) have more than 2,3 sometimes even 4 or 5 TABLESPOONS of sugar in it. Juices that we drink that say that they are high in fruit content, are more than often stuffed with artificial flavorings, sugars, and other chemicals, once again, a move by the worldwide corporations looking for money savings.
So, even the smallest elimination of daily sugar intake is a big role in your healthier life. We all know how we feel when we’re sick, so we drink tea with lemon and honey, and how better we feel right away. Honey is even a great option when you crave for something sweet, so you don’t have to eat an entire chocolate bar.
Coffee with honey can be used for your face as well. A lot of people are familiar with the process of skin healing with coffee, sugar and coconut oil. Now, swap the sugar with honey, and you got yourself a much healthier and more natural mixture. Scrub the mixture gently on your face for a couple of minutes, and then remove it with a wet towel, then wash your face. You will instantly see the difference.
Coffee With Maple Syrup
Another rather interesting option, a full teaspoon of maple syrup contains 17 calories, 1 more than sugar, but it also contains zinc, potassium, manganese, thiamine, calcium, iron, magnesium and riboflavin. It contains even a nice number of antioxidants, but the same as honey, it’s not a major health improvement. So how does it taste combined with coffee?
It will dissolve very easily in hot liquids, and it will add a nice complementary flavor to the coffee, and it’s a nice touch adding a little bit of milk if you’re not concerned much by the calorie intake. It’s your day and your coffee! You should try out what flavor profiles you like, how much sweeteners would you add. The coffee, of course, plays a major role in the flavor story.
Try finding the best and freshest beans, and if possible, find a place where they grind the beans in front of you, because when they are ground, the clock starts ticking, and they start going stale. If you use fresh coffee beans, you will see the difference in the cooking, because when you pour hot water over the fresh coffee, they start releasing all the carbon-dioxide, which is much less with pre-packaged coffee.
Conclusion
Try different beans, different sweeteners, and techniques of cooking. Also look for the healthiest options, where the honey will help you little by little.