What will happen to your body if you drink a cup of honey water every day? Can it improve your skin and relieve constipation? Don't drink it carelessly!

The "magic" of honey has been circulating in the world for years. Many people say that honey can improve beauty, laxative, health, and immunity, and suggest "a cup of honey water every morning". Is it really useful?

It is not so reliable to rely on honey water to maintain beauty, laxative and health

Honey actually contains very few nutrients. More than 75% of honey is glucose and fructose, and more than 20% is water. Only about 0.5% of the ingredients may be related to promoting health.

"Drinking honey water can help with bowel movements" is a folk remedy that many people believe in. But in fact, this is only because honey contains a lot of fructose. Some people are intolerant to fructose, so they will have diarrhea after consuming a lot of honey because they cannot digest fructose .

In other words, if you have a good tolerance for fructose, honey will not have a laxative effect on you. It is better to drink water directly to replenish water and soften stool .

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The same reason applies to why relying on honey to maintain health and improve immunity is not reliable.

Since only about 0.5% of the ingredients may contain nutrients that are beneficial to health, such as various enzymes, we naturally cannot expect it to have much effect on health preservation and improving immunity. If you really want to improve immunity, it is better to supplement with other foods containing high-quality protein, various vitamins and minerals .

What changes will happen to your body if you drink a glass of honey water every day

1. May increase blood sugar

The sweetness of honey comes from the glucose and fructose in it . The habit of "drinking a glass of honey water in the morning" does not have a big impact on people with normal blood sugar levels. It can be regarded as a source of energy when fasting.

However, for people with high blood sugar or diabetes, the sugar in honey can be absorbed faster than the sugar in staple foods such as steamed buns and bread, and therefore can easily lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar.

2. You may gain weight

If the honey water is too concentrated, or if you drink a large amount, you will ingest more sugar, which will cause insulin secretion to increase, and the amount of fat accumulation will also increase. Over time, this will naturally increase the risk of obesity and may even increase our chances of developing fatty liver .

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3. May affect the absorption of other nutrients

Except for sugar, the content of various nutrients in honey is very small. If you drink a lot of honey water early in the morning, it will take up space in the stomach and may affect our intake of other high-nutrient and rich foods , such as milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and lean meat.

For friends with normal blood sugar, it is okay to drink a small amount of light honey water in the morning to moisturize the mouth and stimulate appetite .

If you really want to improve your health by drinking "water", you should do this

If we really want to improve our health by drinking "water", we don't have to be obsessed with the nutritional value or the risk of high blood sugar caused by honey water. We can choose other healthy drinks .

1. Drink enough warm water

If you usually have constipation problems, you can drink more warm water . Warm water can promote intestinal peristalsis and will not irritate the gastrointestinal tract due to overheating or overcooling. It is a good helper for defecation.

In addition to eating enough dietary fiber ( coarse grains, fresh vegetables and fruits are high in dietary fiber, especially dragon fruit, prunes, pears, kiwis and other fruits, which can be called laxatives ), you should also drink plenty of water. This will allow the dietary fiber to absorb water, swell and soften in the intestines, making it easier to excrete.

2. Drink more light tea and flower and fruit tea

On the one hand, tea tastes better than plain water, which can encourage us to drink more water and replenish more moisture for the body and skin. On the other hand, tea polyphenols and other flavonoid phytochemicals in tea not only have the effect of preventing cancer, but also help the body resist oxidation and anti-aging .

Flower and fruit tea without added sugar is not only fragrant, but also retains some nutrients such as vitamin C in the flowers and fruits.

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3. Drink a glass of milk every day, soy milk is also OK

If you want to improve your immunity, you should consider drinks that are relatively rich in high-quality protein, which can provide the basis for the body to synthesize various immune substances. Pure milk, sugar-free or low-sugar yogurt, and sugar-free or low-sugar soy milk are all good choices .

Although milk contains a certain amount of fat, it is high in protein (about 4g/100g) and calcium (about 115mg/100g). If you really mind fat, you can also choose low-fat milk or skim milk .

The protein content of soy milk (3g/100g) is not as high as that of milk, but the fat content (1.6g/100g) is very low. In addition, soy milk contains soy isoflavones, which help to regulate the body's estrogen levels in both directions.

Friends who want to improve their immunity can replace honey water, sugary drinks, carbonated drinks and other drinks with low-fat/skim milk, sugar-free/low-sugar yogurt or soy milk.

When we get rid of the obsession of "drinking a glass of honey water every day", we will find that there are many choices of healthy drinks . Not only can we choose the above categories, but we can also use our brains to mix more delicious and healthy drinks with natural and healthy ingredients.

Author: Wang Lu, Chinese registered nutritionist, Master of Public Health, Peking University

Review｜Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center