big belly

Can honey help you lose weight? The truth, please!

Obesity! The disease of the century!
An epidemic one.
20% of children are obese; 66% of adults are overweight or obese.
Can honey help you lose weight?

Over the previous 33 years, overweight and obesity in adults have increased by 27.5% and by 47.1% in children and adolescents. Over 100,000 individuals die each year from obesity-related cancers.

Let’s see: what happened in the last 33 years? The technology got better. The machines got better. We work in an office, staring at a computer. Not in the garden. And work a lot: 10 – 16 hours a day! What did you expect?

And even more: the food got tastier! And easy to get. Drinks are better. Ice cream is divine! We, people, even developed a new taste for our modern food: umami. Who’s to blame if our bodies got fatter? I mean, look at these two fellows here drinking beer. They are so happy, they absolutely love beer.

After they work for 10 hours a day in a closed environment, why would anyone ban their pleasure of drinking beer with friends? Don’t we all want to be happy? They’re happy…beer belly

If it is to follow this direction and try to enjoy life and what it offers to us, then we have to be honest with ourselves and then set our priorities. Let’s pretend we are asking one of these guys what they would prefer: To live 100 years healthy, without beer, or 50 with beer? Looking at the happiness on their faces, I think they would say, 50!

It is, in fact, a matter of what you like the most. To eat a lot or to be admired by men. (Or by women.) If you care more about your appetite and cakes, then stop trying tons of diets, they won’t work. Ever! If you care more about how men are looking at you when you enter a restaurant, or (unfortunately) have a disease that requires you to be slim, then there are methods to win the fat!

the honey dietWhat is the Honey Diet?

Recently, the U.K. author Mike McInnes wrote a book and released a new trend: “The Honey Diet”. Immediately, other authors contradicted him and said he was wrong.

Personally, I noticed that it is called the “Honey diet” because it replaces all sugar with honey. Otherwise, it seems like a usual diet, which prohibits a lot of things.

AND, makes me drink a glass of hot water with 2 tablespoons of honey? How much lemon should I put there to not get instantly sick from all the sweetness? I have to say I don’t like that. But if you are interested in this diet, my advice is to first read the book and judge for yourself.

How about a diet with simple honey?

A diet like that should not interfere with anyone’s eating habits. Only add honey. Well, it is hard to believe that honey is such a panacea! No one can stay on a couch, watch TV all day, eat snacks and drink coke and at the end of the day, take 1 tablespoon of honey, and voila! A slim, good-looking person!

Honey contains fructose in most parts, and it is said that an overconsumption of fructose in today’s American diet, especially in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has led to overweight problems. FACT: The average American consumes four to six times the amount of simple sugars daily recommended for good health.

But of course, honey is not just fructose, not just sugar. It is made up primarily of carbohydrates, but honey contains other substances that allow it to be metabolized, stored, and utilized in the body quite differently than other carbohydrates. (Since the believe it can solve anything!)

Any studies to prove it helps lose weight?mouse eating cheese

Yes. On rats. They were fed with pure fructose and had a hypertriglyceridemic effect. Other rats were fed with honey, and the effect did not take place. Scientific data: the rats fed with honey had higher plasma α-tocopherol levels, higher α-tocopherol/triacylglycerol ratios, lower plasma, NOx concentrations and a lower susceptibility of the heart to lipid peroxidation.

Translated in English, this means good news. If we substitute fructose (and sucrose, and HFCS) with honey in our diet, we’ll get a potential nutritional benefit.

Not very convincing, right? Another study on rats, showed that a 10% honey solution given to rats, decreased their weights. Because it decreased the frequency of eating. They didn’t get hungry that fast. And, over a period of several months, they had up to 22% less weight gain. And this is good news!

The studies made on humans with hypertriglyceridemia showed that pure fructose increased TG (triglyceridemia), while honey decreased TG.

Other studies on humans were contradictory. Rape honey led to a rise in blood fructose concentration, lower than pure fructose or glucose can do. With acacia honey this concentration was the same, for both controls. Seems like rape honey has some unidentified substances that inhibit the metabolism of fructose.

Studies’ conclusion:

Simple honey has NO or A WEAK effect on obesity, compared to pure fructose.

ron fessenden's advice on honey

Honey and cinnamon. And lemon.

CINNAMON reduces bad cholesterol and lowers blood sugar levels. Half a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon a day is recommended to help regulate blood sugar levels. That’s proved. There are some people who say it boosts insulin activity by approximately 20 fold. Wow! It makes you believe that combined with honey, it will do wonders.

LEMON will help alkalize the body. Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It has also been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster. Lemon juice and honey can help the gallbladder cleanse. And the list can go on and on: hydrates the lymph system, clears skin, aids digestion, boosts your immune system, etc.

How should we take it?

Daily in the morning, 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink 1 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon powder in one cup of hot water. (Mix the cinnamon with boiling water, wait half an hour till it cools down (almost at your body temperature), add the honey, stir well and then drink it.)

There are people saying that they have lost about 3 kg (6-7 lbs) in 1 week. Drunk on a daily basis does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body, even though the person may eat a high-calorie diet.

During the day, we can have a cup of warm water with lemon. Or even alternate them: one morning honey and cinnamon, one morning honey and lemon. Or, even better, add lemon over that glass of honey and cinnamon. Combine them as you choose and feel comfortable. Just don’t forget to take them.

And make sure you take Ceylon Cinnamon and Raw organic honey. (by raw it is important to know that the honey was not heated during the filtration process.) And also, don’t forget to thank the water, the honey and the cinnamon for helping your body and spirit. 🙂

! Here is a solution involving honey and some other 2 great products, horseradish and lemon. It is said to work better on our “losing weight” story than honey alone. Please read it.

how to lose weight honey with lemon honey and horseradish

So, what ‘s the truth?

1. SOLELY HONEY will not help you lose weight. Scientific studies have proved this.

2. COMBINATIONS WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON, AND/OR LEMON have showed great results in people. Yet, there haven’t been any scientific studies to confirm this. 80% of our medical doctors would say “no”. There are only a few people who said it worked. And if it worked for them, it can work for us. It’s a peaceful diet; it doesn’t ask us to give up beer, snacks, steaks or ice cream. Cinnamon and honey will help us diminish these cravings over time, due to their qualities. Try it, if you don’t believe me! 🙂

3. “THE HONEY DIET” it’s tricky. It’s not only about honey. Changes must be made in your entire lifestyle.

4. Don’t forget to find balance and priorities. While living, we must enjoy living!

***********

References:
“fat men drinking beer” picture credit: I.E. Bear II via flick.com,
“mouse” picture credit Grant Cochrane, via freedigitalphotos.net;
“sad fat man looking at his belly” picture credit olly2, via bigstockphoto.com www.womenshealthmag.com;
Ron Fessenden, “The New Honey Revolution”, May 2014
Stefan Bogdanov, Bee Product Science, February 2014

Laura Bujor

Laura Bujor is the author and founder of HealthyWithHoney.com. She built this website as a personal journey to discover the power of honey and share it with the world. She learned directly from beekeepers and took a course in apitherapy. From a hobby, honey and apitherapy turned into a professional career. You can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and X.

View all posts by Laura Bujor →

22 thoughts on “Can honey help you lose weight? The truth, please!

  1. This is wonderful to read very informatively. There have been so many times I wanted to read some foods for weight loss and then when you get to the site they want to charge you money for the information Thank you so much!?

  2. According to the research published in the Scientific World Journal, the honey may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders and may stop increasing body weight for people who are overweight or obese. Combined with regular physical activity and a balanced diet, it could help you lead a more active and healthy life. Furthermore, the consumption of honey may help in reducing cholesterol levels. It is good with garlic, lemon and cinnamon. I consume honey every day and I am feeling energized and healthy!

  3. I am a 49 yr doctor by profession, and was informed that I have impaired blood glucose in Jan 18. I had been exercising and dieting a bit since Jan 18, when my weight was about 72 kg.
    By July 18 I was down to 67 kg or so with my dieting and exercise.
    In July 18, I was in Melbourne and fell sick with a bad cough and cold. The people I was staying with gave me honey and lemon in warm water for 2-3 days that I was unwell.
    However, after that I was unable to eat regular food for nearly a week or 10 days despite having recovered from the cough and cold.
    Every time I looked at food..I felt repulsed and sick. For those few days I thought to myself – maybe I have jaundice or something because my appetite was totally gone.

    But I would force myself to eat a bit through the day. My appetite slowly improved over the next week and returned to normal by end of the second week.

    I shed off a lot of weight during those 10 days- two weeks of my trip.
    I just recalled after reading this article that they had given me Manuka honey those 2-3 days of fever and cold.

    Now am down to 60 kg and am no longer suffering from impaired glucose tolerance. Of course besides the 2-3 days when I was unwell and didn’t move around much, I was travelling around Melbourne rest of the time using a combination of walking and public transport.
    I attribute my sudden weight loss to the honey that I had…because even though I am back at home..I have not gained it back at all…despite not consuming it now.
    It did do something superb in my liver and recaliberated by GI tract and my liver, somehow I feel.
    So there might be a lot of truth in the honey diet actually.

    1. Hi Sinha,
      Thank you for sharing your story with us here, it is incredibly valuable for everybody. I hope you will remain healthy (and happy) and come back to manuka honey if necessary. It really is like a queen of honeys!
      Laura

  4. Count Waldeck (1766-1875) attributed his old age
    to a yearly 6 week horseradish cure.
    (horseradish soaked in lemon juice)

    1. Hi Otto,
      I didn’t know this, but yes, it is possible. As a joke, horseradish is an excellent preservative used a lot in food industry. In my country grated horseradish is kept in apple vinegar and served raw during winter.
      Laura

  5. Great Great Post

    I liked reading this.

    Website is really useful abut honey.

    Enormous effort. Thanks to the entire team providing excellent information

  6. Since I’m getting a bit of a belly myself, I was really hoping that honey could help me lose weight but never mind… Ha! But at least honey is good for us if we don’t consume too much and I especially enjoy eating it on toast for breakfast 🙂

    1. That is a great choice. I eat honey at breakfast, too. And sweeten my green tea with it, too.
      I’m sorry you were disappointed by the fact that honey doesn’t help you lose belly fat. Media is often exaggerating things. Studies proved it wrong.
      But, yes, honey is a great choice. Healthy or ill, replacing sugar with honey is an excellent choice.
      Laura

  7. During the day, we can have a cup of warm water with lemon. Or even alternate them: one morning honey and cinnamon, one morning honey and lemon. Or, even better, add lemon over that glass of honey and cinnamon. Combine them as you choose and feel comfortable. Just don’t forget to take them.

  8. I must say these ideas have worked for me; eliminating white carbs, eating lots of fresh vegetables and whole foods and using cinnamon, honey, lemon and apple cider vinegar. I’ve gone down two sizes in the past few months while still eating what I enjoy and drinking wine, so I’d definitely recommend trying this.

    1. This is great news. Thank you for sharing your experience here with us. And congratulation for you two sizes down! 🙂
      laura

  9. Hey, Laura

    Since I’m getting a bit of a belly myself, I was really hoping that honey could help me lose weight but never mind… Ha! But at least honey is good for us if we don’t consume too much and I especially enjoy eating it on toast for breakfast 🙂

    Neil

    1. Replacing sugar with honey is a great idea, no matter how is the diet called. Though nowadays, with so many sweet temptations around, is quite difficult.
      The least you can do is take one tablespoon of honey before going to bed, and this solves a lot of problems.
      laura

  10. Great informative article. I have come to expect no less from this website. The addition of the youtube video … well, that was just brilliant! Thank you.

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