Honey drinks: cooking recipes. Honey drink for weight loss

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Since ancient times, many nations have used honey in their diet and as a remedy. It was valued primarily for its unique taste and aroma. This delicacy gave energy, satiated and significantly increased the body's resistance to disease. Surprisingly, the honey-cinnamon drink contributed to weight loss. A little later, antibacterial properties were also discovered, which only increased the use of honey. It has become the basis of many tinctures, desserts, an indispensable component in cosmetology and medicine. These nectars deserve considerable attention due to their taste and useful properties, and especially sbiten, mead, and other honey drinks. Recipes for their preparation exist in many interpretations, some of them passed down from generation to generation.

Chemical composition of honey

Honey is not only a valuable food product, but also an extremely useful remedy. The unique composition of this biologically active delicacy sets it apart from many other natural products. Near77% of honey is carbohydrates (glucose, fructose). It is due to the fact that the human body easily absorbs them that you can get a large amount of energy. Also, glucose is necessary for the quality work of the nervous system and good mental activity. Fructose is also important for ensuring the normal functioning of the heart and heart muscle. In addition, honey contains water, a huge amount (about 27) of macro- and microelements: magnesium, iodine, manganese, iron, silver, calcium, etc. Their content is not very high (about 0.5%), but and our body does not need these substances in large quantities. There are also enzymes that speed up the metabolism: catalase, invertase, and also diastase produced by the glands of bees. Rich in honey and vitamins (groups B, C, PP), folic, malic, oxalic and other acids. All these substances are necessary to keep the body in good shape and ensure its vital functions and processes.

Types of honey

There are many varieties of honey, they all differ both in their composition and properties. First of all, they distinguish flower (collected from plant nectar) and honeydew (bees, in the absence of nectar, use juice that is secreted from leaves and stems). There are also monofloral and polyfloral varieties, that is, collected from one plant species or several, respectively. Polyfloral types of honey are considered more valuable, as their medicinal properties are more pronounced. Some of the best varieties of honey are linden, acacia, buckwheat, maple. Honey from wild meadow herbs is a good remedy in the fight against pain and inflammation. Hemostatic properties are inherent in the field species. Honeydew is considered second-rate, but it contains many minerals and is the best source of potassium.

Healing properties of honey products

As long as honey exists, so much is known about its healing properties. This product was devoted to many books and medical treatises in ancient Egypt, China, India, Rome. It was used not only as a valuable food product, but also for external use. Honey-based ointments were used to treat wounds, ulcers, and various skin diseases. Inhalations were also a well-known practice. They were prescribed for bronchitis, asthma, diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. However, then this method of treatment somewhat lost its popularity due to frequent cases of allergies. When taking honey, the body's resistance to diseases increases, as it is an immunostimulant. With anemia, diseases of the endocrine system, regular use of this product for two months is recommended. Honey is also known for its antimicrobial and anti-infective properties. However, it is important to remember about its high calorie content - about 335 kcal per 100 g. Although the benefits of honey are much greater than those of regular sugar, people who are overweight and diabetic should use it with caution.

Honey storage rules

Honey is a product with a long shelf life. This is due to the presence in the composition of substances that have an antimicrobial effect. This delicacy may notdeteriorate for more than one year, but over time, the number of useful elements will decrease. Such a phenomenon as the sugaring of honey does not diminish its healing properties, this is a natural process that occurs due to the presence of a large amount of glucose. It indicates the maturity and value of the product, you can eat it without restrictions.

The influence of ultraviolet rays is detrimental to honey, it loses its medicinal properties, so it is better to choose where the sun's rays do not reach as a storage place. High humidity is also not desirable, as this product has the ability to absorb it. It is also important to take into account the fact that honey perfectly absorbs odors. That is why you need to store it in a tightly closed vessel, preferably glass (although it is permissible to store honey in wooden barrels made of linden, poplar, alder). Dishes made of iron, aluminum are not suitable categorically - toxic substances may be released on contact.

How to recognize a fake

Because of its popularity, honey often becomes a product that lends itself to falsification. Unscrupulous manufacturers add many unnecessary components to the composition: flour, starch, chalk. Therefore, it is best to buy this product from trusted beekeepers who value their customers and reputation. The absence of a crystallization process should also alert. You can find out if there is starch in the composition by adding a few drops of iodine. Blue color will indicate the presence of impurities. You can also do a little experiment. Dissolve in a glass of watera spoonful of honey If there is a precipitate, then there are foreign substances in the product.

Honey drinks

In ancient times in Russia, honey was one of the most popular products. He was present in almost every home, not only as an independent dish, but also as the basis for various tinctures. They were prepared with or without alcohol. Honey drinks, recipes for their preparation were different in each family. During cooking, various spices, ginger root, lemon were added, which further enhanced the beneficial properties. A hot honey drink was simply indispensable in the cold season. Often used honey, which was infused for at least 10 years.

Traditional drink of Ancient Russia

One of the most popular recipes for preparing a honey infusion was this: honey was mixed with berry juice, then all this was sent to a warm place for fermentation. From time to time the drink should be stirred. Hops could also be added for greater effect. The exposure time was quite long - about 15 years. After all, the longer the drink is infused, the he althier and tastier it will turn out. Later, they began to use moonshine and vodka for making tinctures, and the time required for preparation was reduced to a few days. This, of course, affected the palatability, but the huge demand required replenishment of stocks. Classic mead was a festive drink, it was not consumed every day.

Sbiten

Another popular drink based on honey is sbiten. It was served at many folk festivals, fairs,in a cold state mainly in summer, but a hot drink was consumed in winter for warming. There are many options for its preparation, among them both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. The main ingredients are honey, water, spices and spices. Sbiten was also cooked with the addition of herbs such as chamomile, mint, thyme. Thanks to this, you can adjust the desired effect of the drink. Yeast and hops were added to the alcoholic version. In general, due to its composition, sbiten was used for colds, to improve blood circulation and digestion. Well, and, of course, just as a prophylactic.

Mead at home

The well-known classic honey alcoholic drink is mead. Although many believe that this is ordinary vodka with the addition of the main product of beekeeping, this is far from being the case. In the classic recipe, honey is mixed with water approximately 1 to 10. Then it is brought to a boil and boiled for about 10 minutes. In this case, one must not forget to remove the foam. Yeast is added to the chilled mixture. All this is removed for a month. After this time, yeast is added again, and the drink is sent to ferment for 30 days. Then it is bottled. It must be used within six months. Hop cones can be added to reduce fermentation time. You can also cook a more useful option, in which there is no boiling. First you need to dissolve honey in cold boiled water. To activate fermentation, about 50 grams of raisins are added. The mixture recovers in a warm place forseveral days, then filtered, poured into containers. Such an infusion should ferment for 4 months, and only after that it can be consumed.

Honey wine

Experienced winemakers have long appreciated the taste of honey wine. For its preparation, flower honey is used, as it is more fragrant. To make the drink not too sweet, add apple juice. Combinations of honey with gooseberries, raspberries, cherries are very tasty. Different recipes differ in the ratio of water and the main component. The he althiest wines are cold-brewed. Water is diluted with fruit juice, then honey is added and stirred until it is completely dissolved. To improve this process, the water can be slightly heated. Honey-fruit wines are aged for at least six months, and only then they can be consumed. The longer the drink will rest, the higher its strength will be. A slight disadvantage of such wines is their opacity, so they need clarification.

Honey slimming drink

Since honey speeds up metabolic processes in the body, it is also used to give a figure of harmony. Many nutritionists agree that this high-calorie ingredient helps reduce fat cells. In a duet with lemon, its positive effect only intensifies. Lemon-honey drink is best consumed on an empty stomach in the morning and before bed. It is prepared simply: juice from half a citrus fruit and a couple of tablespoons of honey are added to a glass of water. Such a honey drink for weight loss helps to activate metabolic processes and remove toxins.

You can also arrange fasting days based on these products. Vegetables, fruits, a few tricks of this lemonade will help get rid of 2 kg per day. Ginger-honey drink has similar properties. Grate about 1 cm of ginger root, pour hot water over it and let it brew. Then strain, add honey (1.5 teaspoons) and lemon juice. This tool will not only give energy, but also reduce appetite.

Tandem "cinnamon and honey"

Honey Cinnamon Slimming Drink is also easy to make. 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon should be poured with a glass of boiling water (you can also use green tea). This mixture will infuse for about half an hour. Then 1 teaspoon of honey is added. It is recommended to do these manipulations in the evening, so there will be a ready-made infusion for taking before bedtime and in the morning.

Cinnamon is a great way to regulate blood sugar and also help lower cholesterol. Honey-cinnamon drink for weight loss can really work wonders. You can drink it for quite a long time, for several months. Ginger and lemon can be used as additional flavoring elements. Strong immunity and protection against colds are simply guaranteed when taking such a remedy. Thus, the honey-cinnamon drink collects only positive reviews.

Contraindications

People prone to allergic reactions should use bee products quite carefully. It is worth remembering thathoney is one of the strongest allergens. The reason for this is that it contains a small amount of plant pollen. A reaction may occur to a particular type of honey. A lot of negative symptoms also occur when using a counterfeit low-quality product. People with diabetes should consult a doctor and eat this delicacy in small doses. For young children, it is recommended to introduce this product gradually, starting with a microdose. Also, you can not use honey for certain liver diseases. Honey drinks have the same contraindications as the pure product.