Honey in diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2: what can be consumed, benefits and harms

Diabetes is a complex and dangerous disease, the essence of which lies in the failure of the endocrine system: carbohydrate and water metabolism in the body is disrupted. For all those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, the doctor first of all prescribes an appropriate diet, excluding the use of many products - and this especially applies to sweets. However, even here, not everything is clear: for example, is honey prohibited or allowed for diabetes? After all, honey is extremely useful, and consists mainly of fructose, which in certain quantities is allowed for consumption by diabetics. Let's try to understand this issue.

Is it possible to eat honey if you have diabetes type 1 and 2?

Honey is a controversial product in the sense that experts cannot give a clear answer to the question: is it permissible to consume it with diabetes? Some scientists do not agree that bee products, which contain not only fructose, but also glucose and sucrose, can be included in the diet of diabetics. Other experts refer to the results of numerous studies, during which it was possible to prove more than once: a small amount of honey will not cause harm, but will be useful for diabetes of any type. Here is what doctors say:

• Type 1 diabetes may occasionally be accompanied by hypoglycemia, during which it is recommended to eat some carbohydrate food. In this case, it is better to prefer more natural products to candy or cookies - for example, honey. For your information, one bread unit is 12 g of sugar, or 15 g of honey.
• Type 2 diabetes, if sufficiently compensated, is not a contraindication to the use of a small amount of honey. A little bit of the sweet stuff – namely 1-2 teaspoons a day – can and should be allowed. But with poorly compensated diabetes, the question of the possibility of its use should be decided by the attending physician.

Honey is a source of many vitamins and minerals, enzymes and bioactive components. Its effect on the pancreas is only positive, and in Canada there is even a special clinic where patients with type 1 diabetes are treated with bee products.

A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the topic of the possibility of using honey for diabetes. For example, a hundred years ago, Dr. A. Ya. Davydov conducted experiments, giving patients with diabetes honey or sugar. After sugar, the patients felt unwell, but after eating honey, their health did not suffer.

Bulgarian professor of medicine S. Vatev tested the possibility of using honey in pediatrics. He determined that when following a diet recommended for diabetes, consuming a small amount of honey has only a positive effect. By a small amount, he meant the following dosage: 1 teaspoon on an empty stomach, three times a day.

Of course, each case of the disease is individual, so the possibility of including honey in the diet for diabetes is best discussed with your doctor.

Honey for gestational diabetes

Pregnancy is a period of significant changes in the female body. Due to hormonal changes and increased load on internal organs, so-called gestational diabetes sometimes develops. As a rule, such a disorder is temporary, and the woman's condition normalizes after the birth of the child. However, according to statistics, in almost 50% of cases, real or true diabetes develops in such women over time.

During pregnancy, some foods are prohibited for the expectant mother. The diet is even more stringent if gestational diabetes is detected during diagnosis. Since in such a situation a woman is “deprived” of all sweets, there is a need to find a suitable permitted alternative, which often turns out to be honey.

Indeed, honey is acceptable for gestational diabetes – but no more than 1-2 teaspoons per day (it is advisable to consume this amount not all at once, but to “stretch it out” throughout the day). And the most important addition: the treat must be real, from a trusted beekeeper. A product purchased in a store or at a market from an unfamiliar seller is far from the best option. The fact is that honey is a record holder for the number of fakes, and in gestational diabetes, “running into” a fake means putting at risk not only yourself, but also your future baby.

What kind of honey can be consumed if you have diabetes?

Honey is allowed for diabetes, but not any variety. Firstly, the product must be ripe, and secondly, natural, with 100% proven quality. We offer you a short list of varieties allowed for diabetes:

• floral (obtained from nectar collected from a wide variety of flowering plants);
• acacia (a light and healthy product that can remain in a liquid state for a long time);
• buckwheat (improves blood picture and increases hemoglobin levels);
• chestnut (honey with a bitter taste, not everyone likes it, but it is extremely useful).

Other well-known varieties, such as rapeseed or linden, contain more glucose than fructose, so they were not considered by experts in terms of use in diabetes.

How to take honey for diabetes?

Of course, honey cannot be eaten literally "by the spoonful" with diabetes. The maximum daily amount is 2-3 teaspoons. The product is added to cottage cheese, kefir, water. But you cannot sweeten hot tea with honey: at a temperature of more than 40°C, its beneficial properties are replaced by harmful ones.

Before you start introducing honey into your diet, make sure it is natural. Sometimes it is a matter of life and death: a lot of foreign additives, including sugar, make the fake dangerous for any diabetic. Therefore, find "your" beekeeper who will supply you with only fresh and high-quality bee products.

And one more thing: crystallized mass should not be eaten by diabetics. It is important to choose only liquid product. There are varieties that may not crystallize for 1-2 years (for example, honey from white acacia).

Honey in the comb is also a priority for diabetics. This product can be consumed little by little almost regularly. By the way, it is impossible to counterfeit it.

Buckwheat honey for diabetes

Buckwheat honey has a distinctive taste, aroma and color. It is dark, sometimes resinous, perhaps not very attractive in appearance. But this variety is considered one of the most useful, due to its record content of vitamins and minerals.

Buckwheat honey has the following medicinal properties:

• strengthens the immune system;
• prevents colds;
• treats anemia, hypertension;
• eliminates hypovitaminosis;
• improves the functioning of the nervous system, calms;
• inhibits the development of inflammatory processes;
• accelerates recovery from physical exhaustion, serious illnesses and operations.

The benefits of such honey for diabetes are felt only if it is consumed correctly. Thus, for people suffering from diabetes, the daily norm of this bee product can be no more than 1-2 teaspoons.

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White acacia honey for diabetes

Honey obtained from white acacia flowers is easily recognizable: it is light, almost transparent, with a slightly golden hue. This bee product crystallizes for a very long time: it can remain liquid from six months to two years.

White acacia honey is approved for use by diabetics. It is considered hypoallergenic, as it causes allergies very rarely.

One of the main advantages of this product is its wide vitamin and mineral composition, represented by vitamins A, B, C, E, H, PP and microelements calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, chlorine, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, iron, etc.

The bee product from white acacia has the following features and properties:

• tones, gives strength and vigor;
• improves blood composition and the condition of vascular walls;
• speeds up metabolism;
• cleanses the liver;
• activates brain activity, improves sleep;
• stops the development of the inflammatory process, heals ulcers and wounds.

The average amount of fructose in acacia honey is 40%, so for diabetes it is allowed to consume 1 teaspoon of such a delicacy once a day. The optimal time for consumption is in the morning on an empty stomach, or during the day half an hour before meals.

For diabetes, honey can be eaten in its pure form, gradually dissolving in the mouth, or diluted in a small amount with warm water.

Honey and lemon for diabetes

Lemon is a very desirable product in the diet of people suffering from diabetes. It is hardly necessary to prove again that this citrus fruit is extremely useful. Lemon "knows how" to stabilize blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as accelerate the removal of harmful substances from the body.

Lemon with honey is often used as a remedy for diabetes. For example, this recipe is popular:

• take one medium-sized lemon, one head of garlic and 3 teaspoons of honey;
• Peel the garlic and put it through a meat grinder together with a whole lemon (no need to remove the skin);
• add honey to the resulting mass and mix well;
• Take 1 teaspoon of the mixture with food, three times a day.

This recipe helps to significantly improve the well-being of a patient with diabetes and normalize blood sugar levels. In addition, you can prepare the medicinal mass for future use: it is perfectly preserved in the refrigerator if you put it in a clean jar and close the lid.

Traditional healers assure us of the benefits of another, more complex recipe:

• squeeze the juice from a couple of medium lemons;
• mix the resulting juice with 300 g of washed and dried raisins and 300 g of ground walnuts;
• add 200 ml of fresh honey;
• Store in the refrigerator, taking 1 teaspoon of the mixture in the morning with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Honeycomb for diabetes

Honey in combs is, in essence, the same bee product, which is only in its natural "storage". When pumping out honey, frames with combs are installed in a honey extractor, where the liquid part is literally "squeezed out", separating from the combs.

Therefore, honey consumed together with honeycombs is also useful: plus, it is supplemented by the beneficial properties of particles of other products, such as wax, cappings, propolis.

Honey in the comb is not counterfeited, therefore, when purchasing such a product, you can only count on a natural composition. Its effectiveness is undoubted, as it has:

• anti-inflammatory action;
• healing effect;
• antimicrobial property.

Phytoncides contained in wax have a preventive and medicinal effect. For diabetes, honey in the comb is consumed little by little - a piece the size of a small walnut is enough per day. It is usually recommended to chew such a piece until the sensation of sweetness in the mouth disappears: many spit out the resulting "chewing gum", but with diabetes it is advisable to swallow it. Swallowed wax acts as a natural sorbent, perfectly cleansing the digestive system. However, it is important not to overdo it: since the digestive tract is not able to digest wax "chewing gum", you can eat very little of it. A larger amount of swallowed mass can only cause harm.

It is best to consume honey in the comb for diabetes in the morning, on an empty stomach, with a glass of clean water.

Chestnut honey for diabetes

Chestnut honey is not a popular variety. The main reason for its unpopularity is the product's peculiar taste. However, it is much more useful for diabetes than any other honey variety.

This variety can have different color shades - from dark to almost colorless. It depends on the type of chestnut tree from which the nectar was collected. But the taste is always typical, and it is simply impossible to confuse it: the expression of sweet and cloying taste in it is minimal, but the bitterness stands out quite brightly. It is because of this bitterness that the product is less popular. But such honey for diabetes is considered one of the most recommended for use.

The main useful property of chestnut honey delicacy is the ability to suppress the vital activity of bacteria and even viruses. In diabetes, honey demonstrates the following abilities:

• optimizes metabolic processes;
• makes blood vessels elastic;
• strengthens the immune system;
• improves the function of the pancreas and the digestive system as a whole.

The acceptable consumption rate of such honey for diabetes is 1 teaspoon per day (without any danger to health).

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Flower honey for diabetes

Honey from different flowers is called flower honey: among all varieties, it probably has the richest aroma. In addition, it is also very useful for diabetes, since its composition can be represented by the nectar of many honey plants: apple, apricot, cherry, strawberry, clover, sweet clover, dandelion, alfalfa, mint, etc. The color shade of flower honey can vary, depending on which plants were involved in the honey production process more.

A teaspoon of this product contains about 25 kcal. More than 60% of sugars are fructose and glucose, and less than 10% sucrose. This ratio is quite acceptable for consuming honey in diabetes.

If there is no tendency to allergies to bee products, then the optimal dose of flower honey for diabetes can be from one to two teaspoons. Experts recommend adding a few drops of lemon juice to the delicacy: this will help improve metabolic processes and renew the blood composition.

In general, regular consumption of honey for diabetes in recommended quantities will strengthen the immune system and improve the functioning of many organs and systems.

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Benefits of honey for diabetes

It is a well-known fact that all bee products are extremely useful. However, few people know that, in addition to vitamin and mineral components, honey contains glycutyl - a substance that can be called a kind of natural insulin (due to the similarity of action). Paradoxically, many studies by scientists confirm that after consuming small amounts of honey, the sugar level in the bloodstream does not increase, but on the contrary - decreases.

Among other properties of honey for diabetes, the following can be highlighted separately:

• Blood purification, increase in hemoglobin levels, normalization of cholesterol levels.
• Stabilizes sleep, improves mood.
• Restoration of damaged tissues, healing of ulcers and wounds.
• Inhibition of the development of inflammatory processes.
• Stimulates immunity, improves metabolism.
• Minimizing side effects when taking hypoglycemic drugs.

Absolutely all components included in honey are useful to one degree or another. These are vitamins, micro and macro elements, and organic acids. Such a rich composition is the best alternative to any pharmaceutical product.

Honey and cinnamon for diabetes

One of the most important components of cinnamon is phenol, which is involved in the mechanisms of lowering blood glucose levels. This property allows the spice to be used to improve the condition of people suffering from diabetes. Cinnamon stops the development of inflammatory processes and promotes tissue healing. According to experts, daily inclusion of this spice in the menu helps to stabilize metabolism, which is disrupted in diabetics. In addition, cinnamon can significantly lower blood glucose levels - by approximately 30%, and also prevents excess weight.

How can cinnamon powder be used for diabetes? Nutritionists say that just adding it to food every day will have a beneficial effect on the condition of a sick person. This spice is universal: it can be added not only to desserts, but also to salads and even meat dishes. Dose cinnamon at your own discretion: it is preferable to start systematic intake with 1 g of powder, gradually increasing the daily amount to one full teaspoon.

In a prepared dish, the spice retains its healing properties for 4 hours. To get the most benefit from it, it is recommended to add cinnamon to dishes immediately before eating them.

Cinnamon powder and honey are considered a good combination. These ingredients are used to make a healing drink for diabetics:

• mix 1 tbsp. honey, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 200 ml of warm water;
• insist for 40 minutes;
• place in the refrigerator for 60 minutes;
• take 100 ml twice a day.

It is also recommended to drink 150 ml of low-fat kefir before going to bed, with the addition of half a teaspoon of honey and the same amount of cinnamon.

Cinnamon should not be consumed in its pure form: the powder is added to food and drinks.

Harm of honey in diabetes

The composition of honey sweetness is represented mainly by such simple carbohydrates as fructose, glucose and sucrose. Therefore, honey is a carbohydrate product. And this must be taken into account before you start consuming it in large quantities. Doing this is strictly prohibited - and not only for diabetics, but even for healthy people. It is believed that the optimal daily amount of honey for healthy people is 100-150 g, and for a person diagnosed with diabetes, 1-2 teaspoons. Exceeding this dose is strongly discouraged.

In addition to increasing blood sugar levels, honey in large quantities can cause excess weight. And, as is known, extra pounds are an additional unfavorable factor in diabetes. It is possible to develop an allergy to honey.

If you dose and consume the bee product correctly, not forgetting about systematic control of blood sugar levels, then you can only note its beneficial effect on the body. Honey for diabetes will help improve metabolism and cleanse the blood and blood vessels.