Why can't honey be dissolved in hot water. Why honey should not be put in hot tea

Most people on earth love honey. Some people prefer to drink tea only with it, but so that the drink is hot. They assume that hot drinks will relieve them of colds, increase immune strength. But these are incompatible things! Boiling water will destroy the beneficial substances that are included in it. Then the drink will become useless for a person.

Teas, supplements

Scientists suggest adding sugar to tea is an anomaly! After all, people who drink it without sweets are rarely visited by oncology. For green tea, the situation is different. Sugar added to it increases the healing properties of the drink, assimilates the catechins that it contains. Catechins are natural antioxidants, but they are also found in black tea, but here sugar inhibits their absorption.

Because of this, free radicals are neutralized. It is they who can disrupt the work of cells, which accompanies the development of tumors. And catechins do not allow diabetic signs to form in the body, they restrain heart failure. If milk is used in tea drinking, the benefits of catechins are reduced.

Harm from tea with honey

Everyone has long known that honey is a useful product. Helps with colds. But doctors say that at a temperature of 40 degrees, diastasis is destroyed in honey. This is a valuable enzyme, too high a temperature in it can oxidize fructose. It turns into a carcinogen. Then it will provoke the development of a tumor in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, doctors prohibit putting it in drinks. They consider it a poison to humans.
To make it useful for the body, you need to eat it with a spoon. Prepare warm water and drink honey with it, but not boiling water. Otherwise, honey will lose its beneficial properties.

You also need to act with lemon. He also loses vitamin C and other useful substances from high temperatures. In order for a lemon to be useful for a person, it must be consumed with iced tea. But as a remedy for lack of sleep tea, a drink with honey is considered useful. Drink it for this purpose after a walk before going to bed. He can help a person to weaken somewhat, calm his tense nerves. If after honey perspiration appears in a person, it means that it removes toxins from the body. Then the intake of honey is considered justified.

Why can't you put honey in hot tea?

Hot tea has no medicinal properties. Vitamins and enzymes are destroyed. When honey is boiled, what remains of it is: water, glucose, sugar. But if the water temperature is less than 40 degrees, its beneficial properties are fully preserved. It is considered useful to eat a spoonful of honey in the morning. Doctors advise people with low acidity to eat it with cold water. If the human body is subjected to physical or mental stress, then he should eat honey with cold water.

Although our ancestors did the opposite. Honey was used in hot tea for gargling. This is evidenced by numerous old recipes. They made eye lotions out of it. This was also considered useful, but before that it should be boiled. They also boiled it for sbitney, honey koumiss, simple mead.

To use honey in traditional medicine, it must be boiled. In this form, it benefits, helps a person to recover from the disease! Women use it for masks, make them in baths, where the temperature is very high. Despite this, the skin of women from time to time gets younger and never gets old!

Honey is one of the most useful food products, the healing properties of which have been tested by time. But it turns out that we still know so little about him that we continue to retell funny and stupid myths to each other. It is worth figuring out what is true and what is fiction.

MYTH 1
Honey loses its valuable qualities as soon as it is candied. Actually it is not! Honey in general is practically incapable of spoiling and, accordingly, losing its healing qualities. Therefore, the shelf life of honey, in principle, is unlimited. Interesting fact: small jars of honey were found even in the tombs of the pharaohs. And when this honey was tested, it turned out that it still has all the medicinal properties and does not have any changes in its composition. And in the process of honey crystallization (what we call “candied”), not the properties of honey change, but only its physical state, that is, the consistency of honey and its color. At what any kind of honey crystallizes, but depending on the variety, honey is sugared from 3 weeks to 3 months.

By the way, in Soviet times there was even an official ban, according to which, after October 1, all liquid honey was confiscated in the markets. Because, in accordance with GOST, by this time the honey should crystallize. If this does not happen, then a counterfeit product has gone on sale.

MYTH 2
"Health drink" - hot tea with honey Unfortunately, honey in hot tea is not only useless, but also dangerous! in the liver and soon become the cause of food poisoning.And those who regularly drink hot tea with honey risk getting cancer in the stomach or intestines.Therefore, honey can only be added to warm tea.Moreover, under the influence of boiling water in honey, all vitamins and enzymes are also destroyed.

Nutritionists, on the other hand, assure that diluted honey in a large amount of liquid acts very slowly, therefore, the healing effect that we count on during a cold does not come very soon. It is much more useful to eat a couple of spoons of honey and only then drink them with tea. Since there are many small blood vessels on the tongue, honey will be instantly delivered to all vital organs.

MYTH 3

Store-bought honey is artificial! This is not true. If it is indicated on the jar that it is natural honey, then it is. Another thing is that manufacturers, so that honey remains liquid for a long time and does not sugar, add preservatives to it.

In addition, thick honey is difficult to package, and for this, honey is subjected to special processing at the factory: passing through special filters, liquid honey is obtained. In this form, it is already easy to pour into a container. But this is the minus of "factory" honey. When heated in filters, honey loses almost all useful substances. Therefore, store-bought honey is tasty and safe, but the benefits for our health are very minimal!

• 1.1. Destruction of nitrogenous compounds and vitamins
• 1.2. Formation of hydroxymethylfurfural
• 2. The need for heating, methods and temperature conditions
• 2.1. Medicinal use
• 2.2. Use in cooking

Biologically active compounds that make up natural honey are very demanding on the conditions of storage and use. The complex content, which, according to some estimates, has more than three hundred substances, forms the healing properties of not only honey, but also all beekeeping products.

In the nectar processed by bees, enzymatic processes last at least two years. Throughout this period, the healing agent remains “alive”. Therefore, the question of whether it is possible to heat honey is of great relevance.

Adherents of apitherapy are extremely negative about the very idea of ​​heating and the problem of whether it is possible to heat honey does not exist for them. However, not everything is so clear. Folk traditions of healing are strongly advised to use everyone's favorite remedy for seasonal colds and ailments along with a hot drink: tea or milk. Allopaths generally do not recommend irritating the mucous membrane with hard and cold foods in case of throat diseases.

To decide on the difficult question of whether it is possible or not to heat honey, you need to understand what processes are triggered in it when the temperature rises, and what are their consequences for the body.

Destruction of nitrogenous compounds and vitamins

Enzymes, nitrogenous substances with which bees enrich plant nectar, largely determine the beneficial properties of natural medicine. Their number, and, consequently, the activity of honey, is determined by the distase number: the higher the Gote index, the more healing the honey will be.

So, enzymes are destroyed during a one-time short-term heating from 60 degrees or during long-term storage of beekeeping products at temperatures above 25 degrees. They also cannot withstand direct sunlight.

In the same conditions, the amount of vitamins decreases: if you keep honey at room temperature for a year, the vitamin composition will become poorer by 20%. This will increase the overall acidity.

The balance of micro and macro elements practically does not change when heated. Due to the acidic environment, only the form in which they are present in honey can change.

Honey loses its bactericidal abilities when exposed to temperatures over 50 degrees and under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.

The loss of useful properties does not cause much concern. Yes, honey is valued for its healing power, but it does not lose its dessert qualities due to heating. However, under the influence of high temperatures, a substance can form in it that causes irreparable harm to health.

Formation of hydroxymethylfurfural

That is why the formation of hydroxymethylfurfural (OMF) deserves special attention. Quality standards in world practice allow the presence of this specific substance up to 25 mg per kilogram, and in the case of hot countries, up to 80 mg / kg. In a fresh product, its amount is acceptable in the amount of 1-5 mg / kg.

Formation occurs as a result of a chemical reaction of an acidic environment and carbohydrates, especially fructose, which, under the influence of heat treatment, releases OMF, which has the status of a carcinogen worldwide. So he then served as a pretext for disputes about the maximum temperature to which honey can be heated without the threat of turning it into poison.

The process of its formation is inevitable if honey is stored at temperatures above 25 degrees. During the year, its number in such conditions can grow by 2-30 times.

If a container with honey is heated at a temperature of 45 degrees for more than 2.5 hours, then the amount of OMF will increase by 12%.

After 30 minutes, with a mode of 55 to 78 degrees, its content will increase in the range from 60 to 80%.

At the same time, daily consumption of this substance in an amount of 2 mg per 1 kg of adult body weight can cause negative consequences for the body. This means that an average citizen with a body weight of 75 kg per day needs to eat about 6 kg of honey daily with the maximum allowable content of OMF (that is, 25 mg / kg) in order for it to have a harmful effect on the body. However, in this case, the negative effect of excess carbohydrates will quickly affect.

The need for heating, methods and temperature conditions

The use of honey has long crossed the boundaries of folk healing. And if in order to cure a sore throat it is enough to put a couple of teaspoons of honey in tea, then for cosmetic procedures it sometimes needs quite a lot. For example, for lymphatic drainage or, masks for or. In addition, sometimes it becomes necessary to transfer the product from one container to another.

Candied natural honey, depending on the variety, can be just a stone structure. It is impossible to use it in this form, be it a couple of teaspoons or 200 gr for a massage. It is in such cases that it becomes necessary to warm up to make it a little more plastic.

Without prejudice to the medicinal properties, you can heat it at temperatures up to 40 degrees. Exceeding the temperature regime will entail the destruction of vitamins, honey will lose enzymes and bactericidal characteristics, and the amount of OMF will begin to increase rapidly in it.

To give honey plasticity, you can use:

• water bath;
• gas or electric oven with thermostat;
• in winter - a central heating battery;
• in summer - a sunny balcony (provided that it will not be exposed to direct sunlight).

Medicinal use

Very often, honey is recommended to be taken orally with a hot drink, for example, with tea. Considering that valuable properties are already lost at 50 degrees, it is not worth adding it to only brewed tea. After all, the bactericidal activity of honey, vitamins and enzymes play an important role in the treatment. In this case, you can use it in two ways:

• dissolve a spoonful of sweet medicine in your mouth and drink it with hot tea;
• wait until the drink has cooled to an acceptable temperature and only then dissolve the sweet medicine in it, for oral administration.

In no case should you pour boiling water over it, otherwise you will get not a medicine, but sweetened water.

Use in cooking

Natural honey is an excellent basis for many culinary masterpieces. It is used not only for making desserts, but also added as marinades and sauces to meat and vegetable products.

Use in cooking involves heat treatment. The nutritional value is not reduced. The amount of harmful substances is negligible in terms of permissible norms, and the pleasure received from a gourmet dish with the finest nuances of honey in taste and aroma cannot be compared with anything.

Many people have heard that honey turns into poison when heated, so it is not clear whether this product can be used for baking and hot drinks. No one will heat the product just like that, but it is often added to hot tea, especially for respiratory diseases. Is it worth resorting to such treatment or is it better to refuse hot tea with the addition of healing nectar?

To what temperature can the product be heated

Honey is a healthy product that contains many useful substances. This sweetness helps in the fight against many diseases, especially those of a respiratory nature. However, some doctors argue that it is impossible to put it in hot tea, since honey becomes poisonous when heated strongly. This is due to the fact that the decomposition of sugar produces a toxic substance.

Experts say that heating products above 40 degrees is not worth it. P At higher temperatures, honey loses many of its beneficial properties and can release toxic substances that have a bad effect on the human body.

The sweet product should be stored at room temperature, which does not exceed 25 degrees. If honey was left on the table or windowsill in summer when the temperature is higher, nothing bad will happen, but such situations should still be avoided.

It should be understood that not only with excessive heating, the useful properties of the product are lost. It is also not worth it to cool or freeze the product too much, since its structure changes completely, and useful properties decrease.

The sweet product should be stored in such conditions that it does not melt, but does not freeze either. If the house has a cellar, then this will be an ideal place to store beekeeping products.

The danger of hot honey

In strongly heated honey, such a toxic substance as hydroxymethylfurfural appears. This is a product of the decomposition of sugars, which is formed when the latter are heated in an acidic environment. The alkaline balance of honey is slightly more than three, so the environment is considered acidic.

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But you need to understand that a sweet product bought in a store or on the market already contains a certain amount of hydroxymethylfurfural. This is due to the fact that the bees collect nectar in the warm season and it heats up while still in the combs.

According to the standards, the content of hydroxymethylfurfural in honey should not exceed 40 mg per 1 kg of sweet product. For regions with a hot climate, this figure is twice as high. It is by this indicator that one can determine the age of the nectar and the conditions under which it was stored.

The formation of hydroxymethylfurfural depends on the heating time and temperature. If a jar of sweetness has stood on the table all day and warmed up to about 30 degrees, then the level of the toxic substance increases slightly. With subsequent cooling of the product, the indicator decreases slightly.

Hydroxymethylfurfural is found in varying amounts in many foods that contain sugar. Therefore, it is illogical to talk only about the dangers of heated honey for health.

How long can products be heated

In production, before packing honey into jars, it is slightly dissolved in a steam bath. To do this, the sweet product can be heated to a temperature of 50 degrees. But even if such heating is carried out continuously for a couple of days, the amount of hydroxymethylfurfural will remain within the normal range.

At some enterprises, the process is organized so that the nectar is heated to a temperature of 80 degrees in a couple of minutes, and then cooled in a matter of minutes. In this case, the toxic substance also does not have time to form in sufficient volume and remains within the normal range. Therefore, it can be said that honey turns into poison at a high temperature only if it is heated for a long time.

With prolonged heating of a sweet product to a temperature of over 50 degrees, vitamins and most of the enzymes are destroyed in it. Such nectar is no longer of value.

Is it bad to drink hot tea with honey?

If honey in boiling water forms poisons, then a natural question arises, is it possible to drink hot tea with a sweet product added to it? This is where people's opinions differ markedly. Some believe that honey with boiling water is nothing more than poison. Others argue that there is absolutely no harm from such a drink. In fact, when nectar is dissolved in tea, the concentration of sugar decreases significantly, therefore, the acidity of such products also decreases. If a couple of teaspoons of honey are added to tea, then an absolutely negligible amount of hydroxymethylfurfural is formed, which does not affect health in any way.

In addition, with significant heating, the biological properties of the product also change. Under the influence of high temperatures, vitamins and enzymes are really destroyed, but for some people this may even be useful. For example, after heating the nectar, its allergenicity decreases.

Some beekeepers claim that after heating, honey has a number of other useful qualities:

• Mobile metal ions are released, which activate the action of biological catalysts in the body.
• Biologically active substances react with enzymes and normalize metabolism.

Therefore, it cannot be said that hot tea with honey is harmful. You can safely drink such a drink during a cold, enjoying its unusual taste and aroma.

Linden, buckwheat and acacia honey is best suited for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

For those who are very concerned about their health

People who are worried that toxins will enter the body with heated honey should follow these recommendations:

• Eat a sweet product only in its original form, without adding it to pastries and hot tea.
• If the doctor prescribed to use nectar with hot tea for a cold, then it is necessary to eat it as a bite.
• You should buy only natural and high-quality products. It is better to do this in stores and specialized points of sale. No one can guarantee that hand-bought honey has not been heated.
• Do not store products for more than two years, especially if it is at room temperature. With longer storage, useful properties decrease.
• If you want to drink herbal tea with honey or hot milk with the addition of this product, then the liquid is heated to a temperature of no more than 40 degrees and only then sweetness is added.

Some experts claim that frequent consumption of hot tea with honey leads to the formation of cancer cells, and milk with a sweet product leads to the formation of kidney stones.

Tea with honey is considered the first remedy for the treatment of colds, but it turns out that this is not such a harmless remedy as it might seem at first glance. When heated, the toxic substance hydroxymethylfurfural is formed in honey, but in fairness it should be said that in order to exceed normal values, nectar must be heated to a very high temperature and for a long time.

Disputes about whether it is possible to heat a bee product have been going on in the world for a long time, but opinions on this matter still differ among many. Let's find out if it is possible to heat honey at all, and if not, then why?

The concept of "heating honey" sounds rather unnatural. First of all, because the naturalness of this product without processing just makes it so useful and healing for many people. However, there are cases when the sweet mass somehow has to be heated, for example, when added to warm tea. So, let's find out to what temperature this healing sweetness can be heated.

Scientists say that it is impossible to heat honey above 40 degrees, allegedly in this way it loses its useful unique properties. But what about summer? Is it really impossible to leave it indoors, but is it necessary to hide the sweetness in the cellar?

In principle, there will be no big trouble if you leave honey on the windowsill in the summer and it gets hot. But such situations are best avoided. Store the product so that it does not freeze or melt, this will be enough (within 14-28 degrees).

By the way, not only high temperature changes the structure of the delicacy. Freezing or a very low positive mark affects the quality of bee gold in a similar, negative way. In the cold, it will, and also lose its usefulness.

Is it true that when heated, it turns into poison?

Under conditions of high temperature, specific enzymes and sugar are destroyed in honey, and the carcinogen hydroxymethylfurfural is also produced. Such a destruction of the natural structure, according to most scientists, turns a nutritious product into a poison, because the resulting carcinogen is very dangerous for the stomach.

However, not all heating harms the honey mass. For example, if the product needs to be made softer, it is recommended to place it in a closed jar in a pot of water heated to 40 degrees. This method will make the mass softer and more plastic, and nothing terrible will happen.

Does it lose its useful and medicinal qualities when heated?

Yes, of course, with strong heating or melting, honey loses the lion's share of its medicinal qualities and turns into a simple, sweet, but useless syrup. The whole benefit of a bee gift is precisely to eat it alive, healthy, without the slightest heat treatment.

If you put a treat in tea that has cooled to room temperature, then everything will be in order. There is another option - to drink tea with honey, just drinking it, and not dissolving it in a liquid. This method of use will preserve the medicinal properties of the product and useful qualities.

Why it is impossible to heat the product: what does it threaten?

So, why it is impossible to heat honey strongly, we found out. This leads to the destruction of sugars and the production of a carcinogen dangerous for the human stomach, namely, the poison hydroxymethylfurfural. In addition to the fact that the product becomes unsafe when remelted, it also loses all its usefulness.

Heating destroys naturally structured fructose and glucose, and honey becomes ordinary syrup, besides, it almost completely loses its wonderful aroma. However, in a warm liquid below 40°C, such as herbal tea or warm water, it can be dissolved.

Thus, an overheated treat is no longer honey, but a source of carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed by the body, but will this be of any use? Probably not. Therefore, in the future, before throwing the bee product into boiling water or melting it when it hardens, think about why not use it in its natural form. Is it worth it to cook a beautiful, fluid, but useless mass using heat, even if it will bring you great benefits ?!

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