Chestnut honey is touted as a miracle cure in naturopathy and is popular with gourmets because of its tart taste. What the noble honey is all about.
What is special about chestnut honey?
Chestnut honey is a very special delicacy and significantly more expensive than conventional honey. This is because chestnut honey can only be produced to a limited extent.
For chestnut honey, bees have to collect the nectar of the chestnut tree during its brief flowering period from June to July. After its heyday, the chestnut tree begins to develop the sweet chestnut, also known as chestnut.
Pure chestnut honey has a very intense taste and can also taste bitter. Beekeepers mitigate the bitter taste by mixing pure chestnut honey with another type of honey. Robinia honey in particular is popular with beekeepers because it is cheap and tastes mild. If a product is officially called chestnut honey, the honey must consist of at least 90 percent nectar from chestnut trees.
The Health Benefits of Chestnut Honey
Like other types of honey, chestnut honey consists largely of sugar, which is supplemented by a small proportion of enzymes, acids, vitamins and minerals. About 75 percent of the sugar contained in honey consists of the two simple sugars glucose and fructose. Chestnut honey is characterized by a particularly high fructose content, which is why it has a liquid consistency and crystallizes very slowly.
Chestnut honey is repeatedly touted by manufacturers as a natural remedy. Various scientific studies have shown that honey can have a health-promoting effect. So it was found that honey:
has an antioxidant effect and thus protects the body from free radicals and fights inflammation.
can delay the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
has a probiotic and antibacterial effect and thus protects the body from harmful germs.
Chestnut honey is one of the healthiest types of honey as it is very high in antioxidants and minerals. In addition, chestnut honey contains a high proportion of monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These are used as antidepressants by psychologists and psychiatrists to treat depression, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Chestnut honey can actually trigger feelings of happiness in you.
Chestnut honey is a sugar and should therefore only be consumed in moderation
With all the health benefits of chestnut honey, you should always keep in mind that honey is a sugar. (It contains up to 85 different types of sugar.) The World Health Organization recommends that you consume no more than six teaspoons of pure sugar per day.
If you consume too much sugar, the risk of developing:
overweight and obesity
diabetes
cardiovascular diseases
Therefore, always consume honey in moderation. Sweetening the tea or yoghurt with a little chestnut honey or other honey is healthier than using white sugar or sweetener.
