With the mention of the term honey, what comes to your mind? Some people refer to it as a fruit, while others describe it as a type of sweet liquid material. Honey is not something that has come up today. It is among the most popular and famous foods known since ancient old. It is a natural liquid constituting a large amount of nutrition. This is what makes it so essential to the point of making it a recommended medicine for body care. To ensure it is used correctly, there is a great need to know exactly what classification of food is honey.
What classification of food is honey, according to FDA?
Over the past few years, the U.S Department of Food and Drug Administration has been laying much focus aimed at helping Americans make smart dietary choices. It is this move that saw the rise of the Food Guide Pyramid. The main idea behind the development of the pyramid was to help the residents know the foods they should eat more for a healthy body. With the move, then our questions come in; under what type of foods has honey been classified in the pyramid?
Having a look at the pyramid, at the very bottom, we find foods consisting of bread, pasta, and cereals. Next in the listing, we find fruits and vegetables followed by dairy products, including meat, dry beans, and eggs. At the very top comes the category of fats, sweets, and oils. With these categories well listed, honey does not fall into any of the groups in the pyramid. Then in which type of food does it fall?
What exactly is honey?
According to the U.S Department of FDA, honey is considered a kind of liquid food that is hard to find anywhere. The material behind the production of this sweet fluid comes from living parts of plants. The flower nectar is the most basic, which means the materials are natural. Bees collect these materials during scarcity times, deposit them, and leave them in honeycombs to mature.
Based on the information above, bees make honey out of naturally sweet and liquid food items. With the original material being natural sources, then honey does not fall into any category of food group. It is just a type of sugar that can be used as a substitute for white sugar. Many people like using it in baked foods or tea to add a sweeter taste to them. Research shows that one tablespoon of honey contains 17 grams of carbohydrates, 64 grams of calories, and 16 grams of sugar. Through this description, it is evident honey does not contain any specific food section that can make it separated from other food items.
Does it have any health benefits?
Despite having not been included in the food pyramid, does it mean it is not necessary for our bodies? Does it have any health benefits? As mentioned earlier in this post, many people usually add honey to their tea and other food items as a replacement for sugar. When it comes to its value, the real benefit depends on the quality of the flowers from where the raw materials were collected. This means honey differs depending on the raw materials, but they all have health benefits since they are stored without any form of pasteurization or heating.
Completely raw honey includes flavonoids and polyphenols, which function as antioxidants in our bodies. This means honey is very beneficial more so in helping prevent cell damage. It also contains protective effects for health treatments such as diabetes and other complicated body complications. More to this, it acts as a medication for high blood sugar as it helps control sugar levels in our body organs.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the food pyramid, all types of foods have been included, except for honey. This is what brought us to the question, is honey a type of food? And if so, in which classification of food is honey listed by the FDA? Through our post, it is now clear that honey is not included in any food category. It is instead classified as a type of sugar that is better than white sugar, and therefore, it is high time we start adding it to our foods and drinks.
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