running: the dawn

When I was younger, I loved winnie the pooh.  I loved the songs he would sing.  I can still remember one to this day.  He would sing it first thing in the morning when he got out of bed and did his stretching routing (which I’m pretty sure was the only physical exercise he ever did that didn’t involve trying to get at something to eat).  It went “when I  up, down, touch the ground, puts me in the mood.  Up, down, touch the ground, in the mood, for food.”  (Just to be sure that I remembered it correctly, I found it on YouTube.  Sad how 20+ years later and I remembered it perfectly.)  And Pooh’s “food”?  Honey.  Actually he always spelled it Hunny, but that was another reason I liked him so much, he spelled like me.

I am beginning to think that I may be addicted to honey.  Lately I have been inventing new ways to eat the delectable sweetener.  I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches and since we don’t really keep much bread in the house I’ve started to eat honey and peanut butter roll ups with tortilla shells.  Oh so amazing!  I drizzle a couple spoonfuls on a bowl of frozen bing cherries (handpicked) or blueberries (also handpicked).  This is especially delightful because the cold of the cherries harden the honey some and make a hard-candy-like substance.  So good.  Then of course it goes into homemade smoothies!  Ok, if I’m being completely honest, there are even times when I just spoon the golden goodness into my mouth.

This got me to wonder, how “good” is honey?  I mean somewhere along the way I guess I just decided that honey was inherently better than sugar.  Like sugar is the evil stepsisters next to the Cinderella of honey.  How much of that is based on evidence and how much is just me wanting to feel good about something that I love…?

Well I’ve decided to explore that question.  First of all, I must say that I am not a dietician or nutritionist.  That means that any information I provide here is mainly based on a google search and not on any first-person research.  I teach math and run, so I am not qualified to make recommendations.

That being said, I did find some interesting information…

Here’s the not so good:
Honey has more calories (per serving) than table sugar.
Honey is higher on the glycemic index than sugar.

Here’s the good:
Honey tastes sweeter, so you use less of it.
Honey goes through less “processing” than sugar, so it’s considered more natural

Here’s the random stuff I’d never heard of:
Honey can be used as an antiseptic.
Honey is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungus.
Honey helps to absorb water, and therefore is sometimes recommended for kids who wet the bed.
Honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant

So, with all of that information, imagine my joy to find energy gels that are made from honey!  Some of the other types can give people upset stomachs or other GI problems, meanwhile this stuff I’ll be able to clean out any cuts I may get whilst running…right?  It is made with honey after all…