Alright, we’re calling it: those last two years were a fluke. THIS is the year we finally start eating healthy and losing weight. Probably. Maybe. We’ll see.

If you, like us, are ready to start eating healthier, raw & unfiltered honey can help. Yes, a food that’s mostly sugar can help you lose weight. It’s just a question of when and how you eat it.

When to Eat Honey: Any time You’re Craving Sugar

At this point, the science is in on carbs. While you don’t need to cut them out completely to lose weight, it’s beyond any doubt that the typical American diet is too heavy in carbs. Simple sugars in particular have little nutritional value, while also being dangerous easily to overeat. Instead of filling you up, they tend to feel like you aren’t eating much at all, tempting you to eat more.

An easy example is a sugary soda, tea or coffee. These drinks can easily have dozens of grams of sugar, meaning hundreds of calories – and they’re hardly a meal replacement. Next time you’re craving a sweet drink, try having a spoonful of honey on its own, then having an unsweetened beverage like sparking water or black coffee.

You’ll get your sugar fix without the temptation to load up on more sugar, and you’ll cut out plenty of calories instantly. While a can of soda can have more than 140 calories, and a mocha or frappe can have 250+, a tablespoon of honey only has about 63 calories. For some perspective, a tablespoon is quite a bit of honey – basically a mouthful. That’s probably more than you’ll want to eat all at once – even if it’s your favorite varietal.

How to Eat Honey: A Little at a Time, All the Time

This tip is a bit more complicated metabolically, but it all boils down to a simple weight-loss rule: eat small amounts of honey regularly throughout the day, from the moment you wake up to just before going to sleep. It’s counterintuitive to think that eating sugar could help you lose weight, but to your body, it’s the most natural thing you can do.

Honey is made up of fructose and glucose, two of the most common simple sugars out there, along with sucrose and lactose, though there are plenty more. In small, small doses – much smaller than a sugary soft drink or dessert – they are a perfect source of fuel for the brain and body. In large doses, they can cause a sugar crash, headache, and weight gain.

When you regularly fuel your brain and body with honey, you’re less likely to experience sugar crashes and energy troughs throughout the day. Dr. Ron Fessenden, the Honey Doctor, refers to these as examples of metabolic stress, which can lead to inflammation and a variety of diseases that affect the entire body.

By thinking about your health holistically, and not just trying to lose weight, you can get the result you’re looking for without a crash diet or huge lifestyle change. It’s amazing what taking better care of yourself can do.

If you want to learn more about honey and health, reach out to Dr. Fessenden at honeydoctor@localhivehoney.com or purchase one of his books on our site.