Healthy Honey

Last week I wrote about the complexity of honeycombs and the process by which bees make honey. Honey is a topic that frequently comes up in the Bible, appearing more than two dozens times. When speaking of honey, the Bible always indicates that it is good to eat in moderation. Consider these verses:

My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

Proverbs 24:13

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the body.

Proverbs 16:24

It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one's own glory.

Proverbs 25:27

This concept has caused people to scoff at the Bible for many years. After all, honey is fructose and sucrose, and contains more calories per teaspoon than white sugar (22 to 16). Is the Bible wrong or unscientific? Not at all. Honey was once frowned upon because it contains simple sugars, but nutritionists now reject their former notion that food is only the sum of the ingredients it contains. Those ingredients can work together in different ways. So while honey can raise A1C, it can actually regulate blood sugar and reduce body weight. Furthermore, honey can be used as a probiotic, it fights viruses and infections, suppresses coughs, soothes sore throats, boosts the immune system, reduces ulcers, increases athletic performance, and fights against certain cancers, among other things.

With all those benefits in mind, it is important not to overindulge in the sweet substance. Too much honey is unhealthy, just as consuming sugar brings undesired consequences.

In other words, honey is good for the body (Proverbs 16:24) so long as we do not eat too much (Proverbs 25:27). The amazing thing about this is not just that the Bible was right all along, but that it was right long before anyone could have known it scientifically. Not only can we trust God’s word, we can also enjoy the tasty sweetness our Creator gives us through the magnificent design of bees and honeycombs.