Can honey really help in weight loss...?

Obesity is a big concern these days as obesity, hypertension and diabetes go hand in hand.We see people struggling for weight loss. They prey for commercial, fancy and non-healthy diets .
 Sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits lead to improper digestion resulting in over accumulation of medo dhatu.

Honey in water, cinnamon water with honey and lemon honey are famous easy weight loss formulas for many .  Weight loss may happen or may not but a person can get acidity with regular cinnamon! 

Qualities of Madhu (Honey):

•  Heavy to digest- So it should be taken in a small quantity otherwise it can lead to indigestion. Indigestion of honey is very difficult to treat.
• Cold
• Dry
• Increases Vata and alleviates kapha.
• Chhedana -removes kapha and meda (body fat)
• Sweet , after taste is astringent
• Improves digestion
• Yogavahi ( It works as a catalyst substance to transport the medicinal properties of herbs into the body.) So it is used as an adjuvant with many Ayurvedic medicines.

So, it is not very nourishing but more opposite properties to as that of Medo dhatu. So it helps in reducing meda.

Nutritional value:

• It is basically Fructose, a sugar.
• Free of fat
• It has healthy glycemic index, so it is slowly absorbed into bloodstream so resulting in better digestion of sugar. 
• Contains few natural vitamins and minerals. It is better than table sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Contraindications:

• Honey should not be taken hot or with hot foods, as according to Ayurveda , it is a nectar collected from different flowers, some of which might be poisonous, when heated it's potency may increase. 
• Honey is not good for a person who is exhausted with heat.
• Honey and ghee should not be taken in equal quantity the study revealed that heated honey (>140°C) mixed with ghee produces HMF which may produce deleterious effects and act as a poison in due course (Ushnam cha samagrutham madhu marayati).*
• Honey should not be taken with salt.
• Should not be taken by diabetics.

Honey alone is not enough for weight loss. 

What other things are suggested for weight loss?

• Panchakarma procedures such as Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Raktamokshana
• Exercise
• Diet control- Avoid taking sweet, unctuous foods in large quantity
• Svedana(Steam bath)
• Dry and ununctuous foods
• Honey with Triphala or Hirade or Agastyaprash. Here honey acts as catalyst and improves the action of these medicines.
• Massage with dry powders like Triphala powder.

What's the conclusion?

Honey can help in weight loss but when taken along with other healthy eating habits and active lifestyle.