When it comes to building lean muscle, there are various supplements on the market that can help you achieve your goals.  However, many of these muscle building supplements are synthetic and contain harmful ingredients that can harm the body if taken long term.

In fact, those looking to build muscle naturally can get all the required nutrients needed through a healthy muscle building diet.  Vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are much more bioavailable to the body than synthetic protein shakes and bars.

In addition to good diet, various superfoods such as raw Manuka honey can help aid in recovery and build lean muscle.  Ancient Maori warriors of New Zealand used Manuka honey extensively for both its healing and regenerative properties.

Interestingly, out of all the honeys available on the market, raw Manuka honey is the most sought after by health conscious individuals.  This is because Manuka has been studied extensively by scientist and has a proven track record of being safe and effective.  It is considered to be one of the most powerful medicinal honeys in the world!

That being said, Manuka honey can make an excellent addition to any muscle building program and can aid in both fat loss and muscle growth.

Below are 5 ways in which Manuka honey can help build lean muscle mass

1. Muscle Building Amino Acids – Manuka Honey

Manuka honey contains an extremely impressive amino acid profile which can help regenerate and rebuild the body after hard workouts.  To be exact, Manuka contains 22 amino acids that are completely bioavailable to the body.

Those taking a synthetic branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplement should seriously consider switching over to raw Manuka honey.  Unlike synthetic BCAA supplements, Manuka honey is a whole food and contains a wide array of beneficial factors and works intelligently with the body.  Unfortunately, there are no long term studies showing the safety of long term synthetic BCAA supplements which should raise concern to anyone taking these supplements.

Research published in Pharmacognosy Research showed that Manuka contains all 9 essential amino acids and all the nonessential amino acids except for asparagine and glutamine (1).

Simply taking a few spoonful of Manuka honey throughout the day makes an excellent on-the-go snack that will provide you with every single amino acid required for muscle building.

Essential Amino Acids such as the ones found in raw Manuka honey have been shown to increase lean body mass, strength, and muscle function (2). 

It’s imperative that your amino acids are coming from whole food sources such as Manuka honey. Synthetic supplements are not recognized by the human body and no scientific studies have shown their safety when used long term.

2. Contains Essential Vitamins and Minerals

It’s been estimated that over half of the United States population is suffering from a mineral deficiency, magnesium in particular (3).

Modern farming techniques, poor soil, and the standard American diet (SAD) are all to blame for this dramatic increase in mineral deficiencies.  Poor gut health and overgrowths of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts are also to blame for this sudden rise in mineral deficiencies.

When adequate levels of vitamins and minerals are not present in the body, building lean muscle can become an impossible task.  In fact, certain minerals such as chromium, boron, and vanadium have been shown to promote anabolic activity by potentiating the effects of insulin or testosterone (4).

Raw Manuka honey contains an abundance of trace minerals that critical for your muscle building goals.  It’s also full of B-vitamins which are extremely important for both athletes and individuals who train regularly in the gym.

Research conducted at Oregon State University found that the B-vitamins play an  extremely important role in converting proteins and sugars into energy, and are used during the production and repair of cells (5).

By consuming Manuka honey, you’re essentially protecting yourself from developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies and giving your body the necessary materials in order to build lean muscle.

3. Excellent for Restoring Glycogen Levels

Many who are into fitness and bodybuilding are all too familiar with consuming the “post workout shake.”  Many of these shakes include dextrose, which is an isolated form of glucose.  Research shows that dextrose can restore depleted glycogen levels after an intense workout.

However, there have been no long term studies testing the safety of dextrose powder.  That being said, if you can’t find it nature, chances are you shouldn’t be consuming it.

Luckily, Manuka honey contains all the glucose you need after completing an intense workout.  In fact, research published in the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine found that runners treated with a honey drink were able to effectively boost depleted glucose levels in the body quickly and effectively which resulted in better performance (6).

Blending raw Manuka honey, a couple bananas or dates, and some raw organic pastured eggs makes an excellent post workout recovery drink that can help build lean muscle, boost overall recovery, and increase athletic performance.

4. Helps Heal the Gut

Many do not take gut health into account when looking for ways to build muscle; however, it plays an integral role in the body’s ability to put on lean muscle mass.  This is because when we exhibit poor gut health, we are not able to make use of many of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids present in foods.

Various pathogenic overgrowths such as bacteria and yeasts also play a role in how well we are able to utilize the nutrients found in our food.  It’s been shown that candida, pathogenic yeast, can actually affect micronutrient absorption which can lead to the inability to recover (7).

Luckily, Manuka does a wonderful job at correcting the microbiome and ridding the gut of various forms of pathogens.  Research published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine found that honey is able to inhibit the growth of various candida species in the gut through its strong antimicrobial properties (8).

For this reason, raw Manuka honey is recommended for anyone looking to improve their nutrient absorption and increase their chances of building lean muscle.

5. Keeps you Healthy

This is no secret; Manuka honey can keep you incredibly healthy and can help you get the most out of your workouts.  It’s hard to build muscle when the body is constantly run down, sick, and tired. 

Due to the anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties present in Manuka honey, it makes an excellent option for anyone looking to avoid the doctor and stay healthy for their workouts.

In fact, Manuka honey has been shown to inhibit the flu virus making it an excellent alternative medicine for protecting the body (9).

Taking a few teaspoons each day of Manuka honey can keep the body amazingly health so that more time can be focused on your muscle building goals.

Conclusion

Taking a quality raw Manuka honey is an excellent idea for anyone looking to build lean muscle and get in shape. Its amino acid profile is highly unique and a much better option when compared to many synthetic branched chained amino acid supplements.

It also provides the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs in order to perform at its best day in and day out.  Replacing Manuka with dextrose powder is also a great since it’s extremely good a restoring glycogen levels and is completely natural unlike dextrose.

Furthermore, Manuka can help restore normal gut function thus increasing the available of vitamins and minerals found within food.  This essentially gives the body more raw materials that it can use in order to build lean muscle mass.