Halva has few competitors in terms of popularity among confectionery products. Chocolate, perhaps, yes, caramel sweets, used not as dessert dishes, but rather as a light entertainment between meals. And in the East, halva does not know competitors at all. And not only because of the taste, but also because of the useful properties of the delicacy.

Despite the fact that this is a real dessert, such as, for example, a cake or jam, it is also a truly healthy food for the body. It’s no joke, for several thousand years it has been cooked in the East, appreciated and sung in folklore. Strict Muslims do not treat harmful products this way.

What is halva made of
Halva in its original form is a thick dense mass of ground nuts or sesame seeds and honey. Sometimes eggs were added to it to create foam and “airiness” of the final product. However, even in ancient times, the Arabs learned to replace honey with sugar. And although halvah lost some of its original taste after such a substitution, this recipe turned out to be a little simpler and much cheaper than honey. Therefore, it was he who gained a foothold and became the most common throughout the world.

So, in Russia it was prepared already in the 19th century, using almost exclusively a “sugar” recipe. In addition, due to the lack and high cost of nuts, they began to be replaced with oilseeds, mainly sunflower seeds, and soon halva from seeds in Russia began to be recognized precisely as halva, and nut variants were considered as variations.

But the replacement of nuts with seeds did not affect the beneficial properties of halva as much as the replacement of honey with sugar. And in general, the benefits of halva for the body can be assessed as very, very significant.

The effect of halvah on the body
The most important difference between halva and traditional Slavic confectionery is the absence of flour components in its composition. This makes it a much healthier and healthier product than many buns, gingerbread and cookies. The basis of the composition of halvah is nuts or seeds. All of them are characterized by the presence of a large amount of fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals necessary for the development of a new plant from them.

The preparation of halva requires mechanical and thermal processing of these fruits. So, first they are finely ground, and then they are poured into sugar syrup or honey heated to a high temperature. In this case, some of the complex components of all seeds are partially split. Some vitamins in halva lose their biological activity, but some retain. And these remaining vitamins help our body to normalize metabolic processes, affect various organs and tissues, and strengthen the immune system.

Proteins and fats, having undergone such heating, are much easier to digest by the body. And this is one of the main advantages of heat treatment of products. Fats in the tissues are consumed to extract energy, and proteins are used to obtain the amino acids necessary to build the body’s own tissues. And, by the way, these same fats contribute to the sticking of the entire mass and maintaining the appropriate consistency of the whole dish. There is a little more oil in the seeds, because halva from seeds differs from, for example, almond halvah in lower density and higher viscosity.

Nuts provide fiber to the body. The benefit of fiber is that it stimulates the intestines, relieves constipation and reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the blood.

The mineral components that make up the chemical composition of halva – calcium, potassium, iron and some others – are not sensitive to heat treatment and enter the human digestive tract in full, and from there into the blood, with which they are carried throughout the body. And then they help to improve the condition of the blood itself, normalize pressure and heart rate, strengthen the joints.

Interestingly, sesame, from which luxurious tahini halva is made, contains more calcium than dairy products. Accordingly, tahini halva can compete with sour cream or cottage cheese in terms of benefits for joint health.

Sugar, which is part of the composition, strongly affects many organs and systems. On the one hand, it gives us energy and good mood. On the other hand, it destroys teeth and can lead to serious metabolic disorders, accompanied by obesity and diabetes. But halva is good with a combination of hearty nut filling with sugar. You won’t eat much of it – because of the nuts, but you will also cheer up – thanks to sugar. Therefore, it is the golden mean of sweetness and benefit.

Honey is not as harsh on the body as sugar. In addition, it contains many vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for everyone. But, alas, today honey is used only for making halva according to home recipes.

What is added
Very often, various foaming agents are added to the composition of halvah. If these are roots plants – licorice or marshmallow, they also bring certain beneficial substances to the body. If it is egg white, then it enriches the body with amino acids even more, among which, by the way, there are all indispensable for humans.

In the composition today, you can also find various flavoring and aromatic fillers in large quantities. They can be natural – chocolate, for example, or vanilla – also have useful qualities, or they can be synthetic, some of which are downright harmful. Therefore, in order not to feel the harm of halva on your body, when buying, you should carefully read the composition and prefer, though more expensive, but natural and healthy products.

And in general, the body will be grateful for a portion of such a delicacy. And if you please yourself with it occasionally and little by little, then any negative consequences can easily be avoided.