Sometimes the oldest health remedies are the best, and that goes
for raw honey. Thousands of years before white sugar was processed and
set upon the world (the same stuff that's responsible for so many of
today's health problems), honey was being used for health issues, as a
sweetener, as a preservative, and even in sacred offerings. One could
write a whole page on the health benefits of honey. Most importantly it
contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and natural
antioxidants.
Honey in its natural state comes right from the hive. Bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers, and in the hive it is mixed with enzymes and proteins produced by the bees. Through a procedure called regurgitation the honey is formed, then it is thickened through evaporation by the bees fanning their wings. This is pure honey.
Like most foods that provide health benefits, not all honey off the grocery shelves will yield equal benefits.
Unfortunately most of the honey you purchase from the local supermarket has been heavily processed. When a food is chemically refined, much of the products original healthy benefits are eliminated. Furthermore, commercial honey in the processing stage is often heated excessively, as a result destroying the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
An interesting sidebar to unfiltered honey is its effect on allergy sufferers. The idea is that a person should take small doses of unfiltered local honey, which is honey that is harvested within a few miles from where a person lives. That pollen in honey comes from plants that will give the allergy sufferer problems. By taking a daily dose in small amounts, it acts like an allergy shot, thus building an immunity to that particular pollen.
Even though many people swear by this, there is no scientific evidence to support it, and there likely will not be any tests in the near future. The reason being that it will be hard to find funding, as the pollen has to be collected locally, giving this a very narrow-based result. Also, for some people the pollen they get from local honey may give negative results if they are extremely sensitive to that pollen. But if you are troubled by allergies and are into trying a different remedy, find a local producer of honey and see if you get results.
Many people apparently do.
Remember, as with most healthy foods honey has a warning label. It contains a lot of fructose, and with all the sugar-containing foods with adding one more to your diet you must proceed with caution. It would be wise to limit your intake of honey to less than one teaspoon a day, and for even greater health benefits eliminate an equal amount of sugar from other sources.
Here are a few of some other benefits of raw honey:
1. Helps the digestive track by promoting the growth of healthy bacteria.
2. Can assist some people with sleeping.
3. The antioxidants help to block free radicals, which among other things makes your skin look better.
4. Can be used in place of cane or beet sugar as a much healthier alternative.
5. Doesn't need refrigeration.
Honey in its natural state comes right from the hive. Bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers, and in the hive it is mixed with enzymes and proteins produced by the bees. Through a procedure called regurgitation the honey is formed, then it is thickened through evaporation by the bees fanning their wings. This is pure honey.
Like most foods that provide health benefits, not all honey off the grocery shelves will yield equal benefits.
Unfortunately most of the honey you purchase from the local supermarket has been heavily processed. When a food is chemically refined, much of the products original healthy benefits are eliminated. Furthermore, commercial honey in the processing stage is often heated excessively, as a result destroying the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
An interesting sidebar to unfiltered honey is its effect on allergy sufferers. The idea is that a person should take small doses of unfiltered local honey, which is honey that is harvested within a few miles from where a person lives. That pollen in honey comes from plants that will give the allergy sufferer problems. By taking a daily dose in small amounts, it acts like an allergy shot, thus building an immunity to that particular pollen.
Even though many people swear by this, there is no scientific evidence to support it, and there likely will not be any tests in the near future. The reason being that it will be hard to find funding, as the pollen has to be collected locally, giving this a very narrow-based result. Also, for some people the pollen they get from local honey may give negative results if they are extremely sensitive to that pollen. But if you are troubled by allergies and are into trying a different remedy, find a local producer of honey and see if you get results.
Many people apparently do.
Remember, as with most healthy foods honey has a warning label. It contains a lot of fructose, and with all the sugar-containing foods with adding one more to your diet you must proceed with caution. It would be wise to limit your intake of honey to less than one teaspoon a day, and for even greater health benefits eliminate an equal amount of sugar from other sources.
Here are a few of some other benefits of raw honey:
1. Helps the digestive track by promoting the growth of healthy bacteria.
2. Can assist some people with sleeping.
3. The antioxidants help to block free radicals, which among other things makes your skin look better.
4. Can be used in place of cane or beet sugar as a much healthier alternative.
5. Doesn't need refrigeration.
Eating a healthy diet not only means adding healthy foods to your diet such as honey, but staying away from certain types of foods. Read more on our website http://healtheybalanceddiet.com/. And so many of the things that give us these healthy joints are the same things that keep our liver healthy. Read more on our website http://liverissues.com/. Rich Carroll is a writer and avid health advocate now living in Chicago.
