Topic: honey

The Benefits Of Raw Honey vs Conventional Honey

The Benefits Of Raw Honey vs Conventional Honey

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about the benefits of raw honey: it’s great for your immune system, it can help with allergies, it’s chock full of vitamins. But I wasn’t sure exactly what raw honey was, or what the difference was between raw honey and the honey you buy at the grocery store. So, armed with my curiosity, my sweet tooth and a boyfriend with terrible fall allergies, I learned more about raw honey and why it’s so good for your health. More »

Science Says Sugar Is Toxic; Are ‘Natural’ Sweeteners Better?

Science Says Sugar Is Toxic; Are 'Natural' Sweeteners Better?

We’ve known for a long time that eating sugar wont’ exactly further our weight loss goals, but increasingly, studies and media reports are telling us that sugar is actually toxic: It fuels cancer growth, speeds aging, and contributes to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The good news is that many health-conscious consumers have already started to proceed with caution when buying sweetened products. The bad news is that, with so many so-called “healthy” or “natural” sweeteners on the market, it can be pretty hard to figure out which, if any, are okay to consume. More »

Grocery Store Honey Isn’t Actually Honey, Tests Show

Grocery Store Honey Isn't Actually Honey, Tests Show

Ultra-filtered Chinese honey is devoid of bee pollen and can’t be classified as honey. It also makes up 3/4 of all honey sold in America. So when is honey not honey? When you buy it at an American grocery store, apparently—the majority of honey sold in U.S. supermarkets and drugstores has been processed into nutritional oblivion, according to Food Safety News. In fact, it’s been so ultra-filtered it doesn’t even meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s standards to be considered honey. Testing of more than 60s jars, jugs and plastic bears of honey found 76% was entirely free of bee pollen, which is what gives honey many of its vast medicinal and nutritional properties. Any product that’s had the pollen filtered completely out of it isn’t actually considered honey, according to the FDA. Without the pollen, that honey you’re buying is nothing more than sweet-tasting syrup. More »

Fall Health Syllabus: Nourish Your Mind And Body With These 7 New Books

Fall Health Syllabus: Nourish Your Mind And Body With These 7 New Books

Even if you’re not literally going ‘back to school,’ autumn is a great time to focus on self-improvement and learning new things. The following seven books, all broadly related to health and happiness, offer instruction on everything from increasing your happiness, willpower, and attention span to decreasing negative thought cycles and exposure to toxins. Add one (or all seven!) to your personal health lesson plan now. More »

Summer Seasonables: Easy Zucchini, Summer Squash & Currant Muffin Recipe

Summer Seasonables: Easy Zucchini, Summer Squash & Currant Muffin Recipe

With squash and zucchini still leftover from Saturday’s farmer’s market, plus some pink and red currants that were too bitter to eat on their own, I decided the only thing to do was make muffins. A little wheat flour, flaxseed, buckwheat honey and rice milk (plus a trip to the corner store for baking powder and baking soda) later, I had muffins that are sweet enough to eat for dessert but healthy enough to eat for breakfast. More »

Summer Thirst Quencher: Spiced Bourbon Honey Iced Tea

Summer Thirst Quencher: Spiced Bourbon Honey Iced Tea

I was going to post this tomorrow, but if you’re in a part of the country that’s in the midst of a heat wave right now (it’s 96 degrees where I am, with a heat index of about 115), you might appreciate this thirst-quenching (and not-so-unhealthy) spiced bourbon and honey iced tea right now. We’ve been making it by the gallon around here, because it’s easy to make and just right for hot summer evenings (just remember in the morning that there’s bourbon in it; we’ve had mishaps…). More »

Dry Skin? Honey, Look No Further

Dry Skin? Honey, Look No Further

Not long ago, I was walking by a spa that was promoting its Manuka Honey Facial. I didn’t know what “manuka” was (I later found out it’s a type of flower—the bee’s pollen source), but a honey facial just sounded messy. I later came across another honey treatment—a body cream—that was less intimidating. It looked like a lotion and seemed to have nothing in common with honey. My curiosity was stoked: Why honey? More »

Know Your Honey: Different Varietals Have Different Benefits

Know Your Honey: Different Varietals Have Different Benefits

For intense allergy sufferers, the idea that eating local honey can reduce allergy symptoms seems almost too good to be true. And according to a new study, it is. Writing for the New York Times, Anahad O’Connor debunks the theory that eating locally-produced honey will help you with seasonal allergies:

“Scientists followed dozens of allergy sufferers through the springtime allergy season. The subjects were randomly split into three. One consumed a tablespoonful daily of locally collected, unpasteurized and unfiltered honey; another ate commercial honey; and a third was given a corn syrup placebo with synthetic honey flavoring.”

After tracking the subjects’ symptoms for months, the scientists found that neither of the honey groups saw improvements over the placebo group. But that doesn’t mean honey isn’t good for you anymore. More »

Turn Your Kitchen Pantry Into Your Bathroom Vanity: 10 Kitchen Staples That Can Make You Beautiful

Turn Your Kitchen Pantry Into Your Bathroom Vanity: 10 Kitchen Staples That Can Make You Beautiful

Whether you live in a small space or just like to minimize clutter, finding products that multitask is never a bad thing. It saves space, time, and money, and it’s good eco-practice to keep fewer products and less packaging lying around the house. That’s why we like the idea of a kitchen that doubles as a day spa (and foods that double as beauty products). Here are 10 things (that you probably already have) in your kitchen that do double duty in your bathroom: More »

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