Honey: The Sweetener that Nourishes

Raw Honey

“Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.” Proverbs 24:13

Honey is a natural sweetener that is actually GOOD for us. White sugar can shut down our immune system and pulls nutrients from our bodies. In contrast, honey (specifically raw and local) nourishes our bodies and can be used medicinally. Honey is full of vitamins and minerals. Honey has no side effects, and is known for curing all sorts of ailments. My family makes it a point to use honey in place of sugar in a lot of our baking, cooking, smoothies, and teas, among other things. Honey is truly one of the many naturally occurring (yet underrated) super-foods. It has been enjoyed and appreciated by many people groups around the world for thousands of years. Why don’t we use more of it?

Bee hives in my backyard.
Thank you little bees for all the work you do!

Raw Local Honey

Honey has health benefits even when heated, but raw (unprocessed and unheated) honey is the best for you. Honey is perfect straight from the bee hive.  

Just as pasteurization kills important enzymes in milk, heat kills valuable enzymes in honey. Raw honey is easy to digest, and can aid your body in the digestion of other foods.

Eating local raw honey helps with seasonal allergies. Honey bees find nectar from whatever flowers happen to be in bloom. Nutrients and pollen from these plants get mixed in the honey. Eating bee pollen can help your body build up immunity to the plants causing seasonal allergies.

Raw honey can also contain bits of propolis—a sticky sap-like substance that bees use to repair their hive. It is antibacterial and fights against viruses.

Note: Do not give honey to babies. It is said that a baby’s digestive system cannot handle some of the bacteria found in honey. However there is controversy over this issue among raw honey activists. Personally, I would be on the safe side by not giving honey to babies, as well as thoroughly researching this topic. 

Raw honey cinnamon toast--YUM!

A few honey remedies:

• When someone in my family starts to feel a little sick, one of the first things we do is take raw honey and fresh crushed garlic on a spoon. We do this a few times throughout the day. More times than not, we fight off the sickness before it even turns into a real cold.

• Drinking lots of liquids is very important when trying to fight off a sickness. Herbal hot tea with raw honey is very soothing when you are sick or have a sore throat. All the great stuff in honey helps your body heal itself quickly.

• Raw honey heals externally. Honey is known for healing open-wound infections and burns.

• Make honey your primary sweetener and you are sure to loose your extra weight, and gain energy.

• Honey makes a great face mask! My sisters and I will rub raw honey on our faces to make our skin soft, or to heal our skin from acne. Let the honey sit on your skin for about 20 minutes. It washes off easily with warm water.

• The combination of honey and cinnamon is one of those “cure-all” remedies. It is said to cure heart disease. For breakfast, I often eat a slice of homemade bread with raw butter, raw honey, and cinnamon on top (check out my picture above). It makes a very healthy and simple breakfast. It’s filling, and packed with lots of powerful nutrients to help me start out my day.

• For a treat, you can always simply eat raw honey right off the spoon.  It’s a great snack, whether you’re sick or just feeling hungry.

Where do I find it?

You can find local raw honey in most health food stores. You can also order it online, but it won’t have pollen from plants in your area.

Tracking down a local bee farmer is your best option. You not only get the best quality honey for the best price, but you can build a relationship with your farmer while being in touch with where your honey comes from. (It’s always a comfort for me to know that my honey does not come from China and has not been messed with.) Here is a website of a small bee farmer in my area: www.fisherhoneybees.com.