Explore The Uses Of Honey!

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.”  Proverbs 24:13

It can be spread on bread, added to tea, and used in baked goods. The possibilities with honey are endless! Not only is it sweet and delicious, but it’s also packed full of benefits to your health. Think it’s too good to be true?

Well it’s not! History shows us that honey has played an important part in medicine for hundreds of years. That’s due to its many amazing properties. Let’s look at some of the practical, fun ways to use honey and the ways we benefit from it!

1. Sugar substitute – As a general rule of thumb, use 1/2 – 3/4 cup of honey to 1 cup of sugar. Honey is much more beneficial than sugar. Looking at history, there’s a link between the increased intake of processed white sugar and a rise in obesity, mood disorders, cancers, lowered immune function and heart disease.

2. Full of nutrition! – There’s protein, fiber and 22 amino acids in honey. It also contains the minerals iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and calcium. AND honey has the vitamins folate, niacin, vitamin C and vitamin B6.

3. Weight loss aid – Honey is beneficial for metabolism function. It helps digest stored fat when consumed with warm water. In fact, honey has over 5000 enzymes! One of them being amylase – an enzyme that assists in digesting carbohydrates.

4. Energy source – Since the 64 calories per tablespoon in honey are so pure, they are easy for the body to digest. Which means less energy spent digesting and more left available for other activities!

5. Antioxidant – Honey has the ability to remove free radicals in the body. This helps to prevent cancer and degenerative diseases.

6. Antibacterial and antifungal properties – This makes honey a natural disinfectant.

7. Wound management – The antimicrobial properties of honey help to begin the healing process and speed it up. This makes it useful on sores and scrapes, skin ulcers, burns and wounds. Honey kills bacteria and reduces inflammation.

8. Soothes sore throat – Honey’s antibiotic properties make it very effective for this. Simply add it to tea or eat a spoonful.

9. Creates heathy skin – Drinking milk mixed with honey daily is a regular practice throughout much of the world. It’s known to bring smooth skin.

10. Combination soap and moisturizer – Simply rub onto skin and rinse off with warm water while gently exfoliating. This helps to treat acne and create baby-soft skin!

** Important Information: Do not feed honey to an infant under 1 year old. Here’s a quote from a reputable website that has information I’ve thoroughly appreciated on numerous topics:

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that raw honey not be given to infants under one year of age because of the rare possibility of being infected with the bacteria that causes botulism (Clostridium botulinum). Once a toddler reaches one year old, their digestive system is mature enough to kill any botulism germs.” Ask Dr.Sears

I’m providing that information because I never understood why everyone says no honey under one. In case you’re curious about what botulism is, it’s a serious food poisoning that if left untreated can lead to paralysis of the respiratory muscles, arms and legs.

However, our children with mature digestive systems can very safely consume honey. Once you begin regularly using it, I guarantee you’ll be hooked! But it’s important to remember that with honey, quality matters. Raw is by far the best way to buy honey. Commercial, processed honey is filtered and heated. This removes the majority of its nutritional value and instead creates a basic sweetener without all the benefits. Alternatively, raw honey is unaltered and possesses all the natural vitamins, enzymes and other nutritional properties. Buying raw honey can be a little more expensive, but it’s definitely worth it. It can be found at many grocery stores and health food stores. Here is the link to my source for the local, family owned honey I like to buy.

Three Bears Honey

I’m consistently pleased with the product!

Enjoy exploring the numerous uses of honey and reaping the benefits! I would love to hear any of your input on honey 🙂

Sources researched for this article:

Organic Facts

Pure Healing Foods

Whole New Mom

CDC Website