Nothing so Sweet as Honey
By Cloverleaf
If you’re looking for a sweet and naturally healthy alternative to sugar, then you might want to consider the great health benefits of honey.
Honey is a deliciously sweet, golden substance that is formed by honey bees. The honey bees gather nectar from flowers which gets broken down into glucose and fructose thanks to the special enzymes produced by the bees’ saliva. As it is transferred back to the hive it then becomes stored in the honeycombs as honey.
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The sweetness from glucose and fructose is relatively similar to that of sugar, and so honey makes a great substitution.
The unique creation of honey is one of nature’s little miracles! Research indicates that raw honey can be a powerful antioxidant: an antimicrobial agent that is resistant to bacteria, mould and fungus and can be stored for years without going bad. It’s no wonder that honey has so many health benefits. As well as the many nutritional benefits that honey provides, it also works wonders on your skin, too. Applied topically, the healing properties of honey are quite remarkable; for hundreds of years, honey has been used therapeutically as a natural antiseptic to treat wounds, burns and ulcers.
Here are a few suggestions for making the most out of a delicious jar of honey:-
- Instead of sugar, add honey to your coffee or tea for daily antioxidant benefits.
- Try oatmeal and honey for a great bedtime snack that is healthy and could even help you to sleep better.
- Apply honey to minor wounds or burns. It acts as a natural antiseptic and helps to prevent infection.
- Try making your own Banana Honey Foot Cream. It’s an amazing nourishing treat for tired, overworked feet.
- Feel under the weather? Take a little honey with some fresh orange segments. While the orange contains a healthy supply of vitamin C, honey gives the body a natural immunity boost.
- For a natural relief to a stubborn cough, try taking a dose of buckwheat honey. It’s a very natural cough suppressant that is thought to be particularly effective for young children.
- Gargle with a mixture of warm water, honey, lemon juice and salt to relieve a sore throat.
- Mix a little honey into plain yoghurt to naturally sweeten it up and make it more interesting.
- For a delicious and nutritious chocolate milk drink, combine soymilk, honey and unsweetened dark chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.
- Make plain water more exciting by adding a drizzle of honey and a slice of lemon.
- For a morning-after hangover remedy, blend liquid honey with fruit juice and plain yoghurt. The honey will be kind to your stomach and could help speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver.
- Kids love the sweet taste of honey, so for an alternative to peanut butter and jam pack them a peanut butter and honey sandwich instead.
Now you have plenty of ideas for putting a jar of honey to great use. Enjoy discovering the incredible soothing and healing effects that honey provides, as well as its delicious sweetness and nutritional benefits. You might even consider never adding sugar to your food again!
Comments
Pamela thanks again for the great support, I appreciate it!
How very Interesting the many uses of Honey, Lots to think about and try...and I will! Thank you Cloverleaf.
Hi b.Malin, great to see you again. I always enjoy reading your comments, thank you.
I love honey. A friend has bee hives and that all natural local honey is amazingly good. Thanks for inspiration. I am going to use more honey:)
Ooooh local honey I bet it's delicious. I'm drooling, Hyph!
I'm drooling! A little honey would taste great right now. Thanks, Clover.
Susie, we could all use a few natural remedies. I was just reading your vitamin and herb blog and you have some very nice suggestions on there also! Nicely put together!
Thanks for reading my blog! I try to write about both vitamins and herbs. Herbs aren't for everybody, we all need to eat!
Great hub. My brother had me get some of our famous Sourwood Honey for him this past weekend.
Fiddleman,
Sourwood honey is quite rare isn't it? I am very envious! Thanks for coming by to read and comment :-)
Cloverleaf
I love putting honey on pancakes, taste yummy! :) Great hub!
Hi Pinkish,
I think you are right, honey is delicious on pancakes! Thanks so much for stopping by to read and comment on my hub :-)
Cloverleaf.
Great hub! We buy honey by the gallon! We use it to sweeten drinks. I especially like it with hot tea. I have used it with lemon juice as a cough syrup. You have so many other great ideas - I may have to start buying it 2 gallons at a time! :)
Thanks for this super reminder of the benefits of honey. Voted up and bookmarked.
We had honey from Cameroon once. Can you just imagine the aroma and flavors that would come from their fabulous plants?! It was like nothing before or since, although we do get wonderful local honey for our blueberry patch people.
Earlier today I read a hub reminding me of apple cider vinegar's benefits and I remembered that we put a spoonful of honey in the two tablespoons of AC when we used it years ago. I'll try to find that and mention this on that hub.
Hi homesteadbound,
It's funny that you should mention that because I was just reading a great hub by Dexter Yarborough on the health benefits of green tea, something I just love with a little bit of honey. You should swing by and see Dexter if you haven't already - tell him I sent you!
Glad you enjoyed the hub, have a great evening :-)
Cloverleaf.
Hi RTalloni,
You're making me drool thinking about eating honey from Cameroon! It's flavour does vary somewhat depending on its origin. My mother in law sometimes brings us fresh, local honey from her home province of Nova Scotia and it's always a delectable treat.
I would be interested to read the hub you mentioned, about apple cider vinegar's benefits. That's very thoughtful of you to think of mentioning my hub to compliment that one, thank you :-)
Cloverleaf.
Hi Cloverleaf
your hub is really very useful, as it shows the real substitute of sugar. many people are diabetic, so they can use honey.
what a great hub!! the honey and milk bath is said to be the secret behind cleopatras beauty!! honey seems to be the secret ingredient responsible for yours as well :)
carrie
I never thought to put honey on pancakes, great idea!
I JUST made tea with honey this morning. I started adding honey instead of sugar while I was in college because I figured honey might be healthier! Win!
anupma,
carriethomson,
heaneyl,
cjcarter,
Thank you all for your valuable feedback and comments! Honey is so good for us. I even have honey on toast for breakfast sometimes, too! It's so versatile!
Here's to much more hub-sharing in the future,
All the best,
Cloverleaf.
Cloverleaf- another great hub!
I love honey! I'll use it on almost everything and anything. The honey bee is an remarkable insect that doing a fantastic job. In my garden I always make sure there are flowers and plants that attract the honey bee. Honey bees in the garden means a healthy garden!
I always put honey on a skin burn and it does wonders.
Very informative and interesting hub!
Sannel
I love honey. Nothing is better than peanut butter and honey on whole grain bread. Yum. Thanks Cloverleaf. I am going right now to make honey sweetened tea and a sandwich.
Hi SanneL, great comment and it sounds as though you have an amazing garden! I find that honey is the best thing for a skin burn too, it's very soothing and reduces the swelling almost immediately. Have a great day!
Cloverleaf
Oh Hyph you're making me hungry now. I LOVE peanut butter and honey! I hope you enjoyed your sandwich and tea :)
Cloverleaf.
Pamela99 9 months ago
I love green tea with a little honey. This hub has many great suggestions. Rated up and useful.