A place of encouragement:

Living By Faith, Walking in the Light, Saved By His Amazing Grace

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Raw Honey

First I want to start by saying that for years I have cooked and baked from scratch! I've always used real food....Oh I still have processed food in my pantry like crackers and some junk food but, for the most part I am a homemade kind of girl!! Over the last couple of years I have been eliminating processed foods from our diets. I use to use canned cream soups for my casseroles but now I make my own. It's the little steps I have been making that has brought real, whole food completely to my kitchen! The more I read labels the more I am floored by all the unreadable, chemical ingredients they call preservatives in their boxed, processed, nutritionally depleted excuses for food! Okay I'm done! More on whole and real foods in another post!

I was never a fan of honey. I never really cared for the taste.....Until I tried raw honey for the first time a couple of years ago! And it's amazing!

I've been reading and studying up on this incredible God given power food and I am in awe! As most of you know refined sugar is not good for you....mentally it creates havoc in your brain. It literally short circuits the hard wiring of one of the most powerful and most important organs you posses! Don't believe me? Feed your child sugar, wait a few minutes and watch the horror take place. They go from the ultimate high to major melt downs in just minutes! I've seen it....I've witnessed it with my own children! I've witnessed the effects it has on me...feeling sluggish and heavy. The more sugar I take in the more headaches I get.

Physically it creates a much larger waist line... I am also witness to that! It causes diabetes and heart disease and many other health related issues.

I know what some of you may be thinking "Everything in moderation." or "What isn't bad for you?" Well that use to be my thinking too. But if you were given a choice to choose between chemically refined and processed food that even in small consumption can cause diseases like cancer...Verses God's raw unrefined super foods that burst with age defying properties and healing powers would you really feel good about choosing what's not natural?

It is said that Raw Honey contains at least 181 known substances, nutrients, such as amino acids, natural carbohydrates, as well as trace enzymes, minerals(including calcium, fluoride,iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium.) Vitamins including vitamin C, folate and choline.) But the vitamins and minerals are not the only thing that makes this super food powerful, the power of honey is that it is rich in antioxidants and that's where the real power lies!

Processed verses raw: Processed is just that. Processed honey is made with fillers (Which are chemicals) to remove little imperfections to make it look pretty. In the process it strips the honey of all it's healing properties and nutrients.  Processed honey can be watered down by nearly 20%!

The benefits of raw honey are numerous and honey has been around a really long time! the records of using honey for it's medicinal and nutritional properties dates back to 4000 years ago!  I read an article quite a few years ago about some archaeologists who found honey in one of the tombs in the pyramids over in  Egypt.....The honey was still good! I mean it was still good enough to eat 2000 years later! I don't believe I know of any other natural food that has a longer shelf life with out the use of man made preservatives, Do you? Honey is found in the Bible many times! It was one of the main staples in their diet! The phrase "Milk and honey" was used at least 21 times. Honey was often given as a gift and was widely know back then for it's healing powers!

Before I leave you all and go about my day I wanted to share this information with you. I also will be sharing more about my adventures with raw honey in some of my future posts Like recipes and things that I have found that work well and also where I get my raw honey! Hopefully this post has sparked a little interest and is leaving you thinking about cutting down on all that refined sugar or maybe even eliminating it completely!

It is stated that when you mix cinnamon and raw honey it will cure many ailments. Here are a few I have found on line:
1) A paste of cinnamon and natural, raw, honey spread on bread and eaten regularly has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease [site of study: nursing homes in America and Canada].

2) 1 cup hot water, 2 tbs raw honey and 1 small tsp of cinnamon powder taken every morning and night can help with arthritis pain [site of study: Copenhagen University].
3) 2 tbs cinnamon and 1 tsp raw honey in a glass of lukewarm water speeds recovery from bladder infections.
4) 3 tsp. cinnamon powder and 2 tbs raw honey mixed in 16 ounces of water can “reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours”.  The journal also reports that raw honey eaten daily can reduce complaints of cholesterol.
5) 1 tbs of lukewarm raw honey with 1/4 spoonful of cinnamon powder daily for three days can help kick your mild or severe cold.
6) Raw honey + cinnamon powder can help cure upset stomachs, and attacks stomach ulcers at their roots!
7) Studies in India and Japan show that raw honey + cinnamon powder can help relieve the stomach of gas.
8.) Raw honey and cinnamon help protect the immune system from viral attacks
9) Apparently… a scientist in Spain showed there is a special ‘ingredient’ in raw honey that can help save patients from influenza!
10) 4 tsp. raw honey, 1 tsp cinnamon powder and 3 cups of boiled water for tea can “arrest the ravages of old age”.  Keep your skin fresh with a natural remedy that tastes good!
11) Sip on 1 tbs raw honey every 3 hours when you have a raspy, sore throat to improve your symptoms and get back to feeling yourself.
12) For you youngsters with acne problems: Use 3 tbs raw honey + 1 tsp cinnamon powder to make a paste.  Apply it to your face at night and wash it off in the AM.  Repeat this for TWO WEEKS and note the beautiful difference in your skin.
13) Put some raw honey + cinnamon powder on your eczema, ringworm, and other skin infections to help cure them faster.
14) Drink some raw honey and cinnamon in boiled water 30 minutes before breakfast (make sure your stomach is empty) and before you go to bed.  It can help with weight loss.  Regular consumption of this concoction does not allow fat to accumulate throughout the body.
15) Studies in Japan and Australia show that stomach and bone cancer have successfully been cured with the regular use of 1 tbs raw honey mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon powder, three times a day for a month straight.
16) Fatigue, hearing loss, and bad breath have also shown to be improved with the regular use of raw honey and cinnamon powder.

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