WHAT IS HONEY?

Honey is the most  widely consumed food product produced by insects. It is also a key element in thousands of folk remedies, health and beauty aids and other practical uses.

The thick, sweet liquid is made by bees and contains the insects enzymes, as well has sugars, water and oil. Bees fly to flowers and extract the nectar from the plants using their tongues. The honey is stored within the bees’ bodies. After a bee visits enough flowers to get its fill, it returns to the hive and regurgitates the nectar, which is consumed by bees that are not involved in the collection process. The enzymes within the bodies of these “house bees” evaporate much of the water in the nectar, creating honey. They finished liquid is stored in honeycomb cells within the hives and is used for nourishment by all the bees in the colony.

Fortunately, individual hives produce far more honey than is actually necessary for the colony’s survival. The honey ripens within the5honeycomb and eventually becomes a tasty and consumable product with a variety of exciting additional uses.

Honey has been around far longer than the little squeezable plastic bear containers we may have in our cupboards! It is impossible to say how long people have been gathering and consuming honey because even our earliest historical records indicate that we have enjoyed the work of bees.

Cave paintings believed to have been created in or around 7000 BC show that people were keeping bees even then. Honey bees predate that record by centuries, though. Fossil evidence shows that bees were working their magic over 150 million years ago, which means that even the earliest people may have made use of honey.

We know that ancient Egyptians kept bees in specially made hives. The bee makes regular appearances in Egyptian hieroglyphics and was often used as a symbol of royalty as far back as 2400 BC. The Egyptians used honey in a variety of capacities. It was, of course, used to sweeten food and drink. It as also used as an ingredient in embalming fluids and was offered the gods as a sacrifice!

The ancient Greeks also used honey. It was an important feature of early Greek cuisine and was also used as a health aid. The Romans relied heavily on honey within their diets and beekeeping was one of the Roman Empire’s growth industries. The growth of Christianity, in time, led to an increased demand for beeswax for church candles. Honey also grew in popularity as a sweetener. The appeal of honey continued to grow, unabated, through the Renaissance. At that time, however, sugar from other parts of the world became more common and the use of honey went into decline. By the 1600s, sugar was actually used more often than honey as a sweetener.

Honey production, however, did not die. Beeswax remained a valuable commodity and the discovery that kept bees could help in the pollination of fruit-bearing trees also helps support the industry. At the same time, honey was still the preferred sweetener of many people and significant numbers recognized the valuable medicinal and health-related properties of honey.

Honey continues to be an important component in a great deal of cooking, its relative health superiority and the resurgence in interest in traditional medicine and healing is also encouraging to the honey industry. Bees have been used to signify ancient royalty. They were embroidered on the robes of Napoleon. Today, they fill cute plastic bears and sit on our tables and within our pantries. Beekeeping and honey have always been an important part of human history.

We have put together this brilliant little Honey Guide just for you, Get your own sweet copy here @

http://womenslifestylepublications.com/health-wellbeing/honey/

 
This guide takes a holistic perspective on honey.  We discuss the use of honey in the kitchen and will provide some great tips and recipes that will allow you to get the most out of this wonderful product, but we will not stop there!

We will also discuss several of honey’s other great uses. We will discuss the many ways honey has been used to fortify healthy people and to heal those suffering from maladies. We will also investigate the ways honey can be used as a beauty product and will take a look at some of the other “less expected” ways we can use honey.  Something you might need to take note of though:

IMPORTANT ADVISEMENT AND DISCLAIMER

It is important to remember that you should NEVER FEED HONEY TO CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE. Honey, as a raw product, may contain bacterial spores known as Clostridium botulinum. This common natural spore may cause an onset of infant Botulism. Infant Botulism is a very rare medical condition, but can be quite serious. The disease affects the nervous system of victimized children. Only 70 to 100 cases of Infant Botulism are reported annually, and most of them are not related to the consumption of honey. Nevertheless, there is sufficient risk to justify keeping honey from small children. Honey is often used in physician recommended diets for those suffering from diabetes. Although many diabetics can handle honey safely, others are not able to do so. As such, DIABETICS SHOULD NOT EAT HONEY: UNLESS A PHYSICIAN RECOMMENDS DOING SO. The author, publisher and provider of this information make no warranties of any kind regarding this material. There is no warranty of accuracy, completeness, reliability, or merchantability.   The content of this guide is not offered as medical or beauty advice, nor should it serve as a substitute for a consultation with a medical professional. The information presented herein is based on material from a wide range of sources believed to be reliable, however it should not be construed as absolute fact. Anyone planning to use the information presented in this guide is advised to first share it with a professional health care provider. Those considering natural, alternative or herbal remedies have a responsibility to discuss their plans with health care professionals prior to embarking on any course of action.

Most of the suggestions posited in this guide will work with any commercially available variety of honey. However, raw honey is often your best choice for the kinds of products we will outline.  Most honey is pasteurized and is, thus, not raw. However, a bit of shopping and a willingness to pay a few cents more should allow you to find raw honey quite easily. If your local grocery store does not carry a raw honey, check with health food or other specialty stores. Alternatively, you may be able to find some great raw honey at a farmer’s market or similar event.

STORING HONEY

Easy storage is another item on the seemingly infinitely long list of great things about honey. Honey has a naturally high sugar content and carries an acidic pH balance. Thus, microorganisms do not tend to grow on or by them in honey! If you store your honey in an airtight jar or other container, it will last for years. That is especially true if you if it is kept in a relatively cool area.

Well, we hope this gives you some insight to Honey that you didn’t know.  Below are a list of some of the great things you’ll find inside this must-have guide along with tons more of information.

MEDICAL USES OF HONEY

·         BURNS

·         ABRASIONS

·         HAY FEVER

·         COUGHS AND SORE THROATS

·         DIGESTION

·         LIP BALM

·         ARTHRITIS

·         BLADDER INFECTION

·         CHOLESTEROL

·         OVERALL IMMUNE SYSTEM HEALTH

·         DENTAL HYGIENE

·         HALITOSIS

·         WEIGHT LOSS

·         MOISTURIZING

·         ACNE

·         HAIR LOSS

·         HONEY BATH

·         HAIR SHINE

·         HAIR CONDITIONER

·         SKIN CLARIFIER

·         SKIN LOTION

·         CLEANSING SCRUB

·         FIRMING MASK

·         FACIAL TONER

·         MOISTURIZING MASK

·         and MUCH MUCH MORE in the FULL  EDITION

HONEY’S NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN

Honey is primarily made of water and carbohydrates. It also contains trace amounts of several minerals and vitamins. You can find niacin, calcium, copper, riboflavin, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc in honey. Honey also contains a blend of flavonoids and phenolic acids. These are antioxidants that eliminate potentially destructive free radicals in the human body. Darker honeys tend to have slightly higher antioxidant levels than do lighter varieties.

Serving size: 1 tablespoon

Calories: 64

Total fat: 0g

Sodium: 0 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 17g

Sugars: 16g

Protein: 0g

Get your own sweet copy here @ http://womenslifestylepublications.com/health-wellbeing/honey/

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