Buy Honey - 5 Things You Need to Know Before You Buy Honey

To buy honey is to buy a product that is healthy and truly good for you right? Not necessarily. Honey is the worlds oldest super food. Many people believe that if they go to their local store and buy honey off the shelf they are getting the full nutritional value. This unfortunately is untrue. Before you buy honey you need to know these five things.

#1: Honey naturally has several different components mixed in with it. There is bee pollen, propels, royal jelly and wax. Each of these byproducts adds to the health benefits. Honey is also naturally an antiseptic and has antibiotic qualities, thus its super food reputation. When you buy it at your local grocery it is typically going to be strained of all of the byproducts as well as be heated during the packaging process which can destroy the antiseptic and antibiotic qualities.

#2: There is only one honey in the world found to be able to maintain its antibiotic qualities regardless of heat and it is called Manuka Honey. To make sure that your honey is not stripped of these naturally occurring byproducts you want to look for product that is labeled raw. Raw honey is not been warmed to more than 100 degrees and is usually not strained.

#3: Know your flavors. Do your research to find out what types will best suite your tastes before you buy honey. Varieties can range from very dark with almost a molasses flavor to very light with a citrus undertone. Clover is by far the most popular honey in the United States but it can also be the most degraded honey because of its processing.

#4: One thing that many people do not know about honey products is that there are a lot that are actually blends. Honey packaging companies bring in barrels from around the world and blend them together basically using the import honey as filler because it is cheap. When reading the label find out where the honey is from.

#5: Raw honey should never be given to infants under 12 months of age. It does contain some particles of botulism which older peoples immune systems can fight but babies can have serious complications.

Now you can be better prepared when you go to buy honey.

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Enhance Natural Charm With Honey Masks

When we pretty much just about tolerate bees, you should be grateful and thankful to them for producing honey. It is a natural, sweetened product which we use as a food. However in addition, it is also excellent for our face skin in to bring out natural beauty with homemade honey masks.

Honey has been found to be really good as a treatment for acne. Naturally having enzymes and acids, powerful antimicrobial, an ingredient that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacterial infection, which is generally the reason behind acne. It also has reliable antiseptic properties. In addition to its wonderful anti-inflammatory benefits, honey has been recognised as a useful skin benefit for thousands of years. And before the turn in the 20th century, honey had been utilized to sooth and treats burns, also dress wounds both at home and in hospitals.

In preference to manufactured products bought as acne remedies. Pure, organic honey without any added chemicals, can be used as a safe treatment to cure acne for most people with excellent long term results. As we now know honey is fantastic for your skin, being a super face treatment using homemade honey masks. As well as other natural skin-enhancing ingredients, honey forms the primary ingredient in a face mask recipe. It is important to use only a pure, natural honey. You need to ensure there are no added ingredients or chemicals, just pure standalone honey, ideally produced by organic bee hives. Spend some time searching your local area and farms for bee hives producing natural honey and buy direct from them.

Use Honey Face Masks for all Types of Skin

We are able to use honey face masks for all types of skin, which leave the skin soft, nourished and cleansed. Furthermore, this can be a great natural moisturizer being humectant, making your skin pleasing to look at being supple and soft with an above average complexion. It's also a natural defense against exposure to the sun's ultra violet rays. Honey face masks may generally have additional ingredients, a few for instance, such as oatmeal, lemon, milk and eggs are often used. Be sure to prepare your honey mask just prior to use so they are fresh and that any extra ingredients are organic.

A very good all-round performer recipe is with 3 droplets of lavender oil included with 1 tablespoon of raw honey and mix. If it feels just a little thick, gently warm for seconds to make it a little thinner. Tie the hair back free from your face then apply the mix to your face using your fingertips. Leave it in place for 15 minutes then wipe and rinse off using warm water then dab dry. Use this straightforward recipe twice a week and you will soon notice skin improvement.

Another simple recipe for all types is to mix 1 / 2 of a banana with half a tablespoon of honey and a quarter cup of oatmeal with milk, add the white of one egg. Mix thoroughly with a mixer. Apply on your face for 15 minutes then rinse off with wipes and warm water only. Dab dry. This recipe is especially good for sensitive skin. This recipe is fantastic for acne. Regular usage of this honey mask recipe should make your acne disappear completely leaving your skin without any infection or signs of bacteria and looking excellent. Take 2 tablespoons of milk and add 2 tablespoons of honey, a lemon peeled and cut into segments, a tablespoon of natural plain yogurt. Mix thoroughly in a processor adding a little lukewarm water. Apply to your face making use of your fingertips and allow remaining until the mix has dried, about half an hour. Remove with tepid water, rinse and dab dry. The super cleansing from the milk and lemon coupled the reliable honey properties will soon start working. Try and use this recipe regularly for the best results. Every fourth or fifth application, add a few drops of tea tree oil to your mix.

Honey may well be difficult and sticky to use in your beauty regime but, given 30 days approximately, you will certainly see and have a good looking skin complexion.

Casper Dunbar has produced more interesting and informative articles on Skin Care Recipes. They can easily be found here> [http://skincarerecipestoday.com]

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Understanding Honey For the Beekeeper

Honey is like money in the bank to a beekeeper so it's important that you look after it during harvest, processing and packing to keep the honey in top quality condition.

Honey is considered to be in prime condition shortly after it has been capped by the bees. Once you have harvested it, it becomes the beekeepers responsibility to maintain the honey in peak condition.

In fact even the timing of your harvest can affect the quality of the honey. Honey needs to be harvested as soon as practical after it is all capped by the bees, as left in the comb it will darken over time.

The other factors to consider when harvesting your honey are the weather conditions and how soon after harvest you will be able to extract the honey. Honey absorbs water from the atmosphere, it is what's know as a hygroscopic material. In the hive the bees maintain the temperature and ventilate the hive to keep the air as dry as possible which maintains the quality of the honey.

Once harvested, particularly in wet or humid conditions the honey begins to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. As the water content of the honey rises the quality deteriorates. Eventually when the water content is high enough, naturally occurring yeasts present in the honey begin the fermentation process.

The longer the interval between harvesting and processing and packing the more water can be absorbed. So as well as harvesting when conditions are as dry as possible, it's also important to reduce the time between harvest, extraction and packaging.

Some customers like to buy "raw" honey which has not been filtered or heated. Raw honey has a shorter shelf life than processed honey and it is more likely to crystallize sooner.

Consumers who prefer "raw" product feel that heating and filtering reduces or destroys some of the health benefits of raw honey, they are prepared to accept the reduced keeping time and natural crystallization for the added benefits.

Honey is heated during processing for two reasons, it makes it much easier to extract and filter the warm honey and the heat treatment destroys the yeasts which occur naturally in honey. Once the natural yeasts have been killed the shelf life of the honey is extended and this is preferred by most market outlets.

Over heating however is another way to compromise the quality of your honey. Too much heat breaks down the sugars in the honey making the honey darker and destroying the more volatile flavors which give honey its distinct local flavor attributes.

Once the honey has been carefully extracted, heated and filtered it can be stored in
air tight bulk containers or packaged and sealed ready for sale. The processed honey should be stored out of direct light, and in cool place but not refrigerated.

Carefully timing the harvesting, quickly processing at the right temperatures will keep the honey's quality so that you and your customers can enjoy the honey at it's best.

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Discover Why Honey As a Moisturizer is So Good For You

I'll bet you never thought of using honey as a moisturizer. I never did until I started seeing so many articles and advertisements toting the benefits of honey. So I decided to find out what all the hub bub was about and I was surprised to discover how many benefits honey as moisturizer has for your skin.

First I should say that not all honey is created equal. There are many different kinds of honey depending on what kind of flower the bee is feeding on when the honey is created. Active Manuka Honey is made from the Manuka bush in New Zealand and it has many healing properties. If you are using honey as moisturizer, Manuka Honey is the best bet.

Honey has so many healing properties due to the pollen that is collected and used by the bees. The pollen not only adds nutrition to the honey, the bees also add natural enzymes and antibiotics to keep the honey fresh. All of this great nutrition goes into any skincare that includes honey in its ingredients.

This means when you use honey as moisturizer you are giving your skin antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and an antibiotic that will naturally keep your skin clean and feeling fresh.

So here are the benefits of honey skincare:

* Great Nutrition
* Natural antibiotic
* Healing properties
* High in antioxidants
* Easily absorbed by the skin

If you want to have fabulous skin that looks young and feels great, then add honey as moisturizer to your daily skin care regimen.

For a continued discussion on natural skin care visit my website.

Mae Mathews is a passionate advocate for natural skin care and a researcher of honey skin care products [http://www.absolutely-clear-skin.com/]. Visit her site now to at [http://www.absolutely-clear-skin.com/] to discover which skin care products she recommends after extensive comparisons.

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Manuka Honey Health Benefits

Manuka honey is marketed as the health honey but is it really? What does this magical honey have that others do not and is it as good for our health as manufacturers would have us believe?

Even though its main constituent is sugar there is no question that honey is good for you. Honey is not only a natural sweetener but also has vitamin B6, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin c, riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc. However, Honey can sometimes carry a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous for infants as they have underdeveloped intestinal tracts. Therefore, it is not recommended that you feed honey to a child under one year old.

Honey also has antioxidants, which can help counteract harmful free radicals. Free radicals are unpaired electrons inside our cell's molecules. The unpaired electron searches for another electron to become stable. It then steals an electron from another stable molecule. Thus producing another unstable electron. This causes a chain of events, which may end up destroying the entire cell. It is thought that Antioxidants neutralise free radicals by donating an electron and therefore halting the destructive process.

In addition to these health benefits, honey is also said to have antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Honey has been used to treat wounds for infection for thousands of years. Recent research suggests that honey may be beneficial in treating some bacterial infections, which have become resistant to certain drugs. It has been suggested that it may be beneficial in treating MRSA.

The antibacterial properties of honey come from the Hydrogen Peroxide produced by the activity of the enzyme Glucose Oxidase. This enzyme, in standard honey, is reduced when light or heat is introduced. The more light or heat the honey is exposed to, the quicker the enzyme will be deactivated. This is where Manuka honey excels. The difference between standard honey and Manuka honey is said to be that Manuka honey's antibacterial properties are produced from non-peroxide activity. This means that its antibacterial properties are not affected by light and heat and will not be deactivated.

It is easy to identify these Manuka honeys as it has a UMF rating. This means 'Unique Manuka Factors'. This represents the antibacterial properties of the honey. The higher the UMF rating on the honey, the higher the antibacterial properties will be. These properties will have been independently tested in a laboratory.

Honey is a delicious energy provider with the added bonus of nutrients and antioxidants. If you are looking for something delicious to put on your toast in the morning, standard honey is fine. However, if you are looking for a honey that is not only delicious but retains its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, Manuka honey may be worth the extra cost.

For more information please visit www.naturalmatter.co.uk

Natural Matter stocks hundreds of leading manufacturers natural health products, including vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements, fitness equipment, weight training products and training equipment, all at discount prices. These are all available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in our health shop.
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical condition. Should you have any medical condition, always consult your doctor, before undertaking any change in exercise or dietary advice. Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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Honey Facial - Why is Honey So Good For Your Skin?

It's unbelievable how many benefits honey has for your skin.  Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.  Once I began doing research into the idea of using a honey facial, I discovered that it's been used for hundreds of years.  Its even documented that Cleopatra used honey to give her skin a "deep glow."

So what is it about honey that makes it so good for you?  The first factor is its natural antibiotic properties.  Bees feed honey to their young and they use different enzymes to create an antibiotic and antimicrobial environment; keeping the honey fresh. 

These antibiotic and antimicrobial properties are perfect for a honey facial.  They naturally clean the skin and boost the immune system. 

Honey is natural and easily absorbed by the skin. It also has a high antioxidant content.  So a honey facial can help you reverse sun damage by eliminating the free radicals caused by sun exposure.

Free radicals come from many sources and have been found to be a cancer causing agent.  Any natural substance that helps you eliminate free radicals supports the body's immune system and helps prevent cancer.

The benefits of honey are many, but it's important to remember that not all honey is created equal.  Honey carries different benefits depending on what kind of flower and therefore what kind of nectar is collected by the bees.

For instance, honey collected from the manuka bush in New Zealand has been proven to have one of the highest antibiotic rates.  It has also been shown that honey with a high UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) keeps its antibiotic properties even after being exposed to heat and light. This gives the honey a longer natural shelf life and makes it perfect for skin care products.

Using a manuka honey face gel is one of the best ways to naturally clean your face.  It also adds a huge amount of antioxidants to your skin.  The UMF in manuka honey has such a high concentration of antioxidants that you can see a difference in your skin almost immediately.

A honey facial can give your skin the nutrients it needs to stay smooth and reverse the damage done by free radicals, making your skin glow.

S
ome food for thought, honey is a natural substance that cleanses your face and adds nutrients to your skin. Why not use nature's best antibiotic to keep your skin clean and glowing? Add a honey facial [http://www.absolutely-clear-skin.com] to your skin regimen and you will be happy knowing you are using a natural cleanser to keep your skin smooth and clear.
I have been researching natural ingredients in skin care for over 5 years. I look for the most efficient natural ingredients by making sure they provide more than one benefit to the skin. Find out what skin care products I recommend, by visiting my site at [http://www.absolutely-clear-skin.com], after extensive comparisons.

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Raw Honey is the Real Honey

Raw honey is unlike every processed honey because it is "natural." Unfortunately, most of the honey found in our local grocery stores today has been heavily processed. Many commercial honey products have been chemically refined, which eliminates numerous health benefits that honey has to offer. That's why raw honey is not like most honey, it is unique in that it keeps the same traits it had when it was made in the hive.

Most of the honey eaten today has been inserted into a dissipated heating process that destroys some of the crucial natural enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. The problem is that several of the nutrients are heat sensitive. Therefore, they do not survive the pasteurization process. As a result, the commercial honey is stripped of nutrients and goes from a dark solid to a perfectly golden liquid honey. Commercial honey has been heated and filtered so that it is easier to package and handle, looks cleaner and smooth, and is appealing on store shelves.

What makes raw honey so special? The difference is that it has not been heated excessively through pasteurization. Subsequently, it retains all of the beneficial nutrients that processed honey fails to extend. The enzymes it contains are what makes it easily digestible by humans.

Raw honey is often filtered, but to a very minimal extent, it can be characterized by fine textured crystals, and it contains particles from bee pollen, propolis, and honeycomb. Also, you will notice that it remains more solid at room temperature. This consistency provides assurance that it still contains the natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes it originally started with.

Honey is one of the oldest and most reliable foods with the power to heal. It is a powerful super food that administers antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. Honey provides the body with energy, builds the immune system, and fights off bacteria.

The benefits honey are equally matched by its great taste. If you want to make a pure healthy choice, choose raw honey.

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Calorie in Honey

What is the amount of calorie in honey? Does honey contain more calories than table sugar?
One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, and one tablespoon of sugar has 46 calories. (Or has 22 calories in one teaspoon of honey versus 16 calories in one teaspoon of table sugar.) While the amount of calorie in honey is more, we actually use less of it since it is sweeter than table sugar. And for many people, honey is still a preferred healthier choice because of its vitamins and minerals that can aid in digestion, and its anti-oxidants which can also bring health benefits.

Honey contains the same basic sugar units as table sugar -- glucose and fructose. Granulated table sugar, or sucrose, has glucose and fructose hooked together, whereas in honey, fructose and glucose remain in individual units. Fructose is sweeter than glucose, which is one of the reasons fructose is used in so many food products today. However, fructose does not convert to energy as efficiently as glucose. As a result, processed foods containing granulated sugar high in fructose convert to fat stores more easily than honey. Honey, a natural sweetener, has only one processing step involved - heating to prevent crystallization and yeast fermentation during storage, whereas, table sugar is highly processed, whereby all naturally occurring trace minerals from the sugar cane plant are removed, leaving us with "empty calories" which are devoid of nutrition like vitamins, minerals, and important enzymes. That is why ironically, in developed countries, there are many overweight people who are suffering from malnutrition!

Cut down on the simple sugars in your diet by eliminating the chocolate and hard candies. If you simply cannot resist the desire for sweet stuff, replace them with healthy natural sweeteners like honey. Take regular meals with some protein and fat in each, and eat complex carbohydrates that contain ample soluble fiber-- fruits and vegetables for example. Fat, protein and soluble fiber in the diet tend to moderate swings in blood glucose. Other than the concern that excessive intake of sugar and hence calories, could lead to obesity problems, some people have a reaction to sugar called reactive hypoglycemia which is characterized by irritability, nervousness, headache, sweating and confusion a few hours after eating a meal high in simple sugars. These symptoms are caused by the pancreas' overproduction of insulin in response to rising blood glucose levels.

Source: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/calorie-in-honey.html
R. Tan is the owner of the website benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone's daily life.

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Honey for Skin

If you are tired of trying all sorts of artificial skin care products out there, then you are in the right place. Natural is the way to go. That is why Honey is such a popular item when it comes to natural skin care. This natural product is not only used for skin care, but is also used for other health benefits. Honey is known to improve immunity, sooth sore throats, help heal infected lesions, etc. It is commonly used because of its anti-bacterial properties. Honey can help fight inflammations, which is the reason why people use honey to sooth sore throats. While honey is fighting the inflammation, it is also utilizing its anti-bacterial function to fight any kind of infections. There are many recipes out there that features honey as its main ingredients, such as facial masks, facial toners, body washes, and shampoo. It is an inexpensive natural remedy. This article will concentrate mainly on its effectiveness on skin.

Honey is widely used in do-it-yourself home-made skin care products. Compared to the heavily-marketed skin care products, these home-made products are made with a fraction of the price. You will be able to enjoy the benefits of this natural remedy without any of the side-effects caused by the artificial ingredients. This is especially important for people with sensitive skin. Many of the artificial ingredients are known to irritate sensitive skin. Honey works wonders when it comes to re-hydrating the skin and keeping the skin well-hydrated. It is not only a moisturizer though, because honey is also been identified as an anti-aging solution. Dehydration is one of the main reasons for the development of wrinkles. Since honey can help absorb and retain moisture for the skin, it works wonderfully against the development of premature wrinkles. It is a well-rounded product if you desire healthy, smooth and silky skin!

Honey works miracles for acne. Many recipes suggest using honey as its foundation ingredient because it fights acne and blemishes. It is also known to help lighten acne scars and calm irritated skin. Although the application of honey may be a bit messy, it is totally worth it! Once you try it, you will never go back to those artificial concoctions. If you dedicate a bit of love and patience, the beautiful, radiant, healthy skin will follow naturally.

While choosing your honey, you need to pay special attention to the quality of honey you are purchasing. There are many artificial honey, which are made of sugar and artificial flavors. Avoid choosing the wrong product by sticking with honey that is labeled 100% pure natural honey. Only the real stuff will carry all the benefits such as anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

If you enjoy reading my articles, please feel free to visit my website: Honey for Skin [http://jujuaquamoist.com/honey-for-skin/] for more information. Happy reading!

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Bee Pollen Or Honey - Which Is Better For You?

The discussion about whether bee pollen or honey is the ideal supplement has been one that health enthusiasts have been puzzling over for ages. However, there are a few key differences between these two substances. Here are a few examples of why bee pollen is the healthier and more efficient of the two.

Bee pollen, also known as "bee bread", is a substance derived from flowering plants. After gathering flower pollen, the bees roll it up into small pellets. Honey, on the other hand, is regurgitated nectar. While queen bees subsist on royal jelly their entire lives, the rest of the larvae, worker bees, and drones consume honey. Bees also store honey for later consumption in the winter.

Bee Pollen and Honey - A Comparison:

When wondering whether you should choose bee pollen or honey, one of the most important things to keep in mind are their health benefits.

Honey does have a few health benefits. It has been known to soothe coughs and sore throats. It also contains trace amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants. However, you would have to eat a lot of honey in order to benefit from these nutrients.

This is largely because honey is mostly composed of sugars such as fructose, glucose, and sucrose. This means there isn't a lot left for other nutrients. This also makes honey less of an option for those who suffer from diabetes.

Another downside to honey is that it contains certain bacterias. While most adults are able to ingest them unharmed, there have been cases in which infants have suffered botulism as a result of eating honey.

Bee pollen, on the other hand, is unique among supplements in that it contains significant amounts of every daily required nutrient you need in order to have a complete, balanced diet. These include:

• Vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K
• Antioxidants, proteins, copper, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium
• Selenium, niacin, folic acid, 22 animo acids, enzymes, and many more

Knowing this, the answer regarding whether you should pick bee pollen or honey is a simple one. While honey tastes wonderful and has two or three benefits, the latter is the way to go when it comes to balancing your diet, revitalizing your energy, detoxing your body, or strengthening your immune system.
The best bee pollen is derived from the pristine island of New Zealand, where supplements are naturally pollutant free. Ideally, your supplements should also be freeze-dried, as this preserves nutrients and makes it easier to digest.

Discover for yourself just how beneficial this substance is for losing weight, living healthier, and more by visiting my website below.

Free Bonus Tip!
Johan Petersen is a passionate user and researcher of natural supplements. He runs a series of health websites and his latest addition is: http://bee-pollen-supplement.com/index1
Be sure to visit his website and read about the many bee pollen health benefits and how it can improve your health.

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