With a lot of great health and fitness benefits, honey should be a common staple in people’s daily diets. Other than its great taste, it has numerous benefits for our bodies, immune systems, weight, and energy which you may not be aware of.

Honey is a source of a variety of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The main vitamins it provides are niacin, riboflavin and pantothetic acid, and the main minerals are calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Importantly, the amount of these substances in honey varies depending on its floral source, just as its color and taste vary.

On top of this, what are the main health benefits of honey?

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Colony Collapse Disorder has killed off more than one-third of the bees in the United States.

Beekeepers know that when there isn’t nectar readily available to their hives, as in the winter months, some turn to supplements. Traditionally it was (guess what) honey. But that’s what you want to harvest, so many turn to cheaper substitutions. Cane or beet sugar, mixed with water, was seen as acceptable as long as you removed the part of the comb containing the sugar once bees started producing again. It was important to keep the bees fed so they’d keep brooding and ready to produce honey.

Except it hasn’t only been the occasional sugar-water substitution. We’ve substituted the substitute. People have also turned to high fructose corn syrup.

And once again, it seems our need for convenience and affordability has cost us: a new study shows that a contaminant from heat-exposed HFCS may be killing off the bees.

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Bringing production to the household has no economy of scale but inputs including labour and part of the feed are essentially free. The reduction in transport and packaging cost have financial and environmental benefits.

Eggs from the Eglu

The Eglu is based on a plastic, waterproof box, where the hens shelter and lay their eggs. The box is attached to an enclosed run which can be placed on a lawn allowing the chickens to scratch for insects and grass. The run has a door to allow the hens a free range in the garden when its safe.

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This season I also noticed the Green and Clean Guild of Esty handmade soap makers have some fabulous summer soother recipes. Another bathing beauty crafter I like is Alchemic Muse, a popular Green and Clean Guild member, who makes a fantastic cocoa bee soap:

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The health benefits of honey are many and well-known.  From skin cleanser to antibiotic, cough suppressant, allergy relief to just plain old sweetener, honey can do it all.  But can it help you sleep?  Some studies are suggesting that it can.

I have to credit my sister-in-law for this one.  She’s a recent convert to “all things natural” and is sharing her new discoveries with evangelical enthusiasm.  The latest is the apparent evidence that having a spoonful of honey at bedtime helps you get to sleep, and stay asleep.  She swears that she has noticed an enormous difference in her own sleep since trying this.

I’ve struggled with insomnia my whole life.  My son seems to be heading down the same route.  As he has SPD (Sensory Processing Dysfunction) and possibly ADHD, his sleep is vitally important yet he cannot settle down to rest.  We’ve had to resort to him taking melatonin most nights for the past couple years, though we’ve recently been working to find other means to help him relax and get to sleep.

Will a simple dose of honey solve our sleep problems?  We’re going to find out. And I’ll keep you posted right here on Eco Child’s Play.  Stay tuned!

Photo credit:  alsjhc via Creative Commons

The first time I used Suzanne aux bains Nourishing Body Milk I really didn’t put much thought into it, until later that is.  I  received a sample sachet and quickly applied some of the lotion to my arms and shoulders on the way out the door.  Later, as I was getting ready for bed, I couldn’t help but notice how soft and smooth my arms were, and had to think back to even remember what I had put on them.  Well, needless to say, I purchased a tube the very next day.

In drier winter months a body cream or butter provides us with a thicker, richer form of hydration for the skin.  In warmer seasons we need to switch to something lighter and more regenerative.  Suzanne aux bains uses Jojoba oil for deeply penetrating hydration and Lavender honey to gently exfoliate the skin.

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Drippy.  Itchy.  Stuffy.  Groggy.  Sound familiar?  If you regularly suffer from springtime allergies, the answer is probably yes.  While loading up on the Claritins, Benadryls, or Zyrtecs is one option, you can also try some local honey.

When bees ingest the nectar from flowers, they’re also ingesting some of the plants’ pollen.  This nectar is later regurgitated by the bees and stored in their honeycombs.  After the bees use their wings to evaporate some of the water from the nectar, honey is created.

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Cold and flu got you down?  Try an Ayurvedic tea to help kick the flu blues.

Ayurvedicaly speaking, the common cold results largely from an imbalance of the  Kapha (water and earth) and Vata (air and space) elements in the mind-ody. Vata imbalances lower immunity and lead to a build up of the Kapha dosha elements to help ‘ground’ the system. However, Kapha mechanisms typically overcompensate to make up for the ‘dryness’ associated with imbalanced Vata and lowered immunity. The result is excessive ‘coldness’ that creates mucus. This in turn reduces your gastric fire often cuasing you to experience the ‘chills.’

Ayurvedic remedies use warming herbs and spices to help you break down and expel mucus while re-building your gastric fire. So, while the idea of a runny nose might not appeal to you, chances are that if you can transition from  being ‘stuffed up’ to ‘blowing it all out,’ then you are well on your way to recovery.

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It is not news that refined sugar and the yummy treats we make with it are bad for our bodies and our health.  They are empty calories that cause us to gain belly fat and send our blood sugar through the roof.  But they can be so very tempting, especially on a special occasion.

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Come fly with me beneath the fold and see how you can enjoy pure, healthy honey, worry-free.

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What do you like in your oatmeal? Today I like thin sliced almonds and dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, golden raisins and a twirl of honey (shown below). This tastes delicious with my black-cherry tea.

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Natural Beeswax product manufacturer Burt’s Bees recently gave their employees hazmat suits and had them jump into two weeks’ worth of company trash. What some people will do to keep their job…

Actually, what they found was surprising. When the clouds of dirt and dust cleared, they had found recyclables that will total $25,000 in annual savings for the company. Burt’s Bee has “zero waste to landfills” by 2020 goal, and over the last several months they’ve gone from 40 tons of waste per month down to just 10 tons per month, according to president and CEO John Replogle.

And what better way to get closer to that goal than dumping the garbage from the past two weeks into the company’s parking lot and having employees sort through it? Actually, this exercise has helped employees be more accountable for the things they’re throwing away, something that a memo couldn’t possibly achieve. They’ve also done other green-related activities to drive the message home, and employees who are repeat recycling offenders face disciplinary action.

For over a decade Shea Terra Organics has been developing high quality healing products from indigenous African ingredients. “Our most important goal from the start has always been to support Africa through self-empowerment and environmental programs, and bring awareness about the continent’s diversity and beauty.” ~Shea Terra Organics’ founder, Tammie Umbel

Shea Terra has culminated a formula for sustainability and fair trade by recognizing the value of uncontaminated raw materials. This helps it make a difference in alleviating the increasing threats to Africa’s native inhabitants and indigenous wildlife.

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The wax is what forms the honey combs that the bees make to hold the honey. It is harvested when the honey is harvested and once they are stripped of the honey they can be melted and rendered to use for many purposes. Some use it as a furniture polish or a lubricant for sticky windows or drawers.

The most obvious use is for candles. You can get beeswax in two different forms in which to make candles from. One is a block and the other is sheets.

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Clark’s Honey Farm is committed to help SAVE THE PLANET.

With all the news’s going around about the disappearing of the bees, (about 70% on the East Coast) I became very intrigued to learn more about this honey farm’s passion to help save the planet.

At the current time they have over 2,000 healthy bee colonies. Their goal is to double the colonies in the next few years. Each colony has over 60,000 + bees.

They claim to provide enriching environments for their bees to thrive. “The bees are instrumental in the survival of the planet”.

They also ship their bees across the country to help farmers in need of pollination.

Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing. Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: “The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. ”

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However, there are things we can do at home to help promote honeybees and their way of life.

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Just in time for the holiday, the Honey Board has a few recipes to recommend — for the grill. Honey is a pretty common ingredient for marinades and sauces. These recipes capture that sweet-spicy combination of flavors I personally love.

Before you go for the tongs, the Honey Board has a few pointers on why this food is sustainable AND an eco-friendly choice:

• Honey is an all-natural food that leaves a small eco-footprint.
• Purchasing local honey encourages growth of the local economy and reduces production waste.
• Many farmers have hives on their land, in part because bees are responsible for one out of every three bites we consume.
• If it weren’t for honey bees, we would suffer from a limited supply of oranges, apples, blueberries, cucumbers and strawberries.

Recipes for your holiday cook out include Grilled Tofu Kabobs with a Honey-Chipotle Glaze.

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I find it hard to identify my favorite Ayurvedic remedy but if I must pinpoint a wonder-drug then honey is probably the first that comes to mind. The health benefits of honey are plenty, it has been used as a medicine for centuries.

Extremely high in antioxidants, honey is a great immune booster and has huge benefits for almost every dosha. Moreover, its soothing quality makes it perfect for healing wounds. Ayurvedically speaking, it has been used for situations related to internal or external bleeding.

There are a few specific substances in Ayurveda that actually increase the efficacy of other herbs or medicines if they are mixed into the compound. Honey is one such example which is why it is commonly mixed with various other herbs in a single dosage. For children the sweetness of honey makes other mostly bitter herbs, more palatable. For adults it simply aids absorption.

More honey remedies after the jump.

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We’ve got some sweet posts for the week ahead. This week is Honey Week at Eat. Drink. Better. in tribute to bees and all they do for us, including that delicious honey. To kick it off, I want to share a cool bee fact and a recipe.

Did you know?

1. California’s almond orchards are the location of the largest pollination event annually. Nearly one million hives (about 50 percent) of the US honey bees are brought to the almond orchards each spring.
2. The apple crop in just New York requires about 30,000 hives.
3. 50,000 hives each year are needed for Maine’s blueberry crop.
4. According to the USDA, one-third of our diets rely on insect-pollinated plants. 80 percent of this pollination is done by bees.

Recipe for Honey Curried Cauliflower follows the jump.

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