Love Thy Honey

Alright, if Winnie-the-Pooh has not convinced you yet, honey is awesome and this is why:

- It is an all natural, raw food!

- Honey can provide a local source of sugar instead of using either sugar beets, processed corn syrup, or far-away cane sugar.

- Honey comes in a variety of nuances based on the types of plants/flowers available to those lil’ bees. You can also get creamed butter, flavored honey (i.e. maple, vanilla), honey combs, propolis, and crystallized honey.

- Honey is easier to digest than sugar and contains more energy.

- Honey is a huge source of calcium, Vitamin C, and iron, whereas sugar has close to nothing. It is also full of antioxidants to improve your immune system.

- Honey itself can be used as an anti-septic, antibacterial agent, is good for healing skin wounds, reduces inflammation, helps if you have a sore throat, and smells good!
-Bee pollen contains Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, helps with reproductive health, allergies, and boosts your immune system. The sap that bees use to help the structure of their hive is called propolis. It has many medicinal uses, including helping to fight cavities and to relieve burns.

The list of benefits is really endless.

Bee pollen, just eat it raw!

- Oh and one more thing, honey literally NEVER goes bad. It is purported that when archaeologists uncovered several Egyptian tombs, they found 3,000 year old honey that was still perfectly good.

*Make sure you buy the local, unprocessed honey products so they don’t lose their goodness through over-processing.

The only downside is if you are allergic to bees!

So when you can, cook with honey instead of sugar.
Just use half the amount of honey than sugar. Here is an easy and delicious honey-based recipe:

Winnie the Pooh’s Cheesecake

In a blender mix together

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup honey

1 cup cream cheese (neuf chatel, or mascarpone cheese works too)

1 cup sour cream

Put all the ingredients in a buttered Crockpot and cook on low for about 1-1.5 hrs depending on your Crockpot. Voila!

I should add that this recipe is from my friend Coralee Thompson who has some great ideas for yummy desserts!
Check out "Healthy Brains, Healthy Children: How Parents Can Raise Their Children in a Smarter, Healthier and More Natural Way" [Dr. Philip Maffetone (Author), Dr. Coralee Thompson (Contributor)]