PART 2 HONEY FOR YOUR HEALTH

This will be a continued post on HONEY!! Honey for your health! 

While honey looks good, smells good and taste good... It's also a healthy sweet treat that will assist your body with additional help to boost antioxidants within your body, as well as, increase antibacterial/antiviral properties. 

This post will deal with HONEY AND ANTIOXIDANTS.  

Why does everyone continually talk about antioxidants?

It's said that Antioxidants assist our body by preventing diseases like cancers and certain heart diseases. 

Increasing antioxidants in your body is the equivalent to having the Justice League available to support you in fighting unhealthy free radicals. 

Antioxidants are heroes helping to keep your body safe from nasty free radicals that may try to take over your innards. (I may have taken that description a little too far... pardon my imagination and creativity)

How does honey become rich in antioxidants?

We are all aware that honey is made by honey bees from nectar of flowers and plants... right? (If you don't know... NOW YOU KNOW - in my best Biggie Smalls voice)

In order for honey to be rich in antioxidants the nectar that is gathered must come from flowers/plants that have antioxidants in them. 

If you're anything like ME... your thought would be well which honey has the highest amount of antioxidants?

According to Nicki Engeseth, PhD, Assistant Professor of food chemistry at the University of Illinois, "Buckwheat is the highest of the honeys tested, with about 3 times as many antioxidants as acacia honey, which is much lighter in color,"

The darker the honey... the more antioxidants seem to be present. 

Now please keep in the mind... Buckwheat honey will taste different from other honey

. 

Buckwheat honey is known for reminding you of molasses (at least that's the word on the street).

SO! If you are a molasses lover, KUDOS for you! ROCK ON! But if you're not a molasses lover, take heed to my warning. 

Do I recommend that honey be taken to increase antioxidants in your body? 

SURE! but let's be honest here, please continue your fruits, veggies and other supplements you may ingest to increase antioxidants in your body. HONEY can only do so much.

Here’s how I incorporate honey into my diet:

Instead of reaching for white sugar, I'll reach for honey to add to my tea/coffee or hot breakfast cereals. I also add honey onto my toast (YUM) and I swallow a teaspoon of honey almost every other day! (That's why I'm so sweet... wink wink)

Honey offers a nice change when you're looking for a sweet substitute and

WHAT’S BETTER THAN HAVING A SWEET SUBSTITUTE THAT CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO YOUR HEALTH! (Confetti is falling)

NEXT ON MY SHOPPING LIST! RAW BUCKWHEAT HONEY!

PS… I’m not a molasses girl LOL! (Stay Tuned for that review)

Photo ref - http://gambarubee.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/buckwheat-honey.jpg