If you haven’t jumped on the honey bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for? Unlike other health foods that aren’t always the definition of delicious, honey is sweet, tasty, and incredibly useful. Here’s why you should always keep a jar of local honey in your pantry.
Prevent allergies
Spring can be a rough time for many people, with seasonal allergies coming out to rear their ugly heads. Sneezing, sniffling, watery eyes, and a runny nose are just a few hallmarks this irritating allergic response that can leave you feeling under the weather and unable to spend time in the beautiful spring weather. Instead of cowering indoors or covering up your symptoms with continuous doses of allergy medicine, try local honey.
Raw honey made from bees in your local area contains trace amounts of local allergens such as pollen that could be causing you to experience the telltale signs of allergies. Over time, consistent exposure to these allergens could help build up your immune system and teach your body that pollen isn’t the enemy, thereby reducing or eliminating your allergic response. If you experience allergies for the first time when moving to a new area, try small, daily doses of local honey to help your body adjust to the new environment. Remember, you want local honey from your city or town, if possible. The closer to home, the more likely that it will help innoculate you against local allergens.
Help relieve cold symptoms.
At the tail end of the cold season and with the coronavirus prowling around the globe, you want to do everything you can to stay healthy and give your body the best fighting chance. Along with eating nutritious fruits and veggies to improve your immune system, you should always keep a jar of local honey on hand to help alleviate your symptoms if you do get sick. Honey has been shown to help lessen the severity and duration of the common cold and can coat a sore throat to soothe coughing and act as a sleep aid. Plus, it has antimicrobial properties that can kill harmful bacteria.
It doesn’t spoil
If there’s one food that you can actually stock up on without having to worry about it going bad, it’s honey. This astonishing liquid gold has been found in ancient Egyptian burial sites still entirely edible after thousands of years. While it may crystalize over time, pop your jar or bottle in a bowl of hot water, and it will return to its liquid state. When preparing for a disaster, don’t leave honey out of your survival stash.
Treat wounds
Honey can help treat minor cuts and burns and has been proven to speed healing and decrease swelling of the affected area. It is a natural antiseptic agent, which means that it will help stave off infection and help heal those minor cuts that can become a big issue if left untreated. If you are ever without medical supplies, honey will undoubtedly come in handy as a stand-in for other first aid staples.
Sugar substitute
There really is no better sugar substitute than honey. It is a potent sweetener that is natural, beneficial, and doesn’t contain any harmful hidden ingredients. Use it in baking, to sweeten tea or coffee, or wherever you would normally use sugar. Keep in mind; it does still raise your glycemic index, so, like anything sweet, it is essential to enjoy it in moderation.
Why local and raw honey?
You may be wondering why you can’t just head over to the nearest grocery store and grab a bottle of the cheapest honey on the shelf. Surely that’s good enough, right? The truth is, the act of processing honey destroys many of its benefits since it involves heating the honey to an incredibly high temperature to “clarify” it and remove the pollen. This may cause it to look clearer or prevent crystallization for slightly longer, but it really just mitigates the power of this superfood. Plus, local honey supports your community, provides allergen exposure, and is better for the planet overall. It seems like a no brainer, right?
How do you enjoy local, raw honey? Let us know in the comment below!
-Susan Patterson