Dr. Oz had more healthy food on his television show today. Although he needs to improve his skills when applying honey masks to a woman’s face, he did a good job of describing some of the health benefits of honey.

He was in a sweet mood during the show and yet he dodged the description of the reasons why you should go lightly with sugar. It’s not so much that the human body expects the taste of sweetness to supply caloric energy as it is that the source of what is sweet naturally has all the usual co-factors like minerals to metabolize the carbohydrates and resulting energy in a balanced way.

When you consume artificial sweeteners or refined sugar, you don’t get those vital trace minerals and your body must then pull them from somewhere else to facilitate the metabolism of the sugars. You actually deplete your body of essential minerals that are needed for many biochemical functions constantly when you use refined sugar or artificial substitutes. Forget those! Really…put them on the ‘NEVER again” List! Promise yourself that you will ONLY use natural sweeteners from this day forward…

B Vitamins are important and lentils do contain these nutrients, but there is every good reason to get a variety of foods in your weekly diet that contain the entire B Complex vitamins. Lentils, whole grains, spirulina, nori, peas, beans, bananas, broccoli, spinach, tempeh, potatoes, tomato, mushrooms, squash, sunflower seeds, eggs, and even peppers contain one or more of the vitamin B complex. B12 is found in meats and seafood with the richest source being spirulina for those who choose not to eat meat. We often recommend sub-lingual supplementation to ensure that your body is not deficient.

B1 is important for you, sweet Heart! Thiamine deficiencies can impair the heart and nervous system. Yet…and never forget this…it is imperative that if you supplement for any B vitamin, do so with a vitamin B complex that is balanced. The body uses these nutrients in a synergistic manner and you need to have an adequate supply of every one simultaneously which is why a food source is the most ideal.

We do love our Lentils! When I was first introduced to lentils in the 1970s, they were referred to as Dal. Dal is the traditional Indian name that is used for lentils. You will find lentil soups on the menu in Indian restaurants and it is delicious, thick, and filling. We usually prepare them as a main dish with carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, and spices to bring them to life with flavor and texture. If you can find a lentil meatloaf recipe, you will likely enjoy this loaf on a weekly basis as a main dish and in sandwiches.

Dr. Oz made a point out of not giving infants raw honey, but being certain to choose RAW honey instead of other modes of preparation. You can give young children stevia and white grape juice when you need to sweeten any food or beverage. It can be a challenge to find raw honey, so check out Farmer’s Markets and Food Co-ops where beekeepers often sell their honey and honeycomb. You can also order online with us to select from some of the finest honey in the marketplace.

If you are so inclined, we would love to encourage you to live on land in the country and have bees. Bees are such an intrinsic part of a healthy ecosystem that has been interrupted with cell phones and towers, mites, insecticides, and other factors that have decimated the honeybee population. If you can help to restore our bees, they will provide you with their sweet nectar in exchange for giving them a healthy place to buzz around.

Dr. Oz mentioned the use of honey for the skin. Of, course you can apply a mask made of clay and honey. Pull your hair back and keep a warm wet towel beside you for the stickiness. It is fine to apply the mask with your fingers or use a tool that will help you apply the mask to your face and body evenly and without waste or fuss. It’s an art…far better than the TV silliness that Oz engaged in for a laugh from his audience! The honey that has the best healing properties for the skin is Manuka and comes from New Zealand and is imported.

One more thing about honey…

The bees will gather the pollen from the fields close to where their hives are located and the flavor of the honey is altered by the types of flowers. Experiment with different types of honey, because there is a great variation in taste and you’ll find certain ones that you prefer.

Well, well, well…Honeybunch, Sweetheart, Beloved: Here’s to your natural sweetness!

One of our friends locally can help you with becoming a BeeKeeper and locating some excellent honey:

Bee Forever Apiary

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.