Making the switch from refined sugar to honey. 

 I never liked nor ate honey until about 10 years ago. I was entering mid-life and allergies started bugging me. A bit in spring and then in a more serious way by the end of the summer. Bad enough that I had to take allergy meds as I was not able to work without them anymore. Turns out I could not work with them in my system either as they made me feel just as bad than the allergies themselves did.  

 I am the kind of person who does not react well to meds. Non-drowsy still sent me to bed an hour after taking. Pediatric strength only works for me when I take it before bed so the heavy cloudiness I experience can wear off as I sleep. Mind you I am not a petite woman. I am 5’9” tall and weigh 150 lbs. Those little pills knocked me out time after time! 

Then I met a young beekeeper at one of my local craft fairs. He told me about honey and its benefits. Bottom line is that bees collect the exact same pollen we are allergic to. By ingesting a small amount each day, we become more tolerant of them. Hence allergies will ease off. 

Now, this might not work for everybody but it did for me. Some of my friends claim it to be just a placebo I am giving myself. I don’t care. I am now taking way less allergy meds during the summer months and I can work with a clear head. That is all that matters to me. 

Here Is a link leading to a very informative report about honey: 

Honey as a Natural Remedy for Allergies (verywellhealth.com)

If find it well worth looking at. 

RETRAIN YOUR TASTE BUDS 

MAKE THE SWITCH TO HONEY 

 I don’t find honey less sweet than sugar. To me, it just tastes different. Obviously using more will make things sweeter. I am also not 100% convinced that it is much healthier than sugar. However, honey made by your local beekeeper is, without a doubt, better for the environment. Therefore, I consider it healthier. Healthier for our planet. And that, my dear readers, is a no-brainer to me.    

If you are using white sugar for your coffee or tea, start off by switching to cane sugar first. Do it slowly. Half white, half cane sugar for a week or until you got used to it, then 75/25. Then switch to cane. After a month or so do the exact same thing with honey. 

Honey can be expensive, I understand that. Plus, there are many different types. I will get into that some other time.  

The one thing I'd like to mention here is this: raw honey might be the healthiest version. There is lots of controversy around that so who knows for sure.  What I do know for certain is this: I can tolerate raw honey, my son cannot. He gets stomach aches when he eats it. Row honey basically comes out of the beehive as it is. Regular honey gets pasteurized, filtered and more, depending on the brand. So do your own research and see what works for you please. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Even if you are not plagued by seasonal allergies, switching to local honey, in my opinion, is a great decision. The darker the honey, the more antioxidants it contains. It tastes great, even if you have to retrain your taste buds to like it as I did. It can possibly help you with seasonal allergies and buying it supports your local beekeeper and economy.  

ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT SWITCHING TO HONEY: 

No matter if we use honey or sugar, the less we use the better for our bodies. And if your goal is to go without sweetener, that switch is easier from honey. Sugar is a taste and hard to replace. Honey is a mixture of both, taste and flavor.You will learn to replace the sweetness by using flavors just like salt can be nearly replaced by using more spices. 

Please send e-mails with your thoughts, experiences or questions to: info@warmables.com.

Each e-mail will be answered.  

And as always: I am neither a doc nor a certified nutritionist. Just a person who’s been eating food daily for a good bunch of years and I like to share my opinion about what I eat. See you in about 2 weeks:)