Adding honey to your diet may do more than just satisfy your sweet tooth. Honey is fat-free, cholesterol-free and has no sodium (salt). Honey contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Honey digests easier than other sugars:
Processed sugars must undergo a process of inversion during digestion by the action of enzymes to convert them into simple sugars. This has already been done for honey by the bees. A secretion in the bee's glands converts the sugar in the nectar into simple sugars, relieving the human body of the time, energy, and depletion of previously stored B vitamins to do so.

Honey is packed with the things the body needs to build and rebuild itself:
Honey contains the B vitamins, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamin, Nicotinic Acid and Pyridoxine. Small amounts of Vitamin C are also found. The Minerals found in Honey are quite extensive, including Potassium, Chlorine, Sulfur, Calcium Sodium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Silica, Silican, Iron, Manganese, Copper and several trace elements; plus helpful acids and enzymes.

• Honey is nonirritating to the lining of the digestive tract
• Honey is easily and rapidly assimilated
• Honey quickly furnishes the demand for energy
• Honey enables athletes to recuperate rapidly from exertion
• Honey is, of all sugars, handled best by the kidneys
• Honey has a natural and gentle laxative effect
• Honey has sedative value, quieting the body
• Honey will relieve an annoying cough (when mixed with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar)
• Honey will relieve the pain from a burn and promote healing of the burned area
• Chewing of capped honeycomb has been known to relieve sinus problems including seasonal hay fever

Studies have shown that honey has significant natural antioxidant properties.: Antioxidants play a role in protecting the skin from environmental harm and aiding in skin rejuvenation. Experts believe antioxidants block certain types of cell damage caused by molecules known as free radicals, which are caused by exposure to tobacco smoke and some chemicals. Foods rich in antioxidants help destroy free radicals, and scientists think they reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease.

All-natural honey can be been used as a beauty product:
Since the days of Cleopatra all-natural honey has been used to make homemade recipes for hair and skin care. The National Honey Board suggests ways we can continue this practice today. Being a natural humectant, honey has the ability to attract and retain moisture. The skin's ability to stay moist (or hydrated) is an important factor in its ability to maintain softness, suppleness and elasticity. As skin ages, or as it is exposed to environmental stresses and chemical agents, it loses its ability to retain water; it becomes dry and appears wrinkled. Honey's natural hydrating properties make it ideal for use in moisturizing products.
Here are a few of their suggestions. You can find more at: www.honey.com

Soothing Skin Conditioner
Warm half a cup of canned coconut milk in the microwave (about 30 seconds on high). Mixed with two tablespoons of honey, then massage into the skin. Rinse off after about 10 minutes. Smells like summer on the beach.

Moisturizing Facial Mask
Whisk together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon glycerin (available at drug and beauty stores) and enough flour to form a paste. Smooth over face and throat. Leave on 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Hair Conditioner
Mix 1/2 cup honey with 1/4 cup olive oil. (Use 2 tablespoons oil for normal to oily hair.) Using a small amount at a time, work mixture through hair until coated. Cover hair with a shower cap; leave on 30 minutes. Remove shower cap; shampoo as usual.

The honey industry does not have the huge budgets of pharmaceutical companies, thus there is a lack of funding for research on this topic. Although there have been no scientific studies that conclusively prove that honey reduces allergy symptoms, there is a great deal of evidence that a couple of spoonfuls of honey a day does indeed do just that, and doctors are beginning to suggest that their patients give it a try. Raw, unfiltered honey contains a variety of the same pollen spores that give allergy sufferers so much trouble when flowers and grasses are in bloom. Minimal exposure to these allergens helps your immune system develop defenses much the same way that allergy-prevention shots do. Using "local" honey, or honey produced in an area where the plant source is the same as that which affects you, will be more helpful. If you suffer from severe allergic asthma, it is suggested that you begin with very small doses of the honey and work up to the 2-spoonfulls gradually to allow your system to develop it's defenses over an extended period of time.

An amazingly large percentage of our customers buying the honey produced from our hives in Alpharetta, tell us that it has been recommended by their doctor or allergist. Over the past several years we have heard story after story about the success many are having.