I did not like the smell of honey when I was young. The smell was very strongly medicinal for me and I tried to stay as far away from honey as possible. But when I reached my twenties something changed. I cannot recall the exact incident. It might have been an article or a book that I read when I came to know about the miraculous elixir that honey is. Now I am a huge fan of honey and use it not only in my desserts but also as a skin care ingredient.
With my interest in honey growing,I came to know that most of the honey that are available commercially are pasteurized and filtered honey. The real goodness of honey lies in the use of raw honey. You can read about raw honey and how it is different from the regular honey here.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/raw-honey-vs-regular
I once bought a liter of raw honey directly from beehive harvesters who cultivated the honey from a huge beehive that had formed in a vacant top floor balcony in our apartment in Jaipur. It was one of the best honey I have tasted till now.
We being a nature loving family most of our holidays are planned to keep in mind our constant urge of going back into the comforting lap of Mother Nature. During these trips, I am in constant search for high quality local raw honey sourced directly from the beekeepers or village dwellers. These honey somehow always turn out to be the best.
In one such quest of mine in the quaintly beautiful Himalayan town of Kaza in Spiti Valley, I acquired a jar of golden deliciousness in the form of Tabo honey. It had a mild and delicious flavor and till date , this honey is unmatched in taste and quality.
When we were dating my hubby once got me a jar of raw organic forest honey from the jungles of Kerala. Oh my God! There was an explosion of flavors on my tongue when I tasted that honey. Now I cannot wait for my trip to Kerala to get my hands on such superior quality of honey once again.
Amongst many of the magical properties of honey, there are a few that especially enchant me. One of them is its famed anti-microbial properties and I wanted to get to the root of it. What is the science behind this highly proclaimed goodness of honey?
After a lot of reading and research, I came to know about the enzyme present in honey known as glucose oxidase. It is present in honey because the honeybee synthesizes the enzyme and deposit it into the honey, where it acts as a natural preservative. This enzyme acts as a catalyst in the reaction by which sugars(glucose) are converted to hydrogen peroxide which imparts the anti-microbial property.
‘https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969731
So now I know why honey acts as a magic salve when my super sensitive skin is inflamed with a sudden flare-up of adult acne.
I use honey in many of my DIY face packs with astonishingly awesome results! The anti-microbial property of honey aids a lot in skin care together with its hygroscopic property. It is because of the hygroscopic or water-loving nature that makes honey one of the best natural humectant that helps to retain moisture. So the application of some honey on your skin will instantly plump it up and make it moisturized from within without any oiliness. You can find some of my DIY face pack recipes here.https://thefoodlives.com/2019/04/04/diy-magical-face-packs/
Another way in which I use raw honey in my daily routine is by mixing it with lukewarm water and lemon juice and having this potion first thing in the morning. This drink makes me feel very smug that I am finally doing something for my health and it tastes great too.
Honey is a regular ingredient in my baked goodies as a substitute for refined sugars. This definitely gives the goodies a different flavor and texture. In one of my healthy mixed bean salad recipe, I used honey for the dressing together with lemon giving it a superbly sweet and tangy flavor . You will find the quick and easy recipe here.https://thefoodlives.com/2018/12/03/super-healthy-easy-and-tasty-mixed-beans-salad/
So my love affair with honey is continuing till now and I am in constant search of new varieties of honey and discover the magic inside them.
All images are courtesy of Burst by shopify.
Informative post!
http://www.nooranandchawla.com
I used to have honey all the time. For whatever reason – I haven’t had honey in about 15 years. Three weeks ago I had a bad sore throat. All of a sudden I had a hankerin’ for honey. Bought some, and some tea (which I NEVER drink). One mug-full did the trick. Haven’t had the honey since.
But you should. Honey is great.
I will have to try honey as a moisturizer, that sounds awesome. A few years ago I purchased some raw honey at the farmer’s market. Each year I look for him. In the meantime, I am always on the lookout for local unprocessed honey.
Honey is a great moisturiser. You should try it.
Oh how I love the taste of raw honey. I especially like honey that comes from different environments, however, I tend to shy away from those that are darker in color. I use honey as an alternative to pure cane sugar because it regulates and evens out my sugar levels so I’m not crashing. Plus it helps me control the sugar I intake by just ingesting some honey. Big win-win for me! 🙂
Thanks. I am also equally passionate about honey.
Detailed and awesome post..