HEALTH / FITNESS
Information about fitness, health, nutrition and weight loss
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Honey, You're A Sweetie!!
The name 'honey' comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'enchant'. It is used as a sweetener, and is also considered for healing and medicinal treatments. It goes back 150 million years. It shows up in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and was sometimes used as tribute or payment
In the Old Testament we are told that the best place to live is in a "land of milk and honey". Romans and Greeks referred to it as food fit for the gods. Mead was a wine made with honey. Today most honey comes from bee farmers. It is estimated that today there are five billion colonies of bees in this country (wild and raised).
Honey takes up moisture quickly, so cakes and cookies stay moist longer if you use honey instead of sugar. But be careful, some foods made with honey will take up too much moisture and become too soft and gooey. Honey should be stored in a dry place. If the honey crystallizes upon aging, don't toss it out. You can easily re-liquify it by warming the container in moderately hot water. Very high temperatures will destroy the flavor and color of honey.
Honey has been used for medicinal purposes for years. The blend of various alcohols, ethereal oils, formic, lactic, and vegetable acids and hormones furnished by the bee herself, proves a valuable ally to man in his battle for good health. It relieves asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems, and is also recommended to those with hay fever. It can be used by diabetics without harm, and mixed with lavender in bathwater helps to relax and fight insomnia.
One unfortunate fact - honey is fattening. It is more fattening than sugar. One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, while the same amount of sugar has 46 calories. But, honey should not be given to children less than one year old. It contains a type of bacteria called clostridium botulinum that's harmless to older children and adults but can cause a serious disease that affects the nervous system of young babies. However, honey contains only minute traces of residue from industrial emissions, car exhaust and agricultural chemicals. Why? Because the bees act like biological filtering agents. A bee will die first if he comes into contact with toxins, so he won't live to bring it to the hive to produce honey. The little bee sacrifices his life for us!!! So in honor of these brave bees, and to celebrate National Honey Month, this month's recipes will feature our star ingredient in each one. Prepare for some sweet eating!!!
September Honey Recipes - Click Here
September is back-to-school month, and we also celebrate Labor Day!!! Since it is National Honey Month, all the recipes will feature honey as their star attraction!! Try some of these sweet and scrumptious recipes for your Labor Day dinner or make them for the family to ease them back into the swing of school days.
And please send us your recipes. Be sure to put your name and where you're from and send them, and a picture if possible, to recipes@ssbbw-magazine.com and we'll be sure to print as many as possible.
Weight Loss Surgery can be scary words or they can be words of hope. Most SSBBWs have thought of or had someone mention weight loss surgery. It's obviously not for everyone. There are SSBBWs who have accepted that they are large and always will be. There are some who like being large and don't want to change. And there are others who live day to day with pain, both physical and emotional, of carrying the extra weight that have various reasons for wanting to do something about it.
Everyone has a view on weight loss surgery be it good or bad or even neutral. Which is perfectly fine as we are all entitled to our opinions. One reader has made the decision to have weight loss surgery and will take us on her journey. What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery? Have you had weight loss surgery? Our forums are available for you to discuss and give your views on this topic.
Click here to read about our readers journey with weight loss surgery.