Pour Some Honey On Me

Winnie the Pooh knew what he was doing when he made honey his go to comfort food. Honey is a natural form of sugar. For those of you who count your calories you may think that honey isn't your sweetener of choice considering that a tablespoon of honey has 64 calories and a tablespoon of raw sugar only has 15 calories. However, I encourage you to consider all of the benefits of honey before making your choice. Honey is a natural source of energy, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, and iron. The extensive list of benefits include honey playing a role in the following: improving athletic performance, weight loss, antibacterial and anti-fungals, digestion, antioxidants, wound management, skin care, cancer prevention, sleep aides, and inflammation. I'll briefly elaborate on a couple of these benefits, starting with its role in weight loss. It has been discovered that dissolving honey in hot water helps the body to burn its fat storages. This fat is converted to energy. The second I'll mention is one that was new to me, honey being an antiseptic. Honey can be used not only to treat external bacterial and fungal infections but can also be used to treat internal ones. This is another reason to drink some tea with honey in order to help soothe and hinder the growth of the bacteria that causes illnesses such as the common sore throat. An example of an internal infection honey can help treat is a yeast infection. Along with fighting off infection, honey can also help stimulate wound tissues to heal faster by providing a moist environment, which also reduces the development of scar tissue. The thick consistency of honey also prevents any foreign invaders from entering into the wound. Raw honey contains the most benefits because it's unpasteurized. However, although most honeys found at grocery stores have been filtered, this honey still contains numerous benefits. The most beneficial form of honey seems to be Manuka honey, which is a honey from New Zealand. The darker the honey, the healthier it is. Now find me a refined sugar that can compete with honey, you can't. Oh the sweet taste of victory.

References:
Honey: The Liquid Gold
Health Benefits of Honey

The River of Life

What is blood? Blood is a connective tissue that supplies oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. It also carries away waste products and regulates body temperature. Blood is more important than most of us realize and is capable of revealing tons of aspects of our health. It consists of two different components: cells and plasma. The cells float in the plasma, which is the liquid portion of blood.There are approximately 5 liters of blood contained in the human body, which ends up equaling about 7% of a persons body weight. Every year millions of people worldwide, about 16 million to be exact, are in need of blood transfusions. People may need a blood transfusion for various reasons such as: severe blood loss, anemia, or cancer. The Center for Disease control estimated that as many as 35,000 people die every year due to hepatitis received during blood transfusions. There are also about 500,000 illnesses related to this fact. There are also deaths due to human error of giving people the wrong type of blood during their transfusions. However, regardless of the deaths that occur annually because of blood transfusions there are also deaths because of the fact that there is a demand for blood and some patients simply do not receive the blood type they need due to the unavailability of it. Why is this important? Scientists are currently researching ways to create a synthetic blood that will forever change the world of blood transfusions. Synthetic blood offers many advantages compared to actual blood. One of the biggest advantages is that it's universally compatible with all people regardless of their blood type. Other advantages is that unlike real blood, synthetic blood can be stored up to longer periods of time and more importantly does not need to be refrigerated. Blood transmitted diseases such as hepatitis can be prevented and in some cases synthetic blood can deliver oxygen to organs even faster than actual blood. The question is, how is this groundbreaking discovery going to be created and turned into everyday use for clinics and hospitals. The answer is stem cells from bone marrow as well as human embryos. Stem cells are cells that are able to differentiate into any type of cell. If development of synthetic blood is successful then the blood demands in various countries will all be satisfied. Clinical trials with humans are said to hopefully be in the near future. So the next time you see blood, before you put the bandaid on, think about its importance. One day you may be the one who has part of this innovative discovery flowing inside of you because blood is indeed the river of life.

References: 

Artificial Blood Soon A Reality
My Blood

This Thanksgiving, Give Thanks to a Healthier You

Most of us, like myself, give ourselves permission to indulge around the holidays when it comes to feasting. However, during the holiday season, which lasts roughly six weeks, most of us manage to gain on average one pound each. This one pound may not sound like a lot but pounds begin to add up throughout the years. In order to assure that you’re not included in the majority of people gaining weight, there are lots of tips in order to maintain a healthy you. For example, try to get some exercise before the big meal. Friends and family can gather together and toss the ole pig skin around. Your metabolism is elevated for one to two hours after exercise, which means you burn calories quicker. The harder you exercise, the more calories you burn. The next mistake that most of us make is that you don't eat anything before the big meal, whether it's to save room or to save those few extra calories. Therefore, make sure you eat breakfast and maybe even throw in a small pre-dinner snack. It's very important to eat breakfast for several reasons. One reason is to help take the edge off the hunger, which can help stop you from snacking on all of the appetizers which can be sneaky calories. Another reason is that eating in the morning helps to keep your metabolism up to speed. When our bodies don't get the nutrients we need, our body goes into starvation mode to conserve energy, which means our metabolism slows down and we burn fewer calories. Also remember to keep your plate colorful. Vegetables are key, and no mashed potatoes do not qualify as a very healthy vegetable. Sweet potatoes are a food that is very rich in vitamins and nutrients but loading it with sugar and butter negate these benefits. When it comes to pie, I won't ask you to pass but if you can, go with a slice of pumpkin pie. A slice of pumpkin pie only has about 350 calories. Some pies, like pecan pie, can have up to 750 calories per slice. So this season, don't feel guilty about all the food you've consumed. Save yourself from the crash diet that begins after the holidays are over. Spend your time celebrating family, friends, and life. Happy Holidays!

References:
The Skinny On Holiday Weight Gain

8 Steps To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain