Feeding and Diet

In my participation of health forums, the misconception of sugar and the negative perception of honey surface from time to time. Here's a typical ranting from supposedly health-conscious netizens:

"Honey is water super-saturated with sugar. You got to be kidding yourself if you tell me that it is healthier than any other concentrated sugar product. Sugar is sugar; people eat it because it is a carbohydrate rich in energy. It doesn't matter where it comes from, the cane or the bees, costing more doesn't make it any better. So, do not be so naive and delude yourself, the liquid from the bees is just as fattening like any other sugars and can cause problems like obesity and diabetes. It contains traces of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals but the amount is so insignificant that you need to eat tons of it to benefit from it."

How often do we hear such erroneous statements being made, and even many times from the medical profession? The statements above contain the same logical fallacy as this conversation which I picked up weeks back from a lady who was teaching her friend at the pedestrian crossing, "hey, swimming is not good for you, they make you fat. You'll feel so hungry after swimming that you will gorge and consume more calories than you should. So, never include swimming as part as your exercise regime." I was expecting the lady's friend to object to the argument but to my surprise, she acknowledged it politely and even appeared to be thankful about the new knowledge! No wonder some people say common sense is not always common.

The reasoning here is not about eating excessively and a wilful bingeing of sugary stuff, which is all straight-forward enough for us to leave that stone unturned. I am talking about choosing honey over other sugars and eating it for health. Knowledge such as "there are good calories and bad calories" and "not all fats are equal" all seem too common, especially amongst people who are dieting and weight conscious, however "all sugars are not created equal" sometimes seems to come across as counter intuitive and even bizarre. People need to know that there are good sugar, bad sugar and even dangerous sugar! And because there are so many guises of sweeteners, and some come in names that you can even pronounce, we must know how to read food labels critically!

Think about it. Which sugar amongst all sugars fits this behaviour - it is anabolic, medicinal, antiseptic, anti-cancer, gentle on blood sugar, friendliest to our liver, the most ideal fuel for burning body fats, and has many healing effects? None, except honey. Taste aside (though I vote it as the tastiest sugar, sweetest medicine), I believe bee's sugar is the best, nature-given sugar for our body, yet probably most forgotten and neglected sweetener. The doctors never fail to tell us that our body is unable to utilize refined sugars which are void of all nutrients and our body tissues in fact must relinquish precious vitamins and minerals to detoxify and eliminate them from our system, which often leads to nutrient deficiencies and the gradual deterioration of our cells and organs. But did they ever tell you once that our body needs some sugar, and good sugar, honey ideally, can provide a positive supply of liver glycogen for healthy effects of brain metabolism?

While the bees play a critical role as pollinators for many agricultural crops in maintaining a balanced eco-system, they also have one very important work - yielding a sweet sticky liquid that man can eat for health. The healthful substances in the bee food may be minute in quantity, but overtime, when consumed daily, consistently and persistently will bring about a powerful accumulative effect in our health and body immunity that is huge enough to be felt and seen. I believe that if the bees have not added something more special into the nectar they collect to make the natural sweetener different from other sugars, then there would not be so many unsolicited emails streaming into my mailbox raving about the healing benefits of the golden liquid, how it has cured so many ailment including cough, sinus, eczema, infections, arthritis, pains, burns, cuts, and even brought new precious understanding to those who are obese, trying to lose pounds, have high blood pressure, cholesterol issues and diabetes. Hence, if honey is superior to all other forms of sugar or sweetener, surely then, it must be treated differently and its health benefits become common knowledge.

If you have never quite known honey or couldn't think of the golden liquid as more than just sugar and calories, hold on, reading on its powerful ability (I am not exaggerating) could mean waking up to some very precious truths related to sugar and opening up a whole new perspective that could bring a huge impact on your shopping and daily dieting habits. The creation and development of this site is emotively motivated by an urgent need to rectify any misconception of honey in the ferocious onslaught of more and more dangerous artificial sweeteners and worrying increasing demand for exceptionally cheap, yet incredibly nasty high fructose corn syrup. Parents, be informed on the effects of different sugars and take action. No one is going to care and plan more for your children's health than you, not the schools, not the food authorities, and not the doctors. I believe this natural sugar can help us and the future generations turn away from refined HFCS and the host of harmful artificial sweeteners that are wreaking much havoc on the human body. Pass the word around about what the bees have given us, convert as many of your friends and loved ones as possible before they get whirled into the confusing and deceptive world of sugars.

I'm neither a beekeeper nor a medical doctor (well, I'm not even sure if the latter is on the same wavelength when it comes to discussing sugar...). I am an ordinary consumer of honey who has become frenetic on discovering how intelligent and good this bee food is. And you might be also surprised to know that honey is not natural in our culture; there are no bee farms or beekeepers in my country, hardly any bees, and no fresh honeycomb to eat directly from. Nevertheless, it is perhaps this very depravity that results in an even stronger desire to know more about what God has bestowed through nature and a greater love for what is not available in this place imbued with the ways of a sophisticated city.

With over 230 pages, this site is huge. Here are some places that you could start with; they represent some of my most favourite write-ups as they have opened the minds of so many to understand the different behaviours of sugar. Sincerely and earnestly, I hope very page you read would lead you in making some of your most vital, rational, and transformational eating decisions.