BuzZStop: Back Issues 2009

If you are a pickle-freak, this mouth-watering, crunchy, sweet and sour pickled vegetables prepared in homemade, oriental style might just get you curious!

My husband used to suffer from frequent, sporadic spells of uncontrollable leaky nose and violent sneezing. It was a sinus condition that plagued him since he was a young boy. In 2008, after about a year of taking a tablespoon of honey before bedtime, the occurrence of these erratic sinus symptoms has gradually become rare. And even when it does strike, it comes in a much milder wave. Could the drastic improvement be attributed to the daily dosage of honey?...

Recently, much to my disgust, I learned from the news that in a food-labelling campaign to help shoppers identify healthier food choices, Froot Loops has been given a Smart Choice checkmark! How did such a sugary snack win its endorsement as a nutritionally superior food for kids? What criteria are being used by the Smart Choice program run by food consortiums and nutrition experts? For sure you don't need to be a nutritionist to know the great amount of processed sugar in that cereal...

Stomach ulcers, or also known as gastric ulcer or peptic ulcer can cause much upset to our well-being. If you have these conditions or know of people who are suffering from these ailments, you might want to know that the honey and cinnamon concoction can provide an effective cure.

Finally here's a list of common sugar substitutes, all summarised in one page. Many of us know the names of these sweeteners, but do you know what they are made of?

Many of you have written to me about the use of cinnamon and honey as a home remedy for weight loss. Here's the easy step-by-step instruction on how to prepare the concoction: Cinnamon and Honey Recipe.

On a separate note, I am excited to announce that Benefits of Honey has been given a facelift! It will take some time to transform the entire site (which has over 200 pages) to its improved look, so for the time being, please bear with some inconsistency in the appearance of the pages as you surf within the site. Meanwhile if you have ideas of how to make Benefits of Honey serve you better, please share with us. Appreciate it!

Happy surfing and reading!

Calorie-free sweetener, Saccharin remains as a highly controversial item even after years of debate over its safety. Is it cancer-causing? Is it carcinogenic?

Read full account in: Saccharin Hides Bitter Truth?

More and more people are hankering after the kick from the stimulants found in energy drinks like Red Bull and XS Energy. Claims such as "provide you a quick lift", "give you more energy", and "improved performance and concentration" can be very enticing especially when you feel burned-out and consumed, but how much do we know about the side effects of these energy drinks and can we afford not to know them? All in: Has Anyone Told You About Energy Drink Side Effects?.

Last Sunday, someone asked me what "apple cider" was. Is it another name for apple juice? And what is "apple cider vinegar"? Apple cider with vinegar added?

If you aren't very sure about these terms, get them clarified today. Know what you are shopping and buying, and most importantly, what you are giving to your body. All in: Is Apple Cider the Same as Apple Juice?.

Many of us think of agave nectar or blue agave as a medicinal plant whose juice or sap has been traditionally used for thousands of years by South American natives, but of late, the agave sweetener purchased in stores has become a controversial sweetener. Read: Is Agave Nectar Safe to Eat?.

The apple cider vinegar and honey recipe traditionally has been used as an at-home self cure for many ailments such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and even as an anti-aging elixir. Many people have made use of its powerful cleansing and disinfecting properties to self-detoxify their body. Read how this alternative medicine works in: Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Remedy.

If you prefer an all fruit and vegetable method for body detoxification, try this excellent Japanese juicing formula, which consists of five green vegetables and fruit. When consumed over time, it's believed to be very helpful in tackling a plethora of health and weight issues. Get it in: Japanese Juicing Formula for Body Detox.

What honey can do as a burn treatment has always been head knowledge until recently when unfortunately I had to experience it myself... Read full account in: Honey as Burn Treatment.

Related to this, you can find other testimonies about how honey is used as a first-aid burn cure. The healing ability of honey is just so awe-inspiring. All in:"My Honey Story" Postings.

Next to the prevalent marketing of natural goods such as natural sweeteners, natural skin care, natural medicine, natural flavourings, natural ingredients, etc, you might have also come across a natural food coloring that is now becoming increasingly popular in yogurts, candies, jams, sausage, milk, and even cosmetics, called "carmine". Now, before I tell you what "carmine" is, what does it sound like to you? Some nice herb, flower, or plant? None of these. I just couldn't believe it when I first knew about it. It's a ... Read full account in: Natural Food Coloring.

I have the privilege of asking Angela, an expert in using bee pollen these questions:

1) How have you personally benefited from the use of bee pollen?
2) How would you describe the taste of bee pollens?
3) Do you have few fast tips on how to look out for good quality bee pollen?
4) What's your favourite bee pollen recipe? Could you share with us the ingredients and preparation steps?

Read my interview with her in: Fascinating Bee Pollen Health Benefits.

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Myth or Fact?

How much do you know about honey? Take this 1-minute quiz to find out: Myth or Fact?

Following the discussion of how much honey we can eat in a recent issue of BuzZStop, we later got into the questions of how much of this food and that food we should eat, what is moderate and what is excessive, and of course including this all-too-common question – "How much water should we drink every day?"

Yes, the daily amount of water we should drink depends on various factors, like our own body constitution, age, lifestyle, etc. But there is a useful guideline based on weight which I thought you could immediately pick up... Read "How much water should you drink a day?"

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NEW!

If you fancy anything sweet and sour, this might interest you – my new "Sweet and Sour Recipe eBook"is out!

Share your story about honey and request for a copy of the recipes!

Since my honey allergy article was published in 2007, I have received unfriendly emails from at least three annoyed readers, who seemed to be offended by the amount of information in this website extolling the benefits of honey and felt that my warning about honey allergies was not hard enough.

These readers informed that they have severe reactions from ingesting even a drop of honey, and these include compulsory vomiting, cramps, asthma, breathlessness, and chest pains. And they reported that eating a teaspoon would kill them. A reader even remarked that given the volume of information Benefits of Honey has, he had expected that I would be able to offer more information than anyone on honey allergy. Another warned me that I should not minimise the danger of honey, and that my article implied that honey allergies didn't exist.... Read full article "Any Honey Allergy?".

To date, there exists little documentation about allergic responses to honey despite the much heated debate on the topic. If you have an opinion or a story about honey allergy (could be you or a family member or a friend), I invite you to post it on the "Any Honey Allergy" page. This will certainly help all of us learn from each other's experience!

As our Benefits of Honey pages add by the day to inform about honey, there has also been a marked increase in the number of visitors asking these questions - "How much honey can we eat every day?", "How much honey is considered excessive?" Find out my response in How Much Honey Can I Eat Every Day?

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Darling, Honey is Good for You! is now in Amazon! Many of you might know that this kids' book has its beginnings in the electronic form. Today, it's been given a total new look - its content has been improved and all the pictures have been replaced with new vibrant illustrations created to make reading for children even more pleasurable. Check it out here: Honey Bees for Kids Book.

Claimed to be all natural, Cactus Honey Powder is marketed as all natural, healthy to eat, and an excellent sugar replacement suitable for the diabetic. The honey powder is positioned as a brilliant ingredient for baking or drizzled on cereals, pancakes and waffles.

However, I had all these questions in my mind: How can it be a product from the bees when... Read full account in "Who Says Cactus Honey Powder is Honey!"

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is now an ingredient in almost every processed food, biscuits, soft drinks, jams, ketchup, candy bars, fruit juices, cookies, chocolates, yoghurt, pizzas, beers, cakes, breads, cereal bars, salad dressings, potato chips, etc, you name it.

"Fructose" and "corn" conjure in our minds images of ears of juicy corns and baskets of fresh fruits. The name high fructose corn syrup sounds rather harmless, and in fact even suggests substances that are natural and healthy, but what exactly is it? Read full account in "Sugar is Bad, But is High Fructose Corn Syrup Worse?"

"A daily spoonful or two of honey taken prior to bedtime can help us sleep better and lose weight at the same time".

What you are going to read is going to transform your thinking about body metabolism, confront you to take quality sleep more seriously, and change the way you talk about this all-too-common yellow liquid called, honey. Full account in "How to Sleep and Lose Weight at the Same Time?"

Come on, beat the post-holiday blues and brace yourself for the New Year by starting a daily habit of eating honey before you sleep!