Honey for Allergies

So many of us suffer from allergies and may feel like our only resort is to down Claritin or Sudafed or other medications. These options can become expensive, and are likely to have negative side effects on our body, especially if they are taken long-term. For example, mild side effects from Sudafed can include insomnia, rash, and restlesness. Serious symptoms can include a pounding heartbeat, flu symptoms, severe dizziness and increased blood pressure. I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling terrible from my allergies, I don’t want to end up feeling even worse from my medicine! Luckily, medicine isn’t our only option for allergy relief. Honey from local bees can help with your hay fever symptoms without the side effects and cost of medicine. How does this work? Your hay fever allergies are caused by pollen in your local area. The bees collect this pollen from the local plants, and small amounts of it are transferred to their honey. When you ingest this honey in small amounts, it works like a series of allergy shots, by slowly building up your tolerance to the allergen, and decreasing your allergy symptoms. The best way for this to work is to ingest 2-3 teaspoons of the honey daily for a few months before pollen season.

Honey can also help your allergies in the short term, as it is known to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Take a spoonful before outdoor activities and it might help with your allergies for the day.

Note: Raw honey should not be feed to children under the age of one. Honey normally cannot support bacteria, but one bacteria that can survive and is usually benign, C. botulinum, can be dangerous to infants. By the age of one, the immune system of most infants is developed enough to resist the bacteria.

Check out Honey and Cinnamon cures.

Nuts For Weight Loss

One of my best tips for weight loss is to go nuts for nuts. That's right; studies have shown that nuts are very helpful when it comes to losing weight. Nuts are high in protein and healthy fats, which makes them a great alternative to animal proteins. They are also high in vitamins, minerals and lots of nutritious calories that can help to curb the cravings associated with weight loss.

Although animal proteins contain important nutrients, they can get in the way with weight loss as they contribute to slow bowel movements. Nuts, on the other hand, are high in fiber, which moves through the intestinal tract at a rapid pace and sweeps it clean. A clean digestive tract is essential for losing weight as it helps to speed up the metabolism, reduces food cravings and increases energy levels. All of these are important for losing weight effectively and keeping it off in the long run.

Another benefit of nuts is that they are plant-based and do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fats. All the oils and fats in nuts are natural and are very good for you, especially for your heart.

The best of all nuts is Indian nuts for weight loss.

Carrot juice

Carrots improve your eyesight?

Do you chomp on carrots to keep night blindness at bay? Have your say on the messageboard below.
There are endless food myths parents use every day to get their children to eat nutritious food – 'spinach will make you strong like Popeye', 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' and 'eating carrots helps you see in the dark'.

Especially is useful consumption of carrot juice, because of high concentrations of healthy substances.

A major Australian study called the Blue Mountains eye study, conducted in the late 1990s, examined the link between increased vitamin A intake and deteriorating night vision in older people. The authors found that people who reported having poor eyesight ate more carrots – just as their mothers had told them – to improve their eyesight. But it didn't help.

While there is some truth to the old wives' tale regarding carrots and eyesight, Professor Algis Vingrys, from the University of Melbourne's Department of Optometry and Vision Services, says no amount of carrots will improve your eyesight if you already have a well balanced diet.

A diet with sufficient vitamin A, iron and other provitamins (substances that our bodies can convert into vitamins) is vital for eye health.

There are two types of vitamin A: retinoids and carotenoids.
Retinoids are a lipid form of vitamin A found in liver, fish oils containing liver (eg cod-liver oil) and butter. Eating large amounts of these substances can give you an overdose of vitamin A and lead to toxicity, or worse, promote some forms of cancer.

Carotenoids are provitamins your body converts into vitamin A. Carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and dark-green leafy vegetables all contain beta-carotene, a potent carotenoid. But how much gets converted depends on how much vitamin A you already have in your body – in other words, your body doesn't make vitamin A if you don't need it.
Carrot juice