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Got Seasonal Allergies? Eat the Local Honey

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Honey is all the buzz. Not only does it taste like summer, but it has some amazing qualities that help your body.

It's antimicrobial because of its high sugar content, so it's great for treating cuts and burns to prevent scarring. You can keep a jar in your medicine cabinet for years - it's slightly acidic, so it never goes bad.

I've also heard that honey can be used to treat seasonal allergy symptoms. In order to understand why, you need to know how honey is made.

Honey bees (the female worker bees) travel from flower to flower, drinking nectar, and storing it in sacs in their little bee bodies. Then they buzz back to their hive and use their "honey stomachs" to regurgitate and ingest the nectar a number of times until it is partially digested. They then store the nectar in the honeycombs, fanning it with their wings to evaporate the water, and turning it into the thick sweet honey we know and love.

The reason it may help with seasonal allergies, is because honey contains a bit of pollen from the plants. So if you eat the sweet treat that is made by bees in your area, the honey will often act as an immune booster, reducing your allergy symptoms to the local flowering plants. It's a good idea to take 2-3 spoonfuls each day for several months prior to pollen season.

Fit's Tips: Eating local honey works for some people, and may not for others. It's a folk remedy, with no scientific research to back it up, but if you suffer from seasonal allergies, it's worth a try. If it doesn't help with your sniffles and sneezing, well at least you're getting vitamins B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Honey also contains antioxidants and vitamin C. All that and it tastes good too!

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Eating Local Honey Could Help Seasonal Allergies

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Honey is all the buzz. Not only does it taste like Summer, but it has some amazing qualities that help your body. It's antimicrobial because of its high sugar content, so it's great for treating cuts and burns to prevent scarring. You can keep a jar in your medicine cabinet for years - it's slightly acidic, so it never goes bad.

I've also heard that honey can be used to treat seasonal allergy symptoms. In order to understand why, you need to know a bit about how honey is made.

Honey bees (the female worker bees) travel from flower to flower, drinking nectar, and storing it in sacs in their little bee bodies. Then they buzz back to their hive and use their "honey stomachs" to regurgitate and ingest (I know it sounds a little gross, but cool somehow) the nectar a number of times until it's partially digested. They then store the nectar in the honeycombs, fanning it with their wings to evaporate the water, turning it into the thick sweet honey we know and love.

So what does honey have to do with your allergies? To find out read more.

The reason honey may help with seasonal allergies is because honey contains a bit of pollen from plants. So if you eat the sweet treat that is made by bees in the area where you live, the honey will often act as an immune booster, reducing your allergy symptoms to local flowering plants. It's a good idea to take two to three spoonfuls each day for several months prior to pollen season.

Fit's Tip: Eating local honey works for some people, but may not for others. It's a folk remedy with no scientific research to back it up, but it's worth a try if you suffer from seasonal allergies. If it doesn't help with your sniffles and sneezing, well at least you're getting vitamins B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Honey also contains antioxidants and vitamin C. All that and it tastes good, too!

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Healthy Honey

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:30:00 -0800

What's the buzz? Honey has so many wonderful characteristics besides its natural sweet flavor - they don't call it the "ancient healer" for nothing.

Besides being great at soothing a sore throat, check this out, Honey....

it could be helpful in treating your allergies.
it's antimicrobial because of its high sugar content, so it's great for treating cuts and burns to prevent scarring.
it contains vitamins B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.
it also has minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
it contains natural antioxidants such as vitamin C.
There are over 300 different varieties of Honey, ranging in color and flavor, depending on what plants the bees gather nectar from.
Honey never goes bad, because it's slightly acidic, bacteria won't grow in it.

Fit's Tip: Using Honey in your baked goods will keep them moist for a longer period of time.

Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali Talk Italian Food

partysugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:44:44 -0700

At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen over the weekend I was lucky enough to attend a demonstration lead by Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. The duo are the masterminds behind a popular Los Angeles restaurant, Osteria Mozza. Silverton works most nights at the eatery behind the mozzarella bar. Batali, of course, is busy with lots of projects like a new line of tomato sauce and a pizza oven. When he hit the stage he dipped his hand in a pot of boiling pasta water and used it to slick back his hair! The two cooked, joked, and talked Italian cuisine. To find out what they had to say, read more.

To cook like an Italian, Mario insists on spending quality time shopping. "If you get good ingredients and don't really mess around with them, then you're cooking like an Italian."
When looking for ingredients, both Silverton and Batali seek out harder to find Italian specialty items like straticella (a type of fresh cheese), speck (smoked prosciutto), and guanicale (similar to bacon, but made from pork cheeks). Mario shamelessly pointed out that this kind of charcuterie can be purchased from his father's salumeria.

When making pasta, Batali undercooks it by two minutes. "When the box says it cooks in 10-12 minutes, I take it out after 8 minutes of cooking, then cook it for one more minute in the pan."
Like many Italian chefs, Batali said the "most crucial ingredient when making pasta is the starchy pasta water."
Instead of liquid honey, when she can find it, Silverton likes to use whole edible honey comb on cheese plates.
Let the pan do the work. Place meat and fish in a hot pan and leave it there. Don't mess with it, especially if it's fish.
Try making pesto in a mortar and pestle. Silverton, whose a huge fan of pestos, makes a variety including the classic basil, and other more interesting renditions like celery leaf, tomato, and caper pestos. While the elements may change, she makes pesto by hand in a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor. "The difference between male and female cooking is that men like machines and women like to be hands-on."
In Italy, they cook with everything from the head to the tail and from the leaf to the root, so make the most of your ingredients.
Unlike in French cooking, Italians (and Batali) don't worry about emulsifying sauces. Batali likes it when each bite is different and textured.
Lightly dress salads.
Spend the extra dollar on more expensive pasta. It will affect the overall flavor of the dish and is worth it.

The most important thing that Batali and Silverton stressed was that Italians are regionally focused. Each town has its own specific type of local cuisine. To truly cook like an Italian, look to your hometown for ingredients that are local and special to that region.

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Make It a Summer Date: Batting Cages

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Cycling and hiking are awesome Summer activities to do with your honey, but they're not the only ones. Do something different on your next fitness date and pay a visit to your local batting cages. Even if you were the kid picking grass in right field during middle school during baseball games, I promise you'll have a blast when you're swinging bats in the sunshine.

You don't need to bring your own equipment to the cages; just wear comfortable clothes and sneakers and bring a little cash to pay for your time. Most places have a selection of cages with multiple options - soft-pitch softball or baseball, medium- or fast-pitch baseball, etc.

Expect to be a little sore after hitting a bunch of balls. Your upper body will get a great strengthening workout, particularly your back, shoulders, forearms, and core. My obliques were still noticeably sore a few days after my most recent trip to the batting cages!

Fit Tip: You may consider taking along a pair of batting gloves if you plan on swinging at 20 or more pitches. Your hands can easily tear after so much use, and you don't want a little injury to cut your afternoon short.

Say Cheese! Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon

partysugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:15:35 -0700

The other day I decided to treat myself to my favorite table cheese, grana padano. This Italian cheese is similar to Parmesan reggiano and is excellent eaten right out of your hands. However, my local grocery store was all out. As I stood staring aimlessly at the cheese selection, wondering what could replace my beloved padano, the cheesemonger saved me. "Have you tried Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon?" he asked. While I've had my fair share of artisanal cheesemaker's Cypress Grove's most famous cheese, Humboldt Fog, I've never tasted the Midnight Moon. An aged goat's milk cheese, Midnight Moon is perfect for any cheese plate. To find out why this is my new favorite and check out my suggestions for serving, read more.

Creamy and complex, midnight moon has similar characteristics to Parmesan. It's nutty and sharp with tiny melt-in-your-mouth crystals. The long and strong finish is caramely with a slight browned-butter flavor. It's salty, but not overly so and subtly rich. The aroma is mild. The aging process - Midnight Moon is aged for six months or more - provides a nice graininess. Pale ivory in color and smooth in texture, the wheels are finished in a black wax that easily peels off.

Here's how I plan on enjoying this delightful cheese:

Alone as a snack, or on a cheese board with charcuterie, fruit, and nuts.
With crackers, drizzled with honey or preserves.
Shaved onto a bitter green salad.
Melted in a grilled cheese sandwich or macaroni and cheese.
Grated on a crisp pizza crust.

Have you tried Midnight Moon or any of Cypress Grove's cheeses? What did you think?

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Obamas to Plant White House Garden Today

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:30:53 -0700

Today is the day that Alice Waters and other Slow Food supporters have been waiting for: the Obamas will begin planting a garden on the White House lawn, the first such victory garden to be created since the one Eleanor Roosevelt planted during World War II.

The garden, which will be overseen by Sam Kass, the Obamas' former private chef from Chicago, will provide food for the first family's meals and formal dinners. White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford will write menus based on what's available in the garden.According to First Lady Michelle Obama, the biggest reason for growing a garden is to educate children about the benefits of growing fresh produce locally. She said:

There’s nothing really cooler than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.

The first lady, who will dig up soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot of land with fifth graders from a local elementary school, has stressed the significance of healthful eating ever since entering the White House. Last month, she opened up the White House kitchen for a press tour, and recently spoke about the importance of fresh, local eating.

Advocates of farm-to-table eating have been campaigning for a White House edible garden for months now, and there is little doubt that many eat-local proponents consider this to be a huge step in the right direction. To see what fruits and vegetables will be in the White House garden, read more.

Arugula
Spinach
Chard
Black kale
Red romaine
Green oak leaf
Butterhead lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Spinach
Cilantro
Tomatillos
Hot peppers
Berries
Thai basil
Bees, for honey

What do you think of the project? What would you plant if you were Michelle Obama?

What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:50:51 -0700

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

When is it appropriate to eat the rind on cheese?
Five bargain wines that you shouldn't pass up.
Enhance the flavor of in-season wild ramps in a primavera pasta.
Make your own krupnikas, an Eastern European liqueur, with local honey.
Is planning your menu ahead really all that important?
Next time you shop for groceries, go Greek with these high-impact ingredients.

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St. Patty's Day Treats For Your Four-Legged Friends

PetSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Although Samson isn't Irish (obvs), that didn't stop LilPeaPod from making her little guy some special St. Patrick's Day treats to enjoy so he wasn't left out of the celebration fun. She sent in a few photos, and describes how she made the Irish bars with one of my household's favorite ingredients: peanut butter! She writes:

After attending the St. Patrick's Day parade this weekend in San Francisco, I had enough Irish treats and Guinness to last me a week! Since this was Samson's first St. Patty's Day, I didn't want to leave the little guy out of the fun, and decided to make a green-themed treat for him. I took the Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookie recipe you posted last year, and cut them into small, bite sized bars. As you can see, I added to the recipe by topping the cookies with a cream cheese and honey frosting. With just a few drops of organic food coloring that I found at my local Whole Foods, I got the nice green tint. It was super easy to make, and my little guy gobbled them up!

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Those cookies definitely look good enough to eat! Check out the full cookie and frosting recipe when you read more.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies For You and Fido
Petville

Great tasting cookies that are safe for your pup, and will appeal to your palette as well.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil
1 cup peanut butter-creamy or chunky
1 cup low-fat milk
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups of uncooked oatmeal
Honey (no more than 1/2 cup) – as a yummy extra

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease cookie sheet(only 1 needed)
3. Put 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of oil in a bowl, mix well.
4. Heat peanut butter and honey(together) in microwave for 30 seconds and mix into bowl mentioned in #3.
5. Pour 2 cups of oatmeal into bowl and mix well.
6. Pour and spread into cookie sheet.
7. Take 1/2 cup oatmeal and spread on the top and tap down with fork to make it stick when done cooking.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, longer if you want them crispy.
9. Hot or cold, cut treats into 3-inches by 1 1/2-inches and store in sealed container.

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Doggie Friendly Cream Cheese Frosting
Original Recipe

Great topping for your pet-friendly cookies!

Ingredients

5 ounces of low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of honey

Directions
Mix cream cheese, canola oil, vanilla, and honey in a bowl. For color, use one or two drops of food coloring. Frost cookies with mixture and enjoy!

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Another Reason to Exercise: Better Sex Through Yoga

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Steering your sex drive in the right direction can easily be derailed by stress, but getting it to a satisfying place could be as simple as incorporating yoga in your fitness regimen. According to a recent article in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, women noticed improved levels of arousal and desire - and even experienced better orgasms - through practicing Eastern techniques of mindfulness and yoga.

Living in the present moment is an important focus of yoga, so it's easy to see how training our minds and bodies to remain present and aware could benefit our time in the bedroom. Venturing to your local studio is one way to get started, but many gyms offer group yoga classes and there's no reason why you couldn't start doing yoga on your own. Check out some yoga DVDs (if you're so inclined, there's the Better Sex Through Yoga series) and maybe get your honey involved by trying partner yoga at home.

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