"Lets talk Honey"

Just how valuable are bees? You know those incredible flying insects that can sting the mess out of you, even be fatal to those allergic to them. Do you see them as just a flying nuisance? Lets set the record straight on just how beneficial they are to the environment and your own health. First of all let me tell you up until a few years ago I was one of those I hate bees people who runs away screaming when one would come buzzing near me. If I even suspected a bee hive was being built near my porch, shed, carport, house, bushes you name it, I was pulling out the wasp spray ready to spray down any thing that even remotely resembled a beehive. When I started gardening a few years back & saw just how involved the bees were in my garden I became tolerant of them. But it wasn't until I began my journey to a healthy lifestyle that I discovered the multiple benefits they have on life on Earth.
Lets start with Bee Pollen it is very high in protein {40%} and carbs it contains 22 nutrients required by our own bodies, including all the B-complex vitamins, vitamins C, D, E, K & Beta Carotene (vitamin A) plus numerous other minerals, plant source fatty acids, enzymes & coenzymes & 22 amino acids including all 8 essential amino acids that our own body can not manufacture itself. Needless to say this is a super whole food.
Next lets look at Raw Honey it contains all essential minerals, it is free of bacteria and its anti-viral/anti-fungal. Its a natural energy buster, its the only food that contains "pinocembrin" (an antioxidant associated with improving your brain function.) Raw organic & local is the best most healthiest ways to consume it. I have used raw honey in my tea, as a spread on toast, in my sweet potatoes, as a cough reliever, in homemade brownies and sometimes just giving the kids a big spoon full right out of the jar!
Next is Propolis it is one of the most powerful antibiotics found in nature, bees use this substance to seal their hive protecting it from outside contaminates. It has been used over the centuries to heal ulcers & sores.
Lastly there is Royal Jelly it is rich in protein, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, and inositol. It is said to be able to reduce stress. Royal jelly is widely know for its poplar use as an anti-aging element said to keep the skin looking youthful & smooth adding to the natural collagen. The list goes on & on.
Let me tell you these few tiny facts I have shared with you just skim the top of the hive regarding how useful & absolutely awesome bees are to us. I encourage you to read more about bees & the benefits honey can have on your health. Here is a great website to check out incredible bee info. Knowing all this has really changed my outlook on these wonderful insects and once again I stand amazed at Gods incredible craftsmanship. I have even talked with my husband about the idea of us raising our own bees, ha know that would be interesting.
I came across this quote from Albert Einstein, "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."  Now that's something to think about the next time you get the urge to kill some bees!

Cleaning out the Temple day #4

Day #4 of my detox cleanse. Let me back up to the beginning 8 weeks ago I decided to clean out my system. It all started when I read a fascinating book called "Cancer Step Outside the Box" by Ty Bollinger. It pushed me to want to take better care of my body now while its healthy not wait until its so broken I am in a desperate state at the mercy of some new medicine or some new fad. Based on all the studying I did I needed to start with a parasite cleanse first, one that was made up of a concoction using three herbs: Wormwood, Green Black Walnut Hulls, Common Cloves. I was able to find it at the following site http://www.drclark.com I liked the convenience of this tincture (I despise taking pills) the benefits of a liquid vs. solid medicine is that liquids are immediately sent to your blood stream whereas solid has to be broken down in your digestion losing many valuable benefits so I knew I was right on the money choosing this parasite cleanse. It was an eight week journey filled with many gassy days, I will spare you the details of what I may or may not have seen in my waste, I did have a huge increase in the amount of bathroom trips I took. I will say that if you consume meat you have about a 90% chance of having worms. I read several articles on the matter & was disgusted that there was even the slightest chance these things were alive in me, thriving in my body. Check this article out for more facts you've got worms.  So alas I finished the parasite cleanse & knew that my blood, kidney & liver were next on the list. I went to my local health store & began my research again I knew I wanted something easily digestible I was willing to take a pill as long as it was food based. I found Standard Process Cleanse while taking this you must follow a very strict diet for 7 days. Fruits & veggies only, raw needed to make up over half my consumption. Water & herb teas are allowed. I thought this would be easy I mean for those who know me I eat & live what I would consider a healthy lifestyle. Smoothies, juicing, organic, local meats, raising my own chickens, exercising you name it I do it. I had no idea what giving up bread, sugar, dairy, meat, beans, rice, nothing processed, nothing canned would actually mean to me. So after fasting the day before starting my detox to jump start the whole process, I didn't feel too bad as the first day came and went. On day two however I thought I was starving literally, the hungry pains were bad but the fatigue was just as bad if not worse. Do you have any idea how fast raw carrots, celery & broccoli are digested & how hungry you can be within an hour of eating them? I knew for dinner I would have to get creative, I came up with sweet potatoes, quinoa (which has been a life saver I could do an entire blog on that stuff) and okra. Another meal was eggplant, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, onion & zucchini sauteed up in some olive oil with a side salad. Another night we had lettuce wraps filled with guacamole, quinoa & salsa. Also on the menu will be stuffed mushrooms not sure what else yet. So far all is well I found a great uplifting food & if I could pick only one food to add to your own diet it would be avocado when I added in the guacamole I felt a burst of energy from the fat which has sustained me a lot. I do however really miss cheese, chocolate and beans. I could live without the meat and be fine except for the occasional piece of fried chicken! Hey I am from the south you know. Some results for me I have noticed my hormonal acne has cleared up, I sleep sounder, I feel calmer & have lost about 2 lbs so far. If anything I feel like this diet has forced me to take a long hard look at my body & how I take care of it just how much food do I need to consume, am I eating to live or living to eat? Born and raised in the USA has its pros & cons. People here have no idea what its like to go without things we want and most can't even fathom being hungry going without something they need to survive. We live in such a world of excess sometimes we get consumed by all the extras and lose the one thing we actually need to survive. What kind of food is my body designed to handle, what kind of food is my body made to gain nutrition & sustainable energy from? Packaged processed easy grabs, fast food? No way, God designed the human body to thrive off herbs & fruit bearing trees. It is my personal belief that God has provided us everything we need to survive on the Earth long before man created anything. Stop to think about that it may just change your whole outlook on medicine & food who knows what else. This post started about getting rid of parasites & other toxins that may be polluting my body but what else could I apply this to my spiritual life? Yes things have slowly crept there way into my life and taken house inside me over the years, possibly pride, selfishness, jealousy, envy, non thankful, un-forgiving, to name a few and you know what I have allowed them to stay for too long, this sort of stuff can corrupt your spiritual body faster than a parasite can destroy your fleshly body. I leave you with this thought for all those that believe on the living God, "What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?"  

Happy Detox!