The Health & Beauty Benefits of Honey

Sure, honey can be a really tasty treat, probably a cup of warm milk with honey? or maybe some homemade honey treats. But have you ever wondered of the benefits of honey? especially how it could benefit your beauty and health?

Honey is one of the ingredients included in most home remedies or home beauty treatments. One of the biggest Health benefits of Honey is healing, it has been known to promote healing for cuts, and helps fight infections, and has been used in traditional antiseptic and anti-fungal medicines. Honey is also a natural care remedy for common problems and issues such as:

• Acne
• Bad Breath
• Hair Loss
• Sleeping Disorder
• Yeast infection
• Soothes sore throats
• As well as benefiting the skin & body; beauty.

Honey is nothing to worry about if you’re on a diet or a healthy eating routine, on the contrary, Honey is cholesterol free, sodium free, and fat free as well. Depending on the brands of honey you find, there will be varying values of calories- but don’t be fretting over those! there is a little secret. Honey actually helps us lose some fat, keep reading to the end to find out how. Please keep in mind though to check the ingredients label, and nutrition facts whenever buying honey, cause certain brands love to add extra sugar or flavoring.

Some of the good things about honey include: being a healthier sweetener option instead of plain ol’ white sugar, it is high in healthy vitamins and antioxidants which help boost our immune system, it helps heal cuts or rashes naturally, and it’s a great source of energy (your body burns honey quickly, so you don’t have to worry about keeping it in the system too long)

Honey is also one of the most popular ingredients included in natural skin care cleansers, exfoliators, products (including Anti-Aging products), etc. Since honey isn’t irritating to the skin, it is used for rebuilding the moisture level of the skin, also by renewing the skin cells thus causes the skin to be softer and younger. Honestly, it is a great beauty aid. Keeping our skin alive and youthful is what Honey does best.

Got a sunburn? Honey heals sunburns by cooling and easing the pain all while repairing the tissues and skin cells. Because it also has hydrating properties, it will leave the skin moisturized and smooth.

Different Beauty Remedies and home treatments with Honey:

Honey Mask: First you will want to rinse your face with warm water (by doing this, you are opening the pores, and once you apply the honey it will start acting as a beauty aid, rebuilding moisture, etc.) Apply a good clean layer of honey on the face, and let it lie there until it dries (max: 15-30 min.). Once done, rinse and clean face with warm water, then finish off rinsing with cold water to close the pores. This helps by renewing the skin, and rebuilding the moisture level by attracting and retaining the water your skin needs. It’s a good quick treatment to do at home

Honey Cleansing: Start by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground almonds, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice [you don’t need to find a bottle of lemon juice, just cut and squeeze 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice into the mixture) (not lime)  once mixed together, apply on the face, gently working the product in, then rinse with warm water, after.

Milk & Honey tradition: Its been a traditional beauty remedy to drink milk and honey everyday to promote healthy properties for smooth skin.

Applying honey on breakouts and acne: It will work well if your breakouts or the acne is caused by bacteria or infections, because as mentioned above, it has great healing properties and is known to be a traditional antiseptic ingredient. Dab a thin layer of honey onto the affected area and leave it on for 20-30 minutes, then rinse with warm water. It leaves the skin feeling smooth and while there may not be an instant change or miracle, you can rest assured that the honey provided good moisture for the skin, repaired the cells, and cleaned up any bacteria that may have been lingering.

You can find tons of Honey masks & remedy recipes in the web, that help and benefit your skin.

Honey for Weight Loss ( Does Honey help you lose weight? )

• Did you know? Honey greatly benefits your health & fitness- it helps by fueling our bodies while we sleep, and speed up the fat-burning metabolism. Balancing fitness and a good diet with honey is sure to get you some great results and differences. Consuming 2-3 tablespoons of honey 1 hour BEFORE going to sleep does the trick (but it won’t work day to night, it takes time. And keep consuming that tablespoon 1hr before bed) this provides fueling for the liver (Fact from the Hibernation Diet: Honey has a 1:1 of fructose to glucose, thus, enabling this fueling for the liver during our sleep.)  Honey is also the key to relaxing stressed hormones, and repairing muscles. Honey is an amazing solution to health & beauty. I will be trying this out, and blogging about it for the next few months.

• When honey is consumed with warm water, it aids in digestion. Why warm water? It’s known all over that drinking warm water during a meal will help you digest your food faster, and I remember learning it from Asian cultures- basically the warm water helps your system raise the body temperature which then in turn causes your metabolic rate to increase. If you would like an extra boost to that cup of warm water and honey, squeeze in some lemon juice.

There are so many natural ingredients around us, who knew they’d be so simple, right at our fingertips, yet so big & helpful?

- Bria

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What to eat for breakfast? / Healthy Food Swaps

Wondering which are the foods you eat that are a no-no to your diet? do you feel they are just so delicious (yet terrifying) you cannot give them up? Well I whipped up some easy food swaps here, and also a quick Healthy Breakfast list idea. Remember, there are healthy foods out there that suit your taste buds, and you WILL find them!

 

Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas: (this is usually the hardest part for the majority, what should we eat for breakfast? a question that comes up thousands of times every morning all over the world. )

 

• Oatmeal- (….with some sugar!) See Oatmeal has tons of health benefits, plus, it’s the right way to start off your day. Oatmeal carries the right source of fiber you need. Not to mention that eating Oatmeal will slow down the digestion of starch. Apparently, multiple studies show that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop a bad heart disease. And of course, Oatmeal (or oats, to put it that way) contain a really good source of Vitamins and nutrients. (like zinc, vitamin E, copper, iron, selenium, and it’s a good source of protein)

• Cereal- nothing better than an old classic bowl of cereal. Some recommended brands of healthy yet yummy cereals are Kellogs, Honey nut cheerios (which helps lower cholesterol), Healthy Valley, Whole Grain cheerios, and even General Mill’s too. What do you have to say now? I just listed 5-6 delicious healthy cereal brands. If you want to spice things up, add some fresh cut fruit to your bowl of cereal. Another twist? Skip the milk, combine yogurt, cereal, and some fresh fruit- you got yourself a scrumptious parfait.

• Fresh Fruit- Yummm!! you know why I love fruit? because it adds color to your plate. If your plate does NOT have color, you are not combining (or eating) correctly. Your plate should always have color. Anyway, what fruits can we go with for the morning? hmm…let’s see: Oranges, Bananas, Pine apple (I love pine apple, great source for fast metabolism) raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pears, pomegranate, infinite fresh fruits! Oh and here’s a good tip for the morning: You can always make a good natural homemade fruit smoothie.I promise it should not take more than 10 minutes, and it’ll whip up a filling delicious amount. You can use ordinary fruits like strawberries and bananas, add some milk, some sugar, blend and voila! Obviously you could vary the amount of each ingredient, and add as many fruits as you’d like, until you find the right combination that suits you

• Yogurt- Don’t forget the deliciousness that is yogurt! Extremely fresh, comes in all sorts of fruity and tasty varieties. And if you are lactose intolerant or sensitive like me, you should try some Soy yogurt- now wait a minute! Don’t cringe like that! While there may be some horrid brands that taste like cardboard, I guarantee there are soy yogurts out there that are worth it. My favorite brand is O’Soy, I always choose the strawberry flavor, and I love it! :) So don’t be scared, buy one or two and try it out.

• Scrambled Eggs: Prefer something salty for breakfast? Try some scrambled eggs (you could choose to use egg whites instead of yolk if you’re on a serious diet) and mix it up with some fun ingredients, like spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, salmon, or chicken- you want to add some flavor to it to wake you up and prepare your body and energy for the day

• Sandwich: You can go crazy with sandwiches. I like mine simple in the morning; cheese, ham, and mayo- and it doesn’t get boring- because it’s all about finding the right brand of ham, brand of mayo, brand of bread, and even cheese, it turns out exquisite. Try substituting white bread for wheat, or rye bread (definitely recommend rye bread). Experiment between butter and mayonnaise, or perhaps sour cream or cottage cheese. Throw in some lettuce, even scrambled eggs if you’ve got the time, chop some tomato slices and you’re in for a bite of flavor.

 

And there you have it, I’ve listed some very good examples of healthy nutritious breakfast foods. Most of the time we forget of the simple, yet when done right, amazing, foods that are easy to make in the morning. And because with most of these suggestions, you can always combine and mix different ingredients, you shouldn’t be getting bored anytime soon!

 

And like I said here are some great food swaps:

• Croutons —> Nuts: You can swap Croutons in your salad for nuts, or even grilled or baked chicken. Do you know how much calories and carbs 1 single Crouton contains? you’ll blow up if you eat more than 10 croutons
• Soda —> Water & Tea: Soda can be delicious, but also a bad health factor, not to mention junkie. I gave up on soda 6 years ago!!! and I’m still living, haha. I swapped Soda for some good Tea and Water, and if you try the “soda ban” and swap it for Tea & water you’ll soon see why it was a great choice. Always remember that caffeine keeps you coming back for more and more, and people later on develop a caffeine habit, be sure to moderate. As for tea, there are literally hundreds, if not dozens, of flavors and different herbal kinds that you could find and try out, if you would like some taste or flavor in your drink.
• Canned Soups —> veggi soup: Canned soups contain high sodium, and what happens when you consume too much sodium? your body will retain water, bloat, and increase high blood pressure. You can swap Canned soups for Homemade vegi soups, it’s got all the nutrients and vitamins you need. And as for flavor? you needn’t worry about that, homemade vegetable soups are just as good as any other.
• White Flour Pasta —> Whole wheat pasta: No big difference in taste, but a big difference in the nutritional aspect, and it’s a healthier choice. Whole Wheat pasta contains the fiber you need for your body. 
• Candy & sweets —> Chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries: Yummy! For the times you get a little craving for sweets, try out some chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries (it is DELISH!) I really love it, swapping candy & sweets for fruits/ chocolate covered fruits is a great choice. Your health or diet gets a win and so does your craving.
• Fried Fish /sticks —> Shrimp! : Frozen shrimp has really good protein, comparing it with the Fried Fish or even fried fish sticks, Frozen Shrimp for the win!
• White bread —> Wheat Bread/ or RYE: Yes I know what you must be thinking “Ugh, this again? I’ve heard this a billion times” well yeah you heard it a billion times, but have you tried it once? Do you really want to wait until the billion and one comes along? If your answer is a No, then it’s time to swap White bread for Wheat bread, or Rye bread- Rye bread is such a great choice if you don’t like the taste of wheat (Remember you can always toast the bread)

Hope these ideas and suggestions help you out! :) Let me know

 

 

 

- Bria

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Skin Care Tips for Oily Skin!

Hey everyone!

Well since the last post was about "Dry Skin Care Tips" Today we have "Oily Skin Care Tips" which from my research, a lot of women and teenagers these days have Oily skin Problems....

No worries :) Here are the best tips for Oily Skin!! 

•  If you are a makeup lover, yet you have oily skin, try switching to Mineral Makeup, try finding cosmetics or makeup products that HAVE the ingredient "Silica" and AVOID those cosmetics that have the ingredient "Sericite" (Yes for Silica, No for Sericite)
• Also, try to avoid wearing any kind of moisturizer when wearing Mineral Makeup, because that will just get your skin oilier and oilier 
• Washing your face 2-3 times a day will help also, just make sure you don't over do it (maximum would be 3)
• If you use a Cleanser that over-dries your skin, that is also a problem, time to say goodbye to those types of Cleansers
• Showering in Hot water can remove and take away your Skin's moisture, Cold water is bad too. Try showering in Tepid water. (Not to hot, and not to cold, just right.)
• There is a Home Remedy (In-Home Treatment) For oily skin, which you can find an article, just click here (It has instructions and steps for the In-Home Treatment for Oily Skin)
• Guess what I found out? Another great way to help out your oily skin problems, is by using Clay and mud. There are some Product (for Oily Skin) that may contain Mud or sometimes Clay. But what Mud and (or) Clay can do is that it helps out by cleaning and removing oil from the surface of the skin! W-ow!
• Also make sure you keep a well balanced diet on Fruit (No...I don't mean you only have to eat fruit, I am just saying that eating fruits along with your diet can benefit and become another effective solution to Oily Skin) 
• "What are the Consequences if I Don't care for my Oily Skin?" well there are A LOT of bad consequences that can happen to your Oily Skin, for instance if you use too much makeup product, too much beauty product or combine too much Foundation, with Moisturizer, Mineral Makeup, it make more and more Oil on your skin, causing all the Oil to clog your pores, and cause Blackheads, Whiteheads, and even reaaall bad Pimples and Zits
• "Then how do I know what products to use to help out my Oily Skin??" well there are many different options, you can talk to your Dermatologist (Which is many of the Oily Skin People's Choices) Or/And...you can follow these steps, and care for your skin carefully, A lot of In-Home treatments and remedies for Oily Skin have all worked out so far, or have shown some sign of it working slowly
• Another way to deal with Oily Skin is by trying to avoid Fried, or High-seasoned foods
• Drinking lots of water is the most important tip that EVVERRYONNEE must keep in their minds :) and do too. Drink lots of water, as this helps out your skin become clean and clear, it also hydrates your skin
• You can also try rubbing Apple Cider Vinegar in the Oily Skin Areas, as this can help Neutralize

 That was our "Tips for Oily Skin" Post! Keep Checking on the blog for more exciting and interesting posts! There will be lots of great posts throughout this week! Stay tuned!!

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XOXO

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