Raw Honey Will Be Your Secret Weapon This Holiday Season Hello Weight Loss Nation! The holidays are in full swing. You may be attending social events, family gatherings and you may be asked to bring a dessert. If you’re like me…….desserts are a BIG red flag towards living a healthy lifestyle. Working with some of the finest Nutritionists and Weight Loss Experts, I’m learning how to enjoy the holiday season by being mindful  of my food choices and choosing to use raw honey as a substitute for sugar. Let me explain to you why raw honey will be your secret weapon this holiday season. What is honey? Honey is a food source for bees in their hive, during the winter, when flower blossoms are not available. Winter means no nectar for the bees! Bees collect pollen & nectar from flowers and plants as they travel, which “sticks” to their legs.  Upon returning to the hive, they transfer the pollen & nectar to the “worker bees,” who then prepare the nectar for storage in the “honey combs.” The Bees add enzymes to the nectar, and then store it in the honey combs.  In the honey comb chamber, water is evaporated from the stored nectar, and the added enzymes turn the nectar into honey. Mother Nature at her best! According to “The Honey Association”, an average hive needs about 20-30 pounds of honey as a food source to survive the winter. A strong Bee Colony can produce 2-3 times that amount, which allows the extra honey to be harvested and consumed by people.  What is honey comprised of?  According to “The Honey Association.com”  Honey is made up of (80%) natural sugars (18%) water (2%) minerals, vitamins, pollen and protein  Of the 80% natural sugar in honey, about 70% is made up of natural Glucose & Fructose (Sugar) The remaining 10% of sugar…. chemically decides whether honey will be in a more liquid or solid state. Honey with more Glucose will be more solid or “set” Honey with more Fructose will contain more liquid. Both varieties are just as pure and additive free. The different forms of sugar reacts VERY differently in our bodies! Check out blogs and articles about Fructose and Glucose on Google. Fructose is a sugar that is metabolized primarily by your LIVER and it is metabolized to FAT more quickly than any other form of Sugar. Fructose is metabolized into ADIPOSE FAT, which is the fat that is stored in your abdominal region and is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. In liquid form, as you have seen as high fructose corn syrup on many food labels, the “fructose” metabolizes quicker, since it isn’t attached to any other carbohydrate molecules. Now let’s take a look at GLUCOSE Glucose is needed by EVERY cell in your body, including brain cells. Since it is needed, your body breaks down glucose immediately, so your cells can use it as energy where needed. Glucose also suppresses the hunger hormone “ghrelin” and it also stimulates the hormone “leptin,” which suppresses your appetite.  Fructose on the other hand…..has no effect on “Ghrelin,” and it interferes with the brain and how it communicates with Leptin, which can cause over-eating. When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than ONE calorie is stored as fat. When you eat 120 calories of fructose, 40 calories are being stored as FAT.  1/3  of Fructose Calorie is stored as FAT! Eating Fructose is basically eating FAT! ******FYI……A great book to get is by Dr. Richard  Johnson, Titled – “The Sugar Fix.” Dr Johnson talks all about Fructose & how it effects your body. You can get it on Amazon.com The Sugar Fix Let’s look at the incredible nutritious value of RAW Honey: Nutrition Facts Generic - Organic Raw Honey Per Nutritiondata.self.com   Servings:  1 Tbsp (2grams)  Calories 64 Sodium 0 mg Total Fat 0 g Potassium 11 mg Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 17 g Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 0 g Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 17 g Trans 0 g Protein 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg     Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0% Vit