As I was settling in for my first nap of the day, my wife called out: ‘Joel the Farmers Market is open today and we are out of honey!’
Wow two things I love, honey and our local Farmers Market! I do love going to my local Farmers Market and yes its true, I do have my little honey on the side!
I have always had an aversion against sugar! I’m allergic to it; it causes a swelling in my mid-section! I have a lifelong challenge; I’m very calorie efficient! I also never liked the sluggish feeling that I get when I eat sugary goodies or drink a pop. So early on in my life, I tried sugar alternatives.
The first one I remember was saccharin. I remember a glass bottle of saccharin with a sloped spout that I would put on my corn flakes. Invented by a researcher working on coal tar derivatives, sounds yummy right? Also it was a pink packet in the restaurants for coffee, but it did have an aftertaste to me.
Then the reports came out that if you drank 50 gallons sweetened with it a day you might get bladder cancer or something like that. Still it is considered safe by FDA.
The next rage was Cyclamate. Cyclamate was discovered by a scientist working on anti-fever medication, the name does not even sound natural! It was hot stuff, it did not seem to have an aftertaste, was heralded as the best sugar replacement and then in a flash it was pulled off the market in the US by the FDA. I don’t remember why.
Then came Aspartame, discovered when looking for an ulcer medication. Its original brand name is NutraSweet, touted as safe but do not cook with it! There is some information that suggests one of its metabolites is formaldehyde! Remember what the dead frogs were stored in at high school that you dissected in science class? Still considered safe by FDA.
Next up sucralose, Splenda brand, deemed to be a safe alternative to sugar, although some studies show that people using this have a tendency to gain weight, as it manipulates the blood sugar levels to make one hungry. Have you ever seen skinny people drinking a diet drink? Considered safe by FDA.
And finally, Stevia seems to be the natural alternative. It is thought to be safe and tasty. Pretty good flavor, brand name Truvia! While from a natural source, it is still a processed to get to the sweet ingredient without the bitter taste. Considered safe by the FDA.
All I know is that no matter what artificial sweetener I have used, packets of pink, blue, yellow or white and green, I still gained artificial fat! Or so it seemed. Today, I use my sweet little honey in my coffee and recipes. It tastes great and is 100% natural!
It supports beekeepers, and yes we need bees to have life on earth. There is no expiration date on a bottle of honey, because it does not expire. In fact, when they opened a pyramid in Egypt they found a 2000-year-old crock of honey and it was still good and tasty. I wonder who they found to taste it. It seems to be ok for limited use in diabetics (check with your physician please).
I love my honey also on ice cream, cinnamon toast, in tea and lots more yummy stuff! You can even make ‘Mead’ or honey beer out of it. It’ even in the bible, ‘Land flowing with milk and honey.’
After an exhausting trip our Farmers Market, where I stocked up on many locally grown veggies and hand made products, it’ time to resume my nap! Good night ‘Honey!’
‘Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others!’ – Joel Vernier, Author ‘The Guinea Pig In The Freezer!’
-¬ Joel M. Vernier, May 9 2017.
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