Unlikely Honey Combos to Promote Good Health

When it comes to using delicious local honey as a natural sweetener, it is a no-brainer. However, even though most people have heard that honey has health benefits, few actively explore it further. Today, everyone seems obsessed with good health, and using honey in combination with other ingredients may just provide some surprising solutions. Some of the best combinations are honey and garlic, honey and vinegar, and honey and cinnamon. Well beyond the kitchen, these honey combinations can ease cold and flu symptoms, improve asthma, and help regulate blood sugar levels.

Honey and Garlic: An Unlikely Duo

Fermented honey garlic is an excellent immune booster. Since both ingredients, individually, have health benefits, having some on hand during the colder months can help bring instant relief for colds and cases of the flu as 'tis the season.

The Simple Process

Fermenting honey garlic is easy and doesn’t have a recipe. The hardest step is getting the garlic ready, and that depends on the size jar you choose. Any jar should be at least half full of peeled garlic cloves. There are many tried and true techniques for getting cloves clean, so pick the one that works best for you. Once clean garlic cloves are in the jar, cover it with local raw honey and cover it. Using local raw honey ensures that good bacteria and wild yeast are still in the honey to ferment the garlic. Some of the garlic will float, and that is to be expected. The garlic’s natural release of juice starts the fermentation process.

Loosely cover the jar at first because there will be gases that need to escape and some bubbling, too. Every day or so, turn the jar upside down to get all the garlic covered – be sure to tighten the lid before turning it on its top! Honey garlic will ferment for a month, but after a week, it is edible and can be used anytime. The longer it ferments, the milder the garlic taste and the runnier the honey. Even if your cloves turn green or blue, this is not harmful to eat but is not recommended for babies under one year old.

Honey and Vinegar Health Benefits

The honey and vinegar combo has been used for thousands of years. These two ingredients create a syrup that is added to another liquid and then consumed. Some of the more common conditions that are meant to be improved through the consumption of honey and vinegar are constipation, fevers, and infections. Since both ingredients are rich in vitamins and minerals, this combination of honey and vinegar provides the body with an abundance of vitamins C, B-12, and K. These vitamins boost the body's immune system, aid in heart and bone health, and help with memory cell production.

Preventing Disease with Honey and Vinegar

The antioxidants in the honey and vinegar combo reduce free radicals in the body. Reducing these free radicals can lower the risk of developing some cancers, reduce signs of aging, and help with types of dementia. Studies are still in the works to determine the extent of honey and vinegars’ effectiveness in combatting these diseases.

When it comes to improved heart health, vinegar is known to lower harmful cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels. Consuming a honey and vinegar mixture is also used frequently in weight maintenance. The acid in the vinegar slows the body's absorption of food, leaving individuals feeling fuller for extended periods of time.

The Mouthwatering Combo: Honey and Cinnamon

Honey and cinnamon are two known ingredients that offer many health benefits. These natural ingredients alone are popular, but together, they are thought to be able to provide health and healing for just about any ailment. There is scientific evidence that honey and cinnamon have medicinal uses, so it should be expected that this mouthwatering duo would also promote good health together.

Honey is a well-known cough suppressant as well as a powerful burn and wound treatment. Honey is also suggested for sleep aid and memory boosts. Cinnamon is impressive because of its natural ability to reduce inflammation and treat neurodegenerative diseases. Honey and cinnamon are densely packed with incredible antioxidants that reduce the free radicals in the body, decreasing the risk of heart disease.