Tuesday Tip > Control your cravings, because simply put… nobody else cares

Here’s your Tuesday tip: Control your cravings, because, simply put… nobody else cares!
 

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Juice Booster Ingredients > Want to Elevate Your Smoothie or Juice Blend to the next level?

 
If you are looking for 5 new ingredients to add to your morning smoothie or juice, please read on! These five organic, natural and raw ingredients will pack your drink with lots of nutrition, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and trace elements that will keep you going through the day! If you missed SET 1 – JUICE BOOST INGREDIENTS, click here or our new SET 3 – SMOOTHIE BOOSTERS. Otherwise, here are 5 new nutritious ingredients that will give your juice a boost!

Juice Booster #6 > Just Add Spinach

An easy way to elevate the health benefits and nutritional value of your juice blend, spinach is one of nature’s best superfoods. A cup of spinach has nearly 20% of your daily dietary fiber requirements which will help in your digestive processes and lower your blood pressure. Recent studies also link spinach to fighting prostate and other cancer with its high levels of phytonutrients. Adding spinach as a juice booster also improves your vision, disease immunity, and brain function in addition to maintaining healthy bones and skin. Just adding spinach to your juice or smoothie will also fight inflammation. Spinach is also very high in antioxidants, which help in combating atherosclerosis as well as osteoporosis. You can find organic spinach at any local grocer or farmer’s market or you can easily grow your own. Spinach is one of our favorite juice boost ingredients!

Smoothie Boost Ingredient #7 > Just Add Hemp Seeds

One of our favourite juice boost ingredients at Just Add Good Stuff is hemp seeds. This is nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acids. Hemp Seed as a smoothie booster ingredient will aid as an anti-inflammatory agent, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, there are no known allergies to hemp seeds, so they are completely safe for people who are sensitive to lactose, sugar, gluten or nuts. In addition, food cravings are reduced and therefore, hemp seeds are often added into a weight loss program. A juice boost ingredient like hemp seeds will also help you increase focus and energy levels in addition to reducing stress. Hemp seeds are a superfood and there are several reasons for this. They contain high levels of protein (including 20 amino acids … and all 9 essential amino acids). In addition, the hemp seed juice booster also contains fatty acids, Vitamin E and lots of fiber. They are easy to digest and offer a rich source of natural phytonutrients, the disease protection that will aid in your immunity against diseases and infection. Just Add Hemp Seeds!

Juice Booster #8 > Just Add Maca

Derived from a herbaceous plant that is found on the high plateaus of the Ande’s Mountains in Peru, South America, the maca root vegetable has often been referred to as the ‘Peruvian Ginseng’ because of its many health benefits. Often coming in powder form, adding maca as a juice booster will give you lots of added nutrients and energy. A relative of the turnip and rash, the maca root smells a bit like butterscotch and adding maca to your morning smoothie or as a juice booster will help treat everything from chronic fatigue to anemia. Not only that, but maca in any form when consumed will reduce stress levels, anxiety, depression and help balance your mood. In addition, the maca juice booster can also contribute to clearing acne in a natural way in addition to promoting sexual function in both femals and males. Athletes use maca juice boosters to increase energy. WARNING > DO NOT add maca to your smoothie or juice booster if you are breast feeding or if you are pregnant.

Smoothie Booster Ingredient #9 > Just Add Lemon

Many of us forget that lemons help us balance our body’s pH levels. Although acidic in taste, once our body metabolizes lemon, they are alkaline which is the key to good health. Just add lemon into your daily smoothie or juice to boost your immune system as lemons are very high in Vitamin C and potassium. In addition, studies have shown that pectin fiber in lemons help curb food cravings and therefore have been an essential ingredient in many weight loss programs. As well, the smoothie booster ingredient also aids our gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving in our digestive system. Another often overlooked property of lemons is that they hydrate our lymph system which prevents dehydration and adrenal fatigue. The lemon juice boost also decreases blemishes, acne and wrinkles, promoting healthier skin.

Juice Booster #10 > Just Add Seaweed

Seaweed has been around for centuries and it serves as an ideal choice for any morning juice blend or smoothie if you are looking for more Vitamin A and C as well as magnesium, iodine and calcium. Seaweed doesn’t contain any fat, and a serving only contains 5 to 10 calories, making it a great choice for vegetarians and vegans. The juice booster seaweed includes edible species like Red Dulse, Black Hijiki and Green Kumba, and all are equally nutritious and tasty additions to your smoothie or juice booster. Some of the health benefits of seaweed include aiding your digestive system and lowering your high blood pressure. As well, recent studies have shown that adding seaweed into your diet may have anti-cancer properties. So instead of just having seaweed as part of your sushi roll, try seaweed as a juice booster!

Just Add Good Stuff recommends adding some or all of the above juice boost ingredients into your daily smoothie or juice. Please consult with a health professional to make sure you are not allergic to any of these juice boosters. The 5 juice boost ingredients recommended in this article are: spinach, hemp seeds, maca, lemons and seaweeds.

My HEALTH is My WEALTH

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My HEALTH is My WEALTH – Michael Kenneth quote

Everything You Need To Know About Calories > Ultimate Calorie Infographic

Thanks to your friends at LifeQuotes4U, here is the ultimate calorie infographic that explains: what a calorie is, calorie recommendations, examples in fast food and take-out meals and how calories are burned in exercise and through sport. It’s a real eye-opener!

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CALORIES

 
The calorie infographic above gives you an idea of how calories are measured and how they are burned (or not burned) off through fitness and exercise.  Just Add Good Stuff believes that it is important for all of us to be more aware of what we are putting in and on our bodies and understanding what calories are and where they come from is essential in controlling our nutrition and diet.  It’s up to us to make sure that we are feeding ourselves with nutritional foods and not empty calories.  As mentioned in this calorie infographic, a calorie is the approximate amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.  The term ‘calorie’ was first used in 1824 as a unit of measurement of heat.  It has now come to be used as a unit of measurement of the energy contained within food and drink.  When you look at labels, cal (all lower case) is 1 small calorie.  This is NOT to be confused with Cal (with a capital ‘C’) which is equivalent to 1000 small calories (cal).  The Cal is also known as the kcal (or kilocalorie).  Remember that most packaging labels use cal and NOT kcal or Cal.

Calorie Recommendations according to…

 
As you see in this calorie infographic, the NHS (Great Britain) recommends that the average man requires 2,500 Calories per day.  The average woman, in comparison, requires only 2,000 Calories per day. On the other hand, the USA Government recommendations for daily Calorie intake is as follows:

2-3 Years Old = 1,000 Cal for males | 1,000 Cal for females

4-8 Years Old = 1,400 Cal for males | 1,200 Cal for females

9-13 Years Old = 1,800 Cal for males | 1,600 Cal for females

14-18 Years Old = 2,200 Cal for males | 1,800 Cal for females

19-30 Years Old = 2,400 Cal for males | 2,000 Cal for females

31-50 Years Old = 2,200 Cal for males | 1,800 Cal for females

51+ Years Old = 2,000 Cal for males | 1,600 Cal for females

The USA Government also recommends these levels of ‘empty calories’ per day for males and females (see below).  The estimated empty calories intake is for unusually physically active individuals. Empty calorie are those that are derived from solid fats or added refined sugars.  Cakes, sweets, soft drinks, fast food, all contain a high number of empty calories as seen in this calorie infographic:
 

2-3 Years Old = 135 Cal for males | 135 Cal for females

4-8 Years Old = 120 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

9-13 Years Old = 160 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

14-18 Years Old = 265 Cal for males | 160 Cal for females

19-30 Years Old = 330 Cal for males | 260 Cal for females

31-50 Years Old = 265 Cal for males | 160 Cal for females

51+ Years Old = 260 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

The Problem Starts Here > Calories in Fast Food

 
In 2013, the top 10 most unhealthy foods from America’s five most popular fast food chains are absolutely horrific when you are looking at empty calories intake.  The problems with fast foods from Hardee’s, Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s and KFC are that they contain a whole lot of empty calories and not much nutritional value.  Here are the 10 most unhealthy foods from these popular fast food chains according to the calorie infographic:

10. Burger King – Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich (750 cal)

9. McDonald’s – Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (750 cal)

8. KFC – Chicken Pot Pie (790 cal)

7. Hardee’s – 1/3 lb Original Thickburger (810 cal)

6. Wendy’s – Baconator (970 cal)

5. Burger King – Double Whopper With Cheese (990 cal)

4. Wendy’s – ¾ lb Triple (1,060 cal)

3. McDonald’s – Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes (1,090 cal)

2. Burger King – Triple Whopper with Cheese (1,230 cal)

1. Hardee’s – The Monster Thickburger (1,300 cal)

And The Problem Continues with Calories in Takeout Foods…

 
But the problem with empty calorie intake doesn’t stop at the top five fast food chains.  Popular takeout foods are also loaded with carbs and empty calories as noted in this calorie infographic:

5. Fish and Chips (838 kcal)

4. Kebabs (1,000 kcal)

3. Indian Foods like Chicken Tikka Masala, Pilau Rice, and 1 Plain Naan Bread (1,338 kcal)

2. Chinese Foods like Sweet/Sour Chicken, Egg Fried Rice and Vegetable Spring Roles (1,436 kcal)

1. Pizza – 12” standard size (1,835 kcal)

But, Calorie Intake is not the only problem…

 
As you know, eating is not the only problem in America.  It’s also the lack of exercise that is causing us to be the most obese nation in the world. Take for instance the examples in this calorie infographic.  Calories burned by a 150 lb person during 1 hours participation in exercise:

Dancing > 370 cal > The average Chinese takeaway would take 3:53 (yes, that’s 3 hours and 53 minutes) of dancing to burn off the calories consumed in Chinese takeaway food.

Football/Soccer > 468 cal > A McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes would take 1 hour and 20 minutes to burn off when playing intense football/soccer.

Swimming > 603 cal > A Hardee’s Monster Thickburger would take 2 hours and 9 minutes to burn the calories when swimming!

Jogging > 675 cal > The average Indian kebab takes 1 hour and 29 minutes to burn off when jogging!

Other Calorie Inforgraphic Interesting Facts and Figures:

 
In 2011, Americans spent $117,000,000,000 on fast food.  There were 311 million people living in the United States in 2011, making the giant fast food industry approximately $376 per person!  Per campita consumption of fast food in 2005 around the world was: $566 in the US, $456 in Canada, $390 in Great Britain and $363 in Australia!  In the UK in 2011, there were 5,400,000,000 visits to fast food restaurants.  Even more striking is that half of all meals consumed in Britain are from fast food joints!
 
More information is online here: http://visual.ly/ultimate-guide-calories

LEMON INFOGRAPHIC > Just Add Lemons … Top 10 Health Benefits of Lemons, Interesting Facts/Figures, Lemon Recipes and Nutritional Value

The Just Add Good Stuff INFOGRAPHIC SERIES continues with our Lemon Infographic. These truly unique health food infographics (or infograms) that we design provide you with interesting facts and things about the best fruits, whole foods and vegetables in addition to general health details. From weird and wacky facts to nutrition information per serving, these infographics is a starting point to help you kick start a more happy and healthy lifestyle. We hope you enjoy them!

 

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Just Add Lemons! Lemons are well known for their sharp and acidic, bitter but zingy flavor. They are rich in vitamin C and low in sugar. They go well with sweet and savoury dishes and all parts of the lemon can be eaten, juiced, dried and used. Not only that, but lemons aid in the proper function of our digestive, immune and circulatory systems in addition to balancing our body’s pH. Here is the Just Add Good Stuff Lemon Infographic:

TOP 10 Health Benefits of Lemons as described in the Just Add Good Stuff Lemon Infographic:

1. maintains our pH balance (they are alkaline in our bodies)
2. lemons are high in vitamin C & potassium which boost our immune system
3. stimulates our gastrointestinal tract and the peristalsis
4. lemon juice clears skin, no matter your skin type by removing toxins
5. act as a natural, non-evasive, non-threatening diuretic
6. lemons homeopathically freshens breath & cures mouth sores
7. helps keep our skin healthy, moisturized and glowing
8. lemons are very high in pectin fiber which aids in weight loss
9. rich in proteins, magnesium, calcium, fiber, flavanoids
10. lemon hydrates our lymph system, alleviates constipation & stress

Lemon Nutrition Facts as described on our Lemons Infographic

• Serving Size = 1 fruit (2 1/8″ diameter)
• Calories = 17
• Calories from Fat = 2
• Total Fat = 0.17 g
• Cholesterol = 0 mg
• Sodium = 1 mg
• Potassium = 80 mg
• Total Carbohydrate = 5.41 g
• Dietary Fiber =1.6 g
• Sugars = 1.45 g
• Protein = 0.64 g
• Vitamin A = 0% RDI
• Vitamin C = 51% RDI
• Calcium = 2% RDI
• Iron = 2% RDI

Healthy Lemon Recipes on our Lemon Infographic

1. Good Morning Lemon Berry water
2. Lemon Coconut Quinoa Hemp main dish
3. Green Lemon Infused smoothie

* All of our recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan! Click here for more recipes!

Things You May Not Know About Lemons as described on our Lemon Infographic

• 1 WHOLE lemon contains a day’s supply of a vitamin C, but the JUICE only contains 1/3 of the recommended daily intake
• Lemons are GREEN and turn YELLOW due to temperature, not ripeness (just don’t buy brown ones)
• The CITRIC ACID in lemons prevent oxidation of fresh raw foods
• Lemons are a natural & versatile household cleaner
• Roll a room-temperature lemon under your palm for max juice
• BOTTLED lemon juice aren’t as good as fresh organics
• Lemons came from Southern India, Northern Burma, and China
• The lemon tree is considered an evergreen
• The Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon & an orange or mandarin

The Just Add Good Stuff lemon infographic (we also call it our lemon infograph) talks about general lemon facts and nutritional details. For more info about the health benefits and nutritional information, please contact us and we will find out more from licensed dieticians and medical science professionals. It is our goal to provide the best information possible and to help inspire you to become more healthy through diet, nutrition and fitness. The lemon infographic will be updated whenever necessary, as studies and clinical research provides us with more insight into the health benefits of lemon which would affect our Top 10 lemon health benefits. In addition, we constantly experiment with uses of lemon in various dishes, so our recipes will also reflect that. Lastly, if we find any more interesting facts and figures about lemons in general, we will also update the ‘Did You Know?’ section of our Just Add Good Stuff Lemon Infographic.

The information on this infographic is for informational purposes only.
It is not intended to nor should it be a substitute for advice, consultation or visits to your health care provider.
‘Nutrition Facts’ provided by FatSecret.com and verified by Just Add Good Stuff.

TIPS for a HEALTHIER, MORE PROSPEROUS and HAPPIER LIFE > Please share!

Just Add Good Stuff presents “TIPS for a HEALTHY, HAPPY & PROSPEROUS LIFE” series. This is Set #3 following the hugely successful 1st set (click here) AND recently launched 2nd set (click here)! The infographs serve as a reminder and guide to a healthy, more prosperous and happier life through nutrition, diet, and fitness.

Please share with all of your friends and family! Thank you!

Just right-click to ‘save’ the images to your computer -OR- click on these images for the ‘full-size’ version.

TIPS for HEALTH, PROSPERITY & HAPPINESS #1 > GREEN IS ALL AROUND US

QUOTES for PROSPERITY, HEALTH & HAPPINESS #2 > BEAUTY COMES IN ALL COLORS

QUOTE for HEALTH, PROPERITY & HAPPINESS #3 > IS THIS YOUR PARADISE?

Just Add Good Stuff presents some tips for a happy, successful and healthier life:

subtract the bad stuff in your life | definitely add more of the really good stuff

but everything in MODERATION | smile all the time | RELAX | re-connect with a friend

call a family member | buy from local grocers | recycle + compost | DON’T smoke

adopt an organic whole foods plant based DIET | drink lots of water | meditate

say NO to fast food | eat LOTS of veggies | get some SUN | prioritize

be SPECIFIC about your goals | continue dreaming + thinking BIG

forget about your EPIC MELTDOWN… there’s always next season

Key Tips to STAY AWAKE… without caffeine

Having troubles getting up in the morning even with a good nights’ sleep? Having problems staying awake at work? Do you have problems staying awake after a rigorous work out? Feel like taking a nap after a heavy meal? Below are some key tips to stay awake during the day… (hint hint … it doesn’t include drinking caffeine or taking caffeine pills!)

Millions of North Americans are addicted to caffeine. Caffeine in itself, if taken in moderation is actually not that harmful to the human body or mind. However, excessive caffeine intake produces many side effects that are tough to reverse. Caffeine addiction is getting more prevalent in today’s society as people get caught up with work, are stressed out, get less sleep and don’t eat well. And in many cases, we aren’t even aware that we are addicted to caffeine in order to stay awake and focus on the tasks at hand. Some of the negative effects of caffeine addiction include having problems sleeping, getting dependent on caffeine in order to focus or stay awake during the day, needing caffeine to wake up in the morning, post caffeine intake crashes when the effect wears off and diuretic problems. In some cases, caffeine addiction used to keep you awake during the day, also prevents you from sleeping during the night. And so the cycle continues until you eventually burn out.

There are many ways to get out of this caffeine routine. Some keys to getting up in the morning and staying awake and focussed during the day is in your diet and food that you eat. It’s no surprise that the food that you eat provides the fuel that you need to get through a day. So if you consume the right and nutritious foods that are nutrient rich, chances are, you will have enough fuel to last you through the day without having to consume any caffeine.

 
Here are key tips to stay awake without the use of caffeine!

Key #1 > Reduce the Meat

 
Meat is protein rich and usually high in fat. Therefore, meat is more difficult to digest when compared to whole foods, vegetables and fruit. As the process of digestion takes longer, more energy is required to process meats through our body, which essentially wear us out. In addition, many types of meat are pesticide ridden and contain tonnes of hormones which can also impact your energy levels during the day.

Key #2 > Drink Lots of Water

 
As our bodies are composed of mostly water, our mind and body requires lots of water for hydration and proper system function. It’s recommended that you drink at least 8 glasses of water, and even more if you are exercising or playing sports. If you find that your urine is darker than a pale yellow color, chances are, you aren’t drinking enough water to keep you hydrated as well as to flush out toxins that may be building up in your body during the day. Lack of adequate water will make you sleepy and fatigued.

Key #3 > Don’t Snack on Sugary Foods

 
If you find yourself snacking on candy or other foods high in refined sugar, chances are you will get a mid afternoon burn out. By 3pm in the afternoon, our body is usually very low in blood sugar and therefore, we tend to snack at that time (usually have a cup of coffee or eat a candy bar). By snacking on foods that are high in refined sugars, we are actually only causing more problems. To avoid the sugar cravings in the afternoon, try snacking on whole foods and fruit with a low glycemic index rating instead.

Key #4 > Eat Less But More Often

 
Instead of going with the traditional 3 meal routine (breakfast, lunch and dinner) that we are all so used to since we were kids, go with a 4 to 5 meal program. Since blood sugar levels play an essential role in our energy levels through the day, eating fewer and larger meals tends to cause our sugar levels to spike and crash. This is especially true when there are 5 or more hours in between meals. Splitting up our nutrition intake into four or five smaller meals a day will prevent the spikes and crashes in our blood glucose levels, giving us a more balanced feeling of being nutritionally satisfied throughout the day.

Key #5 > Say YES to Whole Foods

 
Whole foods such as seeds provide nutritional balance that takes time for our bodies to digest and break down, providing us more energy throughout the day and a more steady supply of energy after we consume them. Carbohydrate rich foods, on the other hand, are digested more quickly and require more energy for digestion, causing energy spikes and crashes that prevent us from staying awake during the day.

Key #6 > Say YES to Fruits

 
The key here is to eat fruit with low glycemic index ratings on an empty stomach. Because fruit takes less time to digest than denser carbohydrate and protein rich foods, eating organic raw fruits on an empty stomach will give our blood sugar levels a quick boost without the crash.

RECIPE > Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa Recipe

Spicy and savoury… snack or main… appetizer or side. Our Just Add Good Stuff Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa recipe is the ultimate ‘flexible’ dish. For non-vegans, this is the perfect way to introduce a healthy and hearty dish to your nutrition program. For vegans, the Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa dish is a spin on an otherwise overused ingredient that becomes bland and boring.

We’re introducing a spicy quinoa dish for the first time.  Obviously, the spiciness or ‘heat’ comes from the Jalapeño pepper and depending on your tolerance, you can add as much or as little heat to your dish.  That’s why we call the Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa recipe the most flexible of dishes.  Also, even though it’s spicy, there’s a great balance of flavours so that the heat doesn’t overwhelm your palette.  Add to it some nutritious vegetables and seeds, and you’ve got an ultimately healthy snack or side.

Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa Recipe

 
Please share with your friends and family!
 

Servings: enough for a side or starter for 4 people
Preparation Time: 15 – 20 minutes

Here are the ingredients for the Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa Recipe:

• 2 cups vegetable stock (no added salt or sugar and organic if possible)
• 1 pepper (organic green and/or red pepper)
• 1 Jalapeño pepper (organic)
• 1/2 onion (large organic)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (organic)
• 1 tsp turmeric (organic)
• 1/2 tsp cumin (organic and ground)

Here are the preparation directions for the Turmeric Cumin Spicy Quinoa Recipe:

Step 1: Wash all fresh ingredients
Step 2: Cook quinoa with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock
Step 3: Dice green/red pepper, Jalapeño pepper and onion

In a separate saucepan:

Step 4: Cook onion in coconut oil (or almond oil) until translucent
Step 5: Add green/red pepper, Jalapeño pepper and cumin
Step 6: Once cooked, add turmeric as it turns a lovely vibrant yellow
Step 7: Add cooked quinoa with the cooked vegetables
Step 8: Serve warm as a side dish or in a bowl
Step 9: Enjoy and Share!

Introducing our QUOTE SERIES > A simple saying can mean so much…

Just Add Good Stuff is launching the ‘QUOTE SERIES‘. We’ve designed these incredibly beautiful images with inspirational food and health quotes. We’ll release at least 1 a week.

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY!

Take good care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. ~ Jim Rohn

CONSUMER ALERT! 75% of Honey from Supermarkets Are NOT Real Honey!

Experts from the World Health Organization and the Food Safety News have released their latest large scale tests and analysis on US supermarket honey and the figures are scary! According to the latest studies by the Food Safety News, approximately seventy five per cent (yes, that’s 3/4) of ALL HONEY sold at US Supermarkets isn’t real honey after all.

The official definition of ‘real honey’ from the World Health Organization is: real honey MUST contain true microscopic particles of pollen (of course), to be considered real, with an identifiable source. Honey that is void of pollen is therefore, ‘artificial’ or not real honey at all. This artificial honey that is being sold at US grocery stores is watered down and void of most nutrients. According to the Food Safety News study, about 75% of all honey sold in US Supermarkets is ‘artificial’ and is ridiculously over processed, devoid of any nutritional value and sometimes imported and laundered from China and overseas! In many of these cases, the natural and real honey is over heated to high temperatures and high pressure. The real pollen and nutrients are thereby completely forced out of the honey before it is bottled for export to US supermarkets. This technique has been used for decades and is now of great concern. In some cases, the Chinese artificial honey has dangerous amounts of chemicals, antibiotics, preservatives, heavy metals and artificial sweeteners to make it look and taste like honey. However, it’s all artificial honey. If you would like to read more about the Food Safety News study on artificial honey in US grocery stores, please continue reading.

The Honey Investigation by The Food Safety News

Just Add Good Stuff is alarmed by the findings from The Food Safety news in regards to the artificial honey problem in US Supermarkets. The supply chain of honey has been contaminated forever, and it is up to us to make important and educated decisions on what types of honey are safe, and which are not for our families. The Food Safety News started investigating US grocery stores and ended up buying 60 different containers of honey from 10 US states. In addition, to further enlarge their scope of study, they also bought from a wide range of US supermarket chains. All of the containers of so called ‘natural honey’ were sent to Vaughn Bryant, a professor and melissopalynologist specialist at Texas A&M University.

The scary findings by Vaughn Bryant include these and many more:

Fact #1 > 100% (one hundred per cent) of Winnie the Pooh honey sold at Walmart stores had ALL POLLEN REMOVED. There was no trace of natural, nutrient pollen in this container of honey whatsoever. Be careful and eat at your own risk!

Fact #2 > 77% (seventy seven per cent) of various types of honey bought from Target, Sam’s Club and Costco (often referred to as ‘big box stores’) contained ZERO POLLEN. Again, just like the Walmart Winnie the Pooh honey, this product is ‘artificial’ and contains none of the natural nutrients that honey is known for.

Fact #3 > 100% (one hundred per cent) of McDonald’s and KFC honey packets contain NO POLLEN. Just like the above, these are all artificially manufactured honey, which means that the added chemicals, antibiotics and heavy metals are used to mimic what real honey should taste and look like. It’s not real honey whatsoever.

Fact #4 > 100% (one hundred per cent) of honey purchased from CVS Pharmacy and Walgreen’s (two trusted drug stores in the US) contained ZERO POLLEN yet again. All of the natural pollen had been filtered out and heated at extreme temperatures.

However, there was so glimpse of good news in the Vaughn Bryant/The Food Safety study:

Fact #5 > Local honey from Farmer’s Markets, Co-Ops and even Trader Joes contained the FULL AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL POLLEN. These were healthy, natural and organic honey that contained the full amount of nutritional value.

Add fuel to the fire, but we believe that the only reason why natural honey is filtered and heated is to hide where it came from. Both heating and filtering of natural honey costs a lot of money. Plus it diminishes the quality and nutrients of the honey.

Other interesting facts is that the United States as imported over 208 million pounds of honey from overseas in the past 18 months alone. The majority (over 60%) came from Asia… the most of that coming from China. However, the rest of the honey from Asia probably also came through China on its way to our shores and supermarkets. Further studies have shown that many of the imported honey is watered down and contains obscene levels of high fructose corn syrup in addition to lots of other heavy metals, chemicals and illegal sweeteners.

Not only are consumers misinformed about the origins of the artificial honey, but it is also detrimental to your health!

Therefore, in our conclusion, it is of utmost importance that you only purchase locally produced, non-GMO/organic honey. Natural honey in its unaltered, unheated and unfiltered state has many health benefits and is a great option to refined sugars.

Here are some of the sources for the facts and figures described in this article: The Food Safety News (www.foodsafetynews.com), Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com) and Food Renegade (www.foodrenegade.com). Just Add Good Stuff originally learned about this honey problem through Natural News (www.naturalnews.com).