9 Easy Ways To Figure Out If The Honey You Are Buying From The Supermarket Is Real or Fake.
image via – shutterstock.com
Honey costs a pretty penny, especially the type that’s sold in jars labeled organic, raw, all-natural, and unfiltered. The sweet nectar has often been compared to liquid gold and many manufacturers charge premium prices for it. However, the expensive costs do not reflect the actual quality or type of honey that people think they may be getting.
A majority of the honey being sold nationwide is fake. It’s not real or pure, instead it contains all sorts of additives and people are getting ripped off when they pay extra for what they think is pure honey. Part of the problem involves counterfeit honey, which is a term for honey whose place of origin cannot be traced.
Honey in its rawest form contains trace amounts of pollen, bee’s wax, and other impurities. Every single type of pollen is geographically distinct and shows where the honey was made and what floral sources were used by the bees. When honey is processed by manufacturers they put it through an artificial ultra-filtration process that removes all the impurities, this makes it both untraceable and counterfeit. In addition, they often add in artificial flavors and ingredients which further dilute the purity. Besides being untraceable, all the health benefits of the honey get filtered out and lost as well. This is because the impurities that are being removed are what makes it beneficial and worth eating in the first place!
With the steady rise in the amount of mislabeled, impure, counterfeit honey being sold to unaware consumers, how can you know if you’re buying real vs. fake honey? Here are some tips on how to spot fake honey and a few simple tests you can do that will help you determine if the honey you have is fake or real:
1) Real honey will appear to have small particles suspended within it. These may be parts of the honey comb, bee body parts, or pollen and are safe to consume. Fake honey lacks any of these particles and impurities.
2) Real honey is thick and dense. In comparison, fake honey is thin and runny.
3) Real honey smells slightly sweet and pleasant, fake honey has no scent or it smells kind of sour.
4) Real honey is not sticky when you rub it between your fingers, whereas the fake stuff is very sticky because of any added sweeteners.
5) Real honey tastes lighter and the flavor goes away after a few minutes, whereas fake honey is super sweet and the taste stays with you for much longer.
6) Real honey doesn’t bubble when heated, instead it caramelizes. Fake honey bubbles up, yet never caramelizes.
7) Buy directly from a local bee keeper or farmer at a local market or farm store. They often allow you to taste test the product and will answer any questions you may have about the honey they sell.
8) Examine the label- Real honey should contain only one simple ingredient; honey! Some manufacturers will include extra ingredients on the list and if it says added flavors, additives, artificial flavors, or anything of the like, it’s definitely not real honey.
– Some of these additives include molasses, corn syrup, starch, dextrose, glucose, and sugar syrup.
– Products sold with ambiguous names on their labels, such as “honey products” or “honey blends” are usually a clear sign that the honey is not real or pure.
9) Check to see if there are local laws or guidelines that pertain to the purity of honey sold in the region. Some places require that all labels must clearly state if there are any additives in the honey you buy. In America there are no such federal requirements and even if the product contains a USDA logo, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the honey is real or pure.
Tests you can do to determine if your honey is real or not:
Smear some honey on a piece of bread. If the honey is fake the bread will become wet because of the added moisture in the honey. If the honey is real the bread will not get soggy, instead it will quickly become hard after just a couple of minutes.
Test to see of the honey dissolves in a glass of water. Fake honey dissolves quickly whereas real honey will not. Instead, pure honey stays clumped together and sinks to the bottom in globs.
Security Video Catches Mom Give Birth To Her Baby In :45 Seconds At The Hospital Doorway
image via – youtube.com
If you have ever been in labor, or been with a friend or family member as they go through labor before giving birth, you will be astounded by this story. A British mom, Jessica Stubbins, had gone into labor with her second baby.
She and her husband are nearing the hospital entrance, when Jessica tells him to drop her off at the front and then park, as she feels her labor is pretty far along. As her husband is parking she goes through the glass doors, where security cameras capture the footage you are about to view in the VIDEO below.
The video starts with the Stubbins family being interviewed on “Good Morning Britain”, where they describe perhaps one of the fastest births ever to occur, without a doctor, midwife or nurse beside the mother. Little Lucy came into the world in under one minute! At the 1:15 mark of the footage below, you will see this remarkable event (completely non-graphic) happen before Jessica even gets past the entryway to the hospital!
Please SHARE this birth at record speed with your family and friends!
6 Natural Drinks That Will Get Rid of That Stubborn Belly Fat
image via – shutterstock.com
Reducing belly fat requires the elimination of sugary drinks that are filled with empty calories, and replacing them with healthy drinks that are nutrient and antioxidant rich. Of course, these drinks must be paired with a healthy diet for them to perform the MAGIC OF REDUCING BELLY FAT.
There are 8 drinks that optimize your ability to reduce belly fat: CINNAMON and HONEY; BLACK COFFEE; FLAVORED ICE WATER; PINEAPPLE FRAPPE; GREEN TEA; WATERMELON SMOOTHIE; ICED PEPPERMINT TEA and a DARK CHOCOLATE SHAKE!
According to “India Times”, BLACK COFFEE acts as a stimulant for your metabolism by infusing it with thermogenesis and energy. They also prescribe mixing a half teaspoon of CINNAMON with a spoonful of HONEY in a glass of COOL WATER. Do not mix these ingredients in hot water, as the heat eradicates the nutrient value that encourages the fat burning process.
A theory exists that drinking ICED WATER shocks your body into burning more calories in order for digestion to occur, according to “Calorie Bee”. Further, water keeps your body hydrated, creates fullness when drunk right before a meal, and can keep you from snacking as thirst is often confused with hunger!
The VIDEO you are about to watch below discusses the importance of drinking water and suggests FLAVORED WATER to make it more appetizing. It gives you the ingredients for a PINEAPPLE FRAPPE which contains flaxseed oil (a proven belly flattener) and bromelain (an enzyme that banishes bloating). Studies have shown that GREEN TEA’S antioxidant components reduce belly fat. DARK CHOCOLATE SHAKES decrease appetite and reduce food cravings. A WATERMELON SMOOTHIE not only hydrates, but contains lycopene and arginine which fight cancer and lessen belly fat. Finally, ICED PEPPERMINT TEA acts as a SUPER BELLY FLATTENER by accelerating the body’s ability to break down high fat foods!
Please SHARE this amazing HEALTH and DIET information with your family and friends
5 Simple Ways To Stop Overthinking and Be Happy Again
image via – shutterstock.com
Many famous figures throughout time and history have said all manner of things about thinking. One of the smartest minds to ever live, Albert Einstein, once said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” He was saying that we need to change our approach and our thoughts in order to work through life’s troubles. Years later, the immensely spectacular actor Bruce Lee said “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” His lesson was simple, stop thinking so much and get busy, just do what you need to do!
All these wise words to live by are sage advice and all, but if you happen to be an over-thinker then you know how seemingly impossible it can be to zone yourself out. Thinking too much leads to worrying, which leads to stress, and if you can’t stop thinking, the cycle is never ending. While we all reflect on the past and speculate about the future every now and then, constantly thinking about it 24/7 is not normal and definitely not healthy. Chronic worriers often end up depressed and anxious, they become obsessive, and many people find their negativity off putting to be around.
If you ever find yourself spiraling down into a black hole of endless thoughts that are leading you nowhere, try the following ways to put an end to it and stop yourself from over thinking:
1) Focus on Your Breathing- When you catch yourself getting stuck in your thoughts and worrying about all of the things that are bothering you or the long list of stuff you have to get done, stop and take a breather! Shift your focus to your breathing by taking measured breaths in and out. Try inhaling for a count of four seconds through your nose, then exhale through your mouth for another four seconds. Continue doing this for at least a couple of minutes in order to really help your body and mind slow down and relax. You can change up the amount of time for each breathe cycle you take of you wish, the key is to find something that works comfortably for you. Breathing evenly and in a controlled manner like this ups the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, leading to less obsessive thoughts and more calmness.
2) Be Mindful and Self-Aware- Again, when you find that your mind is working overtime and your thoughts are jumbled, make a conscious effort to switch it into a lower gear. Acknowledge the fact that you’re over thinking, then try your best to move on. Take a look around and focus on the here and now. Living in the present makes you more present. Try meditating, do a crossword or soduku puzzle, reach for a coloring book, just try something simple and different, that can be done quickly and keep your mind occupied.
3) Quit Talking So Much!- If you tend to air your worries and like to talk to other people about all your problems and whatever it is that’s stressing you, stop! Oftentimes this just exacerbates the problems and nothing ever really gets solved. Also, other people will expect you to listen to their grievances and all this does is multiply the negativity. Keep your problems to yourself and write them down instead. Seeing them on paper puts them into perspective and while it sounds kind of lame, it also gets them out of your head. It gives you a sense of “now I’m free to move on and can get back to them later when I’m ready to actually deal with them.”
4) Stay Active and Keep Busy All Day Long- Do something physical and get moving. You can do anything and whatever it is that you’d like. Take a walk, go for a hike, play a game or cards, cook dinner, play fetch with your dog, do some gardening, clean that closet you’ve been putting off for months, paint a picture, wash your car, there’s always something that you can do. If you’re a procrastinator, make a conscious effort to do one thing a day that you’d normally put off until the last minute. Procrastination, worrying, and over thinking go hand in hand, so get moving, run all your errands, and get stuff done sooner than later!
5) Focus on Solving Problems and Moving on- Instead of worrying about problems that are out of your control and mistakes that already happened, look ahead at ways to minimize any harm done. Learn from whatever it is that you go through and use the experiences to make yourself a better person. Learn and grow from life’s trials and tribulations, don’t get stuck on one page or distracted by what could’ve been or should’ve been. Rather, work your way through it and come out a stronger, mentally tough, and prepared person. After all, history repeats itself and when it does, you’ll already have a solution filed away to deal with it.
Please SHARE This With Family and Friends
5 Simple Ways To Quickly Figure Out If a Person Is Toxic
image via – shutterstock.com
No one wants to be around a person who makes you feel bad about yourself; such “toxic” people can confuse us, however, as they can come off as being fun and charming, because they have honed their skills at being manipulative. They are very good at disguising their toxicity by camouflaging their damaging behavior by being interesting, helpful and fun. So the question becomes, how can you spot the warning signs of toxicity, before it impacts your happiness and self-esteem?
Whether you are dating a person, or you have a growing friendship, look out for these RED-FLAG TOXIC BEHAVIORS:
1. SHE IS A BLAMER.
You notice when she talks about conflicts with other friends, or issues at work, she never sees her part in the problem. If you ask anything that might promote her reflecting on what she said or did, she will always come up with “yes but…”. As conflicts come up between the two of you and you try to address the issue, THE BLAMER will become hostile and manipulate you into believing that you are the problem.
2. HE SHOWS DISRESPECT TO PEOPLE IN SERVICE ROLES.
You go out to dinner and he talks to the server in a tone that denotes superiority. He tends to break minor rules, acting as if they don’t matter and only apply to other people; cleaning up after himself isn’t his job and turning off his cell-phone in a movie theater is ridiculous…he can’t miss messages even if it disturbs others. This is a red flag that he will likely treat your needs and feelings with disregard.
3. SHE TALKS INCESSANTLY ABOUT HERSELF AND HER ACHIEVEMENTS.
If you feel like you can’t get a word in, you are in a relationship with a NARCISSIST! When you try to share things about yourself, she will interrupt by saying something that makes you feel she is identifying with you, and bring the conversation back to herself. If you stay in this relationship, over time you might have some major life success. The toxic person will be uncomfortable with your success, because it makes them feel insecure and competitive. You may find that they minimize your achievement, brush it off, or say something that makes you doubt your success by pointing out the negatives. Your success means you need her less.
4. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WALKING ON EGGSHELLS.
Anytime you want to discuss your feelings about something, that involves even the most mild conflict, he reacts as if he is being attacked. He becomes defensive and aggressive, making any kind of conflict resolution impossible. He turns everything around and eventually breaks your resolve, and then will quite unexpectedly show you love or affection. He feels safe being close to you when you are weak.
5. WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION THEY BECOME HOSTILE.
Other people’s glory makes her feel jealous, as exhibited by gossiping behavior that attempts to inflict damage to the other person’s reputation or friendships. They suck the air out of the room because their needs must be met above everyone else’s.
In the VIDEO you are about to watch below produced by “ScienceofPeople.com”, you will hear an excellent guide to SPOTTING TOXIC PEOPLE, that names 7 PERSONALITY TYPES that are red flags which she names:
1. CONVERSATIONAL NARCISSIST
2. THE STRAIGHT JACKET
3. EMOTIONAL MOOCHER
4. DRAMA MAGNET
5. A JJ: A Jealous Judgemental Person
6. THE FIBBER
7. A TANK
After watching this footage, let us know your thoughts.
Please SHARE This With Family and Friends
The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks August 12th and 13th and Is Predicted To Be The Best Ever
image via – shutterstock.com
Look up at the sky tonight because the Perseid meteor shower will be lighting it up and putting on a truly spectacular show! The yearly annual shower reaches its peak on August 12-13th and astronomers are predicting that anywhere from 80 to upwards of 200 meteors per hour will streak across the heavens. This year promises to be busier than usual because they are in what is called “outburst” mode, meaning that meteor rates will be double that of their usual average.
The Perseids originate from the ancient comet 109P, aka Swift-Tuttle, and date back to having been first observed and discovered in as early as 37 AD (wiki). The comet left behind tiny pieces of dust and rock particles that enter into the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of over 130,000 mph, causing them to burn up and disintegrate. This is what creates the beautiful streaks of light in the sky- tiny specks of dust!
The best times to view tonight’s shower are from midnight on through the early morning, before the sun comes up at dawn. Prime viewing hours are expected to fall in-between 1 and 4 a.m. You can simply look up to see the meteors flash across the sky and if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, look towards the constellation Perseus, where the meteors come from. Because many of us don’t know where or how to find it, here’s how to fix this issue; simply download a sky watching app for your phone which tells you exactly where it is in the sky. I use one called Star Walk and it works great, you simply point your phone at the sky and it identifies all the stars, planets, constellations, and other celestial bodies out there in space.
Also essential for the best viewing is lighting and the less light pollution, the better. Pick a nice open spot away from urban areas and city lights or trees and structures that limit your view. Since the moon is in a waxing gibbous phase, the light from it will interfere with the shower. However, moonset will be at around 1 a.m. and after that viewing will be better. While local forecasts may vary, so long as the sky is clear you should be able to see them!
Check out the accompanying VideoFromSpace clip that quickly goes over the Perseids and don’t forget to seize the opportunity to get outside and do some sky gazing!
Please SHARE This With Family and Friends So Everyone Can Enjoy 🙂
3 Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Your Lower Back Pain and Sciatica Without Pills or Surgery
image via – shutterstock.com
Pain that involves the SCIATIC NERVE, which begins at the lower back and extends down the leg, is a condition known as SCIATICA. However, as you will see in the explanation provided by Dr. Guevara in the video you are about to watch below, Sciatica isn’t a diagnosis. It is actually a symptom caused by lower back pain, that is usually caused by three different conditions: a HERNIATED DISC, SPINAL STENOSIS or PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME.
According to “Spine-Health” there are also certain lifestyle factors that can contribute to sciatic pain, such as: PREGNANCY; a MUSCLE SPASM in your back or buttocks often caused by RUNNING; BEING OVERWEIGHT; WEARING HIGH HEELS; NOT EXERCISING REGULARLY, or SLEEPING on an UNSUPPORTIVE MATTRESS.
As Dr. Guevara goes through his discussion, he delineates when you will feel SYMPTOMS that may vary, consisting of PAIN: in the LOWER BACK, BUTTOCKS or LEG, HIP, BURNING or NUMBNESS DOWN the LEG etc. He explains, that symptoms which come from each of the underlying conditions causing the sciatica, will be felt during different motions. For instance, Sciatic pain from a HERNIATED DISC will often be felt when: bending, sneezing, coughing or lifting heavy objects. Pain caused by PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME is usually felt when sitting, running or walking. SPINAL STENOSIS is usually found in people over the age of 5o; they will feel pain when standing up straight, walking, and standing up after sitting.
He illustrates appropriate stretching exercises that are enormously helpful in alleviating symptoms for each of these underlying conditions. It is extremely important for the source of your sciatic pain to be medically evaluated, before you progress with any form of treatment.
Please SHARE this important HEALTH video with your family and friends; it has the potential to help many people to MANAGE THEIR PAIN, without overusing anti-inflammatory medications, narcotics, or steroid injections, that can put you at risk for other health issues.
Every Time This Kitty’s Human Rubs His Back He Makes The Funniest Noise
image via – youtube.com
People love cats. It’s not hard to see why, they’re furry little adorable animals that are easy to care for and even easier to love. They’re also good for our health as studies have found that cat owners have a 40% lower risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Part of the reason attributed to this decreased risk can be found in a feline’s rumbling purr. The sound has a calming effect that helps us to relax, thereby reducing overall stress levels.
The other sounds that cats make can also help us to smile and feel good, like the one in this video! According to the man who posted the clip he had just arrived home from work when he noticed the cat in his backyard. It looks like the visitor was hanging out with his cats and it appeared to be friendly because he didn’t run away, so the man went over to the big gray kitty and introduced himself.
When he reached out a hand to give it a pet the cat surprised him by making some of the oddest, most hilarious kitty noises you’ll ever hear! Whenever the man ran his hand down the cat’s back to give him a gentle scratch, the cat would open and close his mouth rapidly while meowing. The effect this had makes the cat look and sound super strange. It’s almost like he’s getting tickled and is laughing but at the same time he also appears to be really loving the attention, who knows what’s really going through his kibber mind!
The noise is hard to describe any better than that, it’s one of those things you just have to hear for yourself to truly understand! Check out the video and pass it on to all your fellow cat lovers and anyone else who can appreciate a nice, simple, happy cat story!
Please SHARE This Hilarious Video With Family and Friends 🙂
