While it may be easy to name the top brands of pressed organic juice, coconut water, or breakfast cereal, the same cannot be said for honey.

Honey is just not as visible, and many vendors of honey are small and local.

That doesn’t mean, however, that excellent national brands don’t exist. They do.

And without question, one of the best is Wedderspoon.

I first discovered Wedderspoon in 2010 at Natural Products Expo East and gave the company my Best of Show Award for its Manuka honey.  Since that time, I have been keeping a close watch on the company as it has slowly launched a number of other very impressive honey-based products.

Yet, it is Wedderspoon’s Organic Beechwood Honey that has really caught my eye.

Aside from its light, distinct, and flavorful taste, this honey has some unusual characteristics. Read more »

As you may already know, we have a very serious crisis going on with bees.

It is referred to as the colony collapse disorder (CCD) and is something that should be on everyone’s radar screen.

Why should we care about CCD?

Bees play an essential role in our food supply – they pollinate our plants. Without bees, it is estimated that we will have four years to live. Right now, the bee population is shrinking by 30% each year.

What’s causing CCD?

Many people believe that CCD is a result of all of the toxic chemicals that we spray on our crops and the huge amount of GMOs that we plant, which provide for no biodiversity.

In an effort to support the bees, Whole Foods has launched a great initiative to educate consumers about this problem and to help raise funds in order to reverse their disappearance.  For the months of June and July, Whole Foods is offering its shoppers the following: Read more »

I am of the belief that food is medicine, and the best food we can put into our bodies is organic.

That being said, there are some organic foods that have higher nutritional value than others – often referred to as superfoods – and I try to incorporate them into my diet on a regular basis.

While the following superfoods are by no means the only ones you’ll find in my kitchen, I have been consuming these four quite frequently as of late.

WHEATGRASS

Throughout the years, I have gone in many different directions looking for the best thing to put into my body but I always seem to end up in the same place – wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass may very well be the most nutritious food in the world, largely because of its high chlorophyll content.

The primary health benefits include:

– Phenomenal for the blood: purifies it, cleanses it of debris, increases red blood cell count, lowers blood pressure, and restores alkalinity to the blood.

– The enzymes and amino acids in wheatgrass protect us from carcinogens, strengthens our cells, and detoxes our liver.

– Stimulates the thyroid gland. Read more »

The very serious issue we face with colony collapse disorder (CCD) is something that should be on everyone’s radar screen.

Basically, the bees are disappearing. And why should we care exactly that the bees are disappearing?

Well, bees pollinate our plants and without bees, we have four years to live.

While many people believe that CCD is a result of GMOs and the toxic chemicals that we spray on them, there is incredible denial from the chemical industry.

In an article published the other day in Environmental Science & Technology titled “Assessment of the Environmental Exposure of Honeybees to Particulate Matter Containing Neonicotinoid Insecticides Coming from Corn Coated Seeds,” new research identifies a direct link between the bees dying and insecticides used on corn. Read more »

For many of us who understand the importance of organic, we eat and buy organic food without thinking about it.

We know that we don’t want to consume food that contains artificial growth hormones, synthetic pesticides or genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

We know that it is essential for us to purchase the highest quality food possible.

We know that food is medicine.

Yet, there are too many people out there who are just not that concerned about the food that goes into their bodies. They largely assume that since our government allows it on the shelf, it is safe.

Well, maybe the recent news will make them think otherwise. Read more »

One question has been really bothering me as of late: Is there such a thing as USDA certified organic honey?

Despite the picture you see above, there is good reason for me to have serious doubt.  Here is why.

In the past, I have spoken to numerous local beekeepers and when I asked them if their honey is organic, they have all told me that there is no such thing as USDA certified organic honey.

Yet when I go to the market, I see one or two brands of honey that have the USDA organic seal on the label. Almost all of the honey that has the seal on it comes from Brazil, which has made me wonder whether there is some type of corruption going on with the certification. Read more »