Episode 28 of The Living Life Well Show: Taste and See: God's Sugar Bomb----Honey
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Living Life Well Show, the intersection of God's Word, today's science, and healthy living with common sense application, all based on the truth of the Word of God. I'm your host, Dr. Jon Skelton. Now let's get straight to the truth. All right. It's really great to be back with you today. And today we're going to have our first edition of our taste and see today, we're going to talk about God's sugar bomb, if you will, and how. We can really see through scientific literature of why he tells us it's so good. Why it is mentioned so many times within the Bible.
But first I want to take a little step back and discuss really sugar in general. And [00:01:00] specifically what people think of as quote, natural sugars and why they really may not be. The best. So one of the things that we talk about a lot within our living life, well, programs and within our services that we provide is really inflammation.
And you've heard me talk a lot on different episodes of the podcast, about sugar and its negative effects. Well, invariably, I get you know, a little bit of trepidation when I suggest that people need. To eliminate sugar. Typically questions come. Well, what about Stevia? What about Monkfruit?
What about this thing or that thing? That potentially may be quote natural, so to speak and be beneficial. Well, the problem is that when we take anything to say, like a Stevia leaf, and we then extract the sweetness [00:02:00] of it and put it in a concentrated form, unfortunately it acts just like any kind of artificial sugar or artificial sweetener, and it will cause the body to react in the same way.
It causes those surges of blood sugar levels. It causes surges. Insulin response, primarily, which in turn is going to drive down blood sugar and increase. The glycogen production that is stored within the body, thus raising blood sugars, thus increasing your insulin levels and causing issues.
Same thing with Monkfruit. Same thing, unfortunately. When we do juices. Especially juice concentrates, those concentrates, like apple juice or orange juice and those things.
When we remove all the natural filling that was in the fruit, meaning all the pulp and the fiber and all those extra things that really help decrease that rate of [00:03:00] absorption, therefore decreasing that spike in blood sugar levels. We get those negative effects just as if we were taking a couple of spoonfuls of sugar or drinking a Dr.
Pepper or a whatever your particular preference for sugar may be. So. When we do the natural substances, we're also going to get a sugar response. So, when you're eating fruit and those things, you are getting a sugar response, but when you remove the sweetness of it and just consume that it's going to be much more of a response it's going to lead to those higher blood sugar levels gonna lead to insulin resistance.
And so. That's why we want to really get our sugar in as naturally as possible. Well, there's a couple ways to do that. Of course natural things like [00:04:00] syrup and specifically what we're going to be talking about today, honey, would be things that are going to have that specific God given architecture to it.
As long as it's unadulterated that we can then consume and get that higher sugar content. But also get the benefits that are associated with it. So, you know, honey is really the sugar bomb that I want to talk about today. So talking about it first from a biblical perspective, then kind of going through. What are current scientific knowledge then kind of backs up our faith here. Really kind of shows us why God says it is good.
So let's look at the Bible. Bible first. So one of the references of many references, there's over 60 references within the Bible to honey or honey comb in the Bible. And so. One of those real references that, that kind of stands out a little bit [00:05:00] is in Proverbs 24 13. It says my son eat, honey fruit is good.
And the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. So. Honey's mentioned a few different times in Proverbs and Proverbs obviously is a very good book of the Bible for General wisdom and ways to live our life. Good principles to go by. And so a honey is even mentioned in there a couple of times. But when we go back and we look at when honeys first mentioned looking at the Law of First Mention believing that when God tells us something for the first time, especially as a command. That, you know, suggest that's something we really want to lean into.
So, He's always going to give us his best first. And so the first time that we see honey mentioned is in Genesis and it's surrounding the fact that honey is a part of a [00:06:00] list of things that's being given. And it was a gift. Let me set the scene for you a little bit. So, in Genesis 43 Joseph has already been sold into slavery. He's now in a position of power. Over Egypt, there's now a severe famine in the land. His brothers have already been to Egypt.
They've already encountered him, but they still don't know that it's him. He sent them away with a bunch of grain and so basically now they've gone and they've eaten everything that was given to them.
And so now they are debating, going. Going back. So now they're their father. Israel is pretty upset about this because he knows he's got to ACE and all of the sons back, but now he also has to send his youngest son with them. To get these products and these food that he's wanting. So what it says here in Genesis 43, 11, it says then their father Israel said [00:07:00] to them, If it must be, then do this, put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift. A little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrhh, some pistachio, nuts and almonds.
And then it also talks about taking silver as well. But then in an Verse 14. It says. And may God almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved. So basically they were taking this to try and take their most valuable possessions that they had to try on a, by the grain and Curry favor to allow the brother to come back. Well, so, eventually if you know the story. It really works out well for them. And in the short term, and then in the longterm, it leads us [00:08:00] to our next episode of significance. That we see with honey.
So we see honey later in the Bible and Exodus after they've lived in Egypt for 400 years now, after they've gone back this time. And Joseph has revealed himself. We see it once they are in the wilderness and there's really nothing left to eat. So, God starts sending. Getting them manna. So the manna came down from heaven.
They were supposed to gather every day. And so this is the way. It's described an Exodus 16:31. It says the people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white, like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. So. This was really the only thing that they had to eat while they were in the wilderness for years now, they ended up getting some some birds as well. Some quail that, that came down that they asked for but didn't necessarily, really [00:09:00] need it doesn't sound like, but God gave them everything they need.
And it doesn't say directly that it was honey, but it says it definitely tasted. Like honey. And so when we see that God's sustaining power was on them in the wilderness. And one of the main things it appears that was in manna was honey. And so this should tell us something a little bit about, you know, whether or not honey really is good for us or not.
And so that's really kind of what I want to get into today and really talk about in a little bit more detail. If you want a little bit more detail from the biblical perspective. There's a great article that I will put a link to in the show notes, if you want to. To go and read a little bit more about this and all the other ways that it talks about how honey has represented in the Bible from this person's perspective.
But For today, that's kind of [00:10:00] where we're going to jump off from. And so, you know, with believing that you know, what God says is good. We want to take part in then that's where we get this. And so now research has really kind of caught up with the Bible and is telling us really the big benefits of honey.
So. For years and years throughout ancient civilizations and even currently. Honey is being used for wound healing. It's been used as a salve, an ointment, a for anything from rashes day, she scans to open wounds to help heal. Honey has Antifungal properties and really, it even helps to fight. Certain bacteria. Pseudomonas is a bacteria that is associated frequently with wounds and a lot of times with diabetics and when. wet wounds will see that. In addition, Klebsiella. Is also a [00:11:00] bacteria that we see quite frequently with lung infections and different gut infections and even skin infections.
And then enterobacteria as well. So, All three of these bacteria, it can be very difficult to treat and fight. Well now honey and honey extracts are being used to fight drug resistant infections. Well, those bacteria that I mentioned. Just a second ago are all very typically very drug resistant.
And so now we are finding that honey can be used in specific situations. One of those situations. That we're finding out a lot about now is really for the antifungal properties, but something that if you've listened to the show, you've heard me talk about before H pylori. H pylori is shown to be really affected by honey.
Now, most of the studies are focusing around a specific type of honey called [00:12:00] Manuka honey. Manuka. Honey is a honey that is local to New Zealand and based upon a particular plant that's referred to as the Manuka Bush. And so this Bush is known to be able to. To help with different healing of different things. Now, so Manuka honey obviously is pretty specific, right? Well, they, the original studies were in the early nineties with Manuka honey. And so recently as recent as 2006, so still almost 20 years ago. We see some more research and to some different types of honey and specifically. Honeys that were available in the Muscat area. And so these also showed that they were really pretty effective.
And specifically they looked at black forest, honey and Langonese honey. And the thing that they notice is [00:13:00] that when you combine them with antibiotics that are typically associated with treating the H pylori infection, there was no real benefit. But when we look back at some of the other studies associated with a Manuka honey, very low concentrations of honey. We're really just about as effective. And inhibiting cell growth of the H pylori. Now. Obviously every honey that is available locally is going to be a little bit different.
The bees are different the plants that they are coming from are different as well.
So the Muscat region and New Zealand, two completely different environment. Right. So New Zealand, very foresty think kind of wet this Manuka tree or the you know, A scientific name for it is [00:14:00] Leptospermum.
So it's kind of a small tree flowering tree. I would kind of liken it to kind of like a crepe Myrtle. I would say so not just a huge tree, kind of more like a big Bush. Now they don't really have that.
It appears. And the Muscat region or Oman kind of in a desert type. Environment, obviously two very different environments.
So since we're seeing two completely types of different environments, and we're seeing a tree that as far as we know is really only native to New Zealand, and it's a completely different environment in Oman that suggests that one of a couple of things maybe going on as a, there may be a very similar plant or even. The exact same plant that is there in Oman.
That's available. That [00:15:00] allows this reaction to occur. With the honey that we're seeing this black forest honey compared to Manuka. It could also be that multiple plants have this bacterial cidal capability for H pylori or it could be that there's something inherent in the process of making honey that is inherent with bees that leads to this now, whatever the case is.
Exactly. I don't know. Now this does suggest some benefit. For eating raw local honey. Now there's several different benefits that you get from eating raw local honey. So raw local honey, that hasn't been changed or modified at all. Essentially really allows you to get treatment for allergies without having to do shots. Because the [00:16:00] pollen from the region is going to be in those, in that honey, then that as you ingest, that is going to have small pieces of the honeycomb, which again are going to be anti-inflammatory and beneficial for you.
When you get that raw local honey, when you get the filtered and processed, honey, you miss out on this piece. And so. That's why you want to do raw local honey, especially if you have any kind of allergies. This is essentially doing allergy shots. Now. If you have diabetes is doing honey. Okay. Yes.
And no doing some absolutely. Is it something that you need to be doing all the time? No, probably not. Maybe once a week or, you know, once every couple of weeks. Would be good. As we've said it doesn't take a high concentration to [00:17:00] begin to get those great effects of the antibacterial activity. From honey.
And so when we look at the Manuka honey versus the black forest, honey versus the Lang and he is honey. We're seeing that they all seem to be working on H pylori. So does that mean that your local honey is going to work? Possibly . So we do know that honeys in general are antibacterial antifungal.
They aid in wound healing and are beneficial for allergies and multiple other things. So. I'm encouraging my clients that have H pylori to either consume local honey and or Manuka, which is readily available. Generally I at multiple different websites and, or potentially locally. So that you can get that benefit of these properties that honey has that, you know, God has been [00:18:00] telling us about since the beginning of time, essentially.
And so. I hope you found this helpful today. I hope you found this inspiring. If there's something else that you want to hear about either on this taste and see series or something else, you can always email us at [email protected] and we'll be happy to take a look at that and get you more information.
So thanks. And God bless.
That's it for this episode of the Living Life Well Show. If you like what you've heard and want to learn more, or want to know how to put this into practice for yourself, go to livelifewellclinic.com. Until next time, this is Dr. Jon Skelton saying, go out and live the truth so you can live life well. The preceding is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It is not meant to be used to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. The information [00:19:00] contained in this show does not substitute the need for a qualified medical professional, nor is it meant to provide medical advice or services.
If you feel information presented in this show may apply to you, we recommend you seek out the help of a qualified medical professional who can evaluate and treat your specific concerns.
