How to Test For Pure Honey

The term "adulterated honey" implies that the honey has been added glucose, dextrose, molasses, corn syrup, sugar syrup, invert sugar, flour, starch, or any other similar product, other than the floral nectar gathered, processed, and stored in the comb by honey bees. Legal standards and requirements for foods, including honey quality, and tests for honey adulteration vary widely amongst countries and some may not meet the wish of every consumer around the world.

Personally, when selecting honey in the shop, I think it's almost impossible to tell the bad from the good by just looking at the honey content through the bottle or studying its food and nutrition labels. My take is always -- go for the trusted or more known brands. We all know that a "pure honey" label doesn't guarantee at all that it is not diluted with water and further sweetened with corn syrup; it just promises that there is real pure honey inside, with no suggestion of its amount.

The law does not require a "pure honey" label to say how much pure honey is in the bottle. Some honey brands you get from the supermarkets don't carry any ingredients list and this is enough to make me feel suspicious of the quality. Also, prices are not always a good indication of quality honey. In food fraud cases, manufacturers can mix different honey floral blends and sell it as more expensive varieties such as Manuka honey. And so-called "local honey" may not be locally produced and processed local honey but cheap, low quality honey imported from other countries but bottled and distributed locally.

A common misconception is that granulated or crystallized honey is proof of adulteration with sugar water. The truth is honey is a supersaturated sugar solution and can granulate whether or not it has been adulterated, so crystallization is normal, especially in temperate climates. Furthermore, some honey from certain floral sources is especially prone to crystallization. Buying honey in the comb is one way to assure ourselves of a quality product. Comb honey is sealed in the hive by the bees; therefore consumers can be confident that the honey has not been adulterated with sugar water. However, to boost honey production, some irresponsible beekeepers feed their bees with sugar syrup so that the bees can convert the syrup to "honey". What these bees produced is honey that is adulterated, very clear and runny, just like syrup.

Some websites teaches that ants don't fancy pure honey and will not hover around it. I don't quite understand or believe this, there's no reason why ants would favour processed sugar over honey. Also, I was wondering how to invite the ants for a honey assessment (does "no ants" mean pure honey?). The reason why a sweet liquid is more attractive than another for the ants could also be due to the liquid density and we know that honey viscosity varies depending on its floral type. Another test that is commonly discussed over the internet is the flame test which involves lighting up a cotton bud dipped into the honey with a match-stick flame. It's believed that the honey will burn if it's pure. I have tried this method many times using different types of honey, some of which I was very sure they're pure honey (e.g honeycomb honey), but the result I got was never consistent, and it seemed to depend very much on how much honey was dipped and how long the honey was exposed to the flame.

There's another simple way which I have tried to verify the purity of honey: Observe how liquid honey comes down into a glass of water. Pure honey does not immediately dissolve in water; you will notice that it takes a bit of effort to stir it in the water to dissolve the lumpy bits, whereas sugar tends to dissolve easily in a jiggery as you drop them into the water. However, test result is sometimes not that clear because different honey varieties have different viscosity, some are denser and thicker than others, and obviously honey in cream form, even if it's adulterated with other substance, will not dissolve as easy as liquid honey in water.

It is suggested that people who are used to tasting honey may be easier to detect any added sugar. But frankly, because there are just too many floral varieties and blends, and the amount of adulteration may not be sufficient to affect the taste and aroma of the honey, even though I frequently take honey, I am still not 100% certain about my suspicion sometimes.

Hence, it's hard to be really absolutely sure about honey authenticity, unless from home you can perform scientific laboratory test like spectroscopy, a method that uses the principle of interaction of light with mater to differentiate substances or conduct carbon isotope ratios analysis to determine if sugars were added to the honey (don't bother if these jargons sound totally bizarre; as a consumer, I am not familiar with them either). Nevertheless, from all the verification ways that are discussed above (labels, pouring, dissolving honey, etc) if you have reasons to suspect that the honey is diluted and corn syrup has been added, my stance is - stay away from those brands. Better to err on the side of caution than to be sorry...well, you most probably won't fall sick by taking the adulterated honey, but you know adulteration with cheaper sugars brings down the natural value of the honey and this doesn't help in justifying for the amount of money you pay.

Source: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/pure-honey.html

Ruth Tan runs the popular website Benefits of Honey which is an immensely rich, quality resource on honey and its benefits, and a plethora of health-related issues. Discover the amazing health benefits and all the positive spin-offs super-food honey can bring to your life and the lives of your loved ones at http://www.benefits-of-honey.com

Mexican Food Varieties

Are you interested about Mexican Food and its sumptuous variety? The country of Mexico is renowned throughout the world for its incredible menu of delicious cuisines. The different states of Mexico delineates a mouthwatering a-la-carte which redefines authentic taste to the core. But the origin of food habits and culinary items in the country considerably depends on its ethnic variety and climatic patterns.

So here are some mouthwatering varieties of Mexican Food :

If you venture out to the northern part of Mexico, you will surely come across a delectable variety of meat and beef items. On the contrary, the south -eastern section of the country welcomes you with a range of vegetarian delicacies.

Mexican food is savoured and appreciated by a large number of people on a global basis. The secret of cooking up a storm with Mexican delicacies is to make slight transformation in the blend of ingredients and also meticulously work on methods of preparation from time to time. The legacy of the Mexican food goes back to an ancient time and according to the opinion of culinary experts from round the world, it has a major health benefit. Some of the healthy inputs of Mexican food can be found in the corn, bean, lean meat and also other fresh vegetables.

The Hispanics or the Aztec people were one of the first sources who brought in the entire practice of Mexican food and the culinary art associated with it. The Caribbean and the French people also delved into the various styles of Mexican food from an early age. The spicy feel, wonderful decoration and entire presentation surrounding the Mexican delicacies stands out as an exemplary art in its own way. Some of the important vegetarian items of Mexican dishes can be made by cauliflower, radish and broccoli to name a few. If you do not like the vegetarian cuisines, you can obviously select the beef, chicken and pork items.

One of the most popular and enticing Mexican delicacies, which has impressed with its fascinating taste is the Enchiladas. But if you are quite health conscious, this particular delicacy can be avoided by you, as it consists of a heavy quantity of fat. The spicy and oily element brings along the marvelous flavour of the dish. To mitigate the high constituent of calorie, you can avoid dipping the corn tortillas in the hot oil. You can also make it a little softer by mixing it with tomato.

The Arroz Con Pollo is another scrumptious Mexican delicacy, which has managed to win accolades for its unique authenticity. The main constituents of the dish are rice and chicken which when cooked together provides an unforgettable taste. The sofrito ingredient of the dish makes it all the more exclusive.

If you want to check out another variety of traditional Mexican dish, the Taco can feature as one of your best choices. The perfect combination of maize tortilla and meat feelings provides it with an amazing flavour. You can also make it spicier with an input of chilli salsa and cropped onion.

You can also make your gourmet journey of Mexican food all the more exciting, by sipping the Aquas frescas beverage. It is a delicate mixture of cereals, sugar, fruits and water.

So just enjoy the above-mentioned variety of Mexican Food with a brief insight on them.

Shuvojit Dasgupta is a contributed writer for Batchmates.com the largest Alumni portal in India. With his research work and articles he has added an additional edge to the entertainment e-magazine BM Times. His articles reach to millions of readers every day which are varied in subjects.

Five Reasons Why Solar Power is Right For Your Water Fountain

A solar water fountain could become the highlight of your entire landscape. Some people plant bedding flowers and flowering shrubs and perennials to beautify their gardens. A solar fountain will make an interesting feature to your garden or patio dcor simply, easily and inexpensively.

If you have hesitated about buying a garden water fountain before, the benefits of solar power will quickly change your mind.

• There are no running costs - No mains electricity or batteries to buy
• No installation costs - Are easy to install for all skill levels
• Eco-friendly - do not use non-renewable fossil fuels
• Can be placed anywhere - user-friendly and easy to set up
• Inexpensive and last for years

When you purchase your solar water fountain, it will be a self-contained unit. You may buy a direct power kit but you will probably want to go with the power pack. The power pack has the advantage of absorbing the suns rays then storing that energy for continued usage, day or night. You can take advantage of the fountain even when the sun goes down for those evening garden parties or poolside parties.

Because you are not using mains power, you are not contributing to the depletion of the Earth's resources. There are no holes to dig, no electric cables to install and no dry cell batteries to buy. You do not have to worry about hooking them up to a power source to make them run. Solar fountains and solar water pumps require no power source and so can be installed anywhere. Find a nice spot in your garden where your fountain will have maximum impact

Setting up a solar water fountain is an easy project even for the most novice DIY person and you will have your fountain up and running in no time. Just add water.

Solar powered water fountains are comparatively inexpensive and will last for years. Even when you redesign your landscape, the fountain can be incorporated in a different area of the garden and continue to run effortlessly.

Solar water fountains will enhance the beauty of your garden or patio.

Solar fountains run off the energy of the sun and are quickly becoming very popular.

Solar fountains are extremely friendly to the environment. They don't require any external power source so they don't increase the demand for electricity from polluting coal or natural gas electric plants. Solar fountains are the organic way to enhance the ambience of your garden. Few sounds are as pleasing as the slow murmur of cascading water.

Outdoor water fountains come in all sorts of designs, from those with cascading waterfalls to those that include a birdbath pool, to those that spout jets of water into the air, to decorative wall fountains. serenityhealth.com has a great selection of solar water fountains available in many different styles for use landscapes and in ponds.

There is a large range to choose from, depending on the style you're after for your garden's new image. Make the solar fountain the centerpiece of your garden or simply use them as accents, to increase your gardens overall beauty.

Solar fountains are a great addition to a water feature. Take advantage of their benefits.

Now emerging from the mist of a colorful and varied career, Ian Patterson was born early in is life somewhere in a long forgotten postal code. The mantra that he learned from his parents, while growing up on their farm was "if you want it done right, then do it yourself".

That's just what he did.

Ian Patterson is someone who's been there, done that, printed the T shirt and wrote the book. A firefighter, soldier, yachtsman, skier, climber, mechanic, plumber, electrician, data technician, business continuity planner, and web writer are just some of the things he's been.

He was a pescaterian before it was fashionable and is an avid animal lover and a longtime dog handler. He has traveled to most countries around the world. Set up home in three of them and learned their language and culture.

Now he is the founder and CEO of Write Research Office since 2004.

Vegan Options at Some Common Restaurant Chains

Finding vegan options when eating out isn't as difficult as it used to be. Many restaurants have recognized the market for vegan food and have added products to their menus to attract this traditionally underserved customer base. If you've had difficulty finding vegan food when you eat out, that's about to change. In this tough economy, restaurants are eager to bring new customers to their establishments, and vegans are high on their radars! Here's where you can find yummy vegan food at the restaurants you know best!

Burger King--The BK Veggie--This vegetarian burger is available at nearly every Burger King. Order it without mayo to make it completely vegan.

McDonalds--TheMcVeggie. This is only available at a select few stores right now, but if you ask your local McDonalds to serve it, chances are they will seriously consider it. Get a bunch of your friends to request it, and it's a virtual shoo-in for the menu!

Denny's--Substitute a vegan Boca burger on any burger dish on the menu.

Subway--Order a veggie sub with no mayo or cheese and get it on whole wheat bread. Be aware, though, that if you're avoiding honey, Subway DOES put honey in their bread dough.

Quiznos--Order a veggie sub without the cheese.

Cheesecake factory-- Order angel hair pasta with garlic and marinara sauce, the eggplant sandwich or the portabello burger. You can also ask for other menu items without cheese to make them vegan.

PF Changs--Order the seasoned tofu lettuce wraps, spring rolls (ask for them without eggs, if possible), coconut curry vegetable plate, as well as any other purely vegetable-based dishes you see on the menu. PF Changs usually has quite a few vegan options for its customers, as do most other Asian restaurants.

For great vegan breakfast recipes that are easy to make and unbelievably delicious, go to the Vegan Breakfast Recipe blog at http://www.veganbreakfastrecipes.com.

Mexican Food - Brief Introduction to Mexican Food

Mexican Food is one of the most sought after cuisines and around the globe. Everywhere you go, you are bound to find Mexican food as the gastronomic demand for this cuisine is increasing. Mexican food is famous for its flavours, exciting flavours and its enticing spicy taste.

Mexican food goes way back to the pre-Hispanic era. The Aztecs and the Spanish colonists contributed to the evolution of this type of food. Among the non-vegetarian ingredients used in Mexican cuisine are Pork, Beef and Chicken. As for the vegetarian ingredients, broccoli, cauliflower, radish and pepper are used in abundance. It has also been stated that the Caribbean and French were also responsible for the evolution of Mexican cuisine.

Every region in Mexico has its own unique taste, style and variety. Different climate conditions and various ethnic groups contribute to the impact on Mexican gastronomy. The South-Eastern part of Mexico is famous for its chicken and spicy vegetables. Whereas in the Northern region, you will find more beef and meat used in the dishes. If you are fortunate enough to travel the whole of Mexico, you can easily distinguish the dishes between the regions.

"Arroz con Pollo" is a well known Mexican delicacy that has the capability to tickle your taste buds. It is made up of rice and chicken and is considered to be a traditional delicacy. The dish gets is very colourful as it is made up of a mixture of vegetables, fresh herbs and saffron.

"Barbacoa" is similar to your barbecue and since it dates back to historical times, barbecue is said to have been originated from "Barbacoa". Similar to how we do a barbecue, meat is slowly cooked over an open fire in this type of dish. "Barcacoa de cabeza" is a North Mexican favourite where the cow head is cooked slowly over open fire.

"Pico de gallo" means rooster's beak in Spanish and it is a fruit salad with limejuice spread all over. Before serving, salty white chilli powder is sprinkled on the dish to add some more spiciness to the dish.

If you are a food person, you would have heard of the word "Taco". It is a Mexican platter made up of rolled maize tortilla with meat fillings. The fillings can be made from grilled beef, pork, fish, picadillo or chicken. "Taco" is best eaten together with chopped chilli, salsa, onion and other garnishes to bring out the flavours of the dish. "Taco" is served flat on a tortilla that is warmed up on a comal. As tortilla is soft, it can be folded into a U-shape which makes it easier to eat. Taco is a mouth watering dish and can be easily prepared suitable for a quick and healthy meal anytime of the day.

In the beverage category, "Aquas Frescas" is a refreshing beverage made from fruits, seeds, sugar, cereals and water. This beverage is not only popular in Mexico but also in Central America and the Carribean. Tamarind is added to create a variety called "Aqua de tamarindo" which is highly sought after. "Aqua de horchata" includes rice while Roselle is added to make "Aqua de jamaica". These drinks are easy available from street vendors and very affordable.

Mexican food has a very wide variety and is very rich in taste. This type of food not only tastes good but also provides you with essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and fibre. As the vegetables used are not overcooked and most raw, they contain a much higher nutritional value as compared to cooked ones. To those who are not used to spicy food, you should stay away from Mexican cuisine as lots of chillies and peppers are used.

Find out more on Mexican Food by visiting http://fooduniverse.info --a popular food website that specializes in offering free food information on cuisines, diet, exotic dishes and of course Mexican Cuisine

Why Learn History of Feng Shui - Part I

In my previous article about the psychological explanation of human resistance to change, I talked about how people are mentally conditioned against changes and usually back themselves up by falling back on precedent cases.A more extreme form of precedent cases are historical ones.Ask ourselves, do the past always oppose to changes in the future?Without change, how can improvements come about?

Ask yourself whether a man living in contemporary society like you will like a dish that was cooked exactly the same way 1000 years ago? With technological advancements we have high pressure cookers, deep fryers and plenty of other cooking equipments.Why should we still think that a dish that was cooked using wood and the pathetic stove of few hundred years ago is still the best way to process it? Such an insistence to adhere to historical practice betrayed one's reluctance to innovate and follow up with times.

In fact a Feng Shui practitioner oughtto be lauded for his ability to modify and adapt Feng Shui advices to the modern and local context.Why is this so?The logic is that Feng Shui method evolved from a context was set few hundred years ago in China andhouses and social practices have changed significantly since then.Even if Feng Shui methods were only developed in recent years in China, its geo-political and cultural differences with other countries meant that modification and adaptation of the methods must still be made for Feng Shui advice in another country.

For example, few hundred years ago in China, toilets were never housed within the same roof as the living quarters. But in modern society, toilets are under the same roof as the living quarters are the norm now and differences like this inevitably means that a Feng Shui practitioner that continues to copy methods listed in Feng Shui classics blindly run a great risk of messing up his client's environment.Feng Shui practitioners should not be mistaken to think that they can continue to practice Feng Shui by following ancient Feng Shui classics to a T.

I am a Feng Shui Enthusiast in private practice and I specialise in Ba Zi or 4 Pillars, Zi Wei Dou Shu or ZWDS, Feng Shui, I-Ching, Qi Men Dun Jia or QMDJ, Chinese Name Analysis and other tools. My blog site is at: http://fengshuiforward.com and http://fengshuiforward.com/forum

Chinese Vases Fengshui and Why You Should Own a Wealth Pot

Feng Shui is one of the best ways to bring goodness into your life, though it only works if you believe in it with your heart. There are many symbols and many traditional Chinese items which are used in Feng Shui. Chinese vases Feng Shui are one of them.

These Chinese Feng Shui vases come in many shapes and sizes and in many colors which are important in Feng Shui. They are most beneficial in enhancement of money luck. They attract prosperity and help in maintaining it in the house. It's very important that you follow the various rules and guidelines in Feng Shui to get the best results.

Materials For Vases
The material of the vase should be in balance with all the elements of the area where the vase is supposed to be placed. For different directions, there are different materials to be used like for southwest or northeast you should use crystal and for west or northwest go for metal as it brings in the best of luck in wealth.

You can place Chinese coins and crystals and some jewelry and gold ingots or maybe some precious or semi-precious stones in it. It will help if you cover these vases with blue, green, red, yellow and white cloth and never open it again as it will help to retain the vases power. Besides keeping it covered, do hide it from the eyes of others.

Types of Feng Shui Vases

Porcelain Feng Shui vases symbolize perpetual harmony. They come in many colors such as blue. Blue is a magnificent Feng Shui color. It is connected to the healing and refreshing water and with the clear skies. The shades of blue can vary from a gentle aqua blue to the bluish green of the sea. There are also shades of blue that go into the deep indigo blue.

One of most magnificent vases is the large Ram vase with ancient Chinese characters inscribed on the face. The handles of the vase look like the horns of a Ram which happens to be one of the Chinese zodiac animals. Then there's a white and orange mother and child Chinese Feng Shui vase. You can energize your family area with this and it's very good for expecting mothers.

The triangle shaped vase with mountain and moon design with flying birds has special significance in Feng Shui. All these Chinese Feng Shui vases bring the money luck closer to you and keep them in your houses.

Similarly there are Feng Shui wealth pots that symbolize never ending good fortune and are symbols of prosperity. The Feng Shui wealth pot, as the name suggests, invites spiritual and materialistic good luck into your lives and it maintains it as well. It works as a wealth energizer and pulls lots of wealth in your house. There is an ancient practice of keeping wealth pots in homes practiced in china for several years by many rich people. It brings in lots of good fortune and loads of wealth too.

Now the question is why you should own a wealth pot? Isn't the answer obvious? Who wouldn't want wealth in their lives and would want to maintain it too? These wealth pots bring lots of good fortune in your lives so that's brings happiness too.

What's important is that you must follow all the guidelines and never open these wealth pots. They should be cleaned only on the day of the Chinese year and kept back again. So lets' bring in all the luck and let the magic begin with Chinese Feng Shui.vases

Click Here to get Free Tips on how to improve your life with Feng Shui. Lynn Lee is a celebrated authority on the traditional Chinese art of Feng Shui, providing valuable advice on Feng Shui Decorating.