It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year: starting tonight (Wednesday),  and I will be – as tradition dictates – dipping apples into honey.

I was always told – and have told my kids – that the reason we dip the apples into honey is to symbolize our wish to have a sweet new year.

Today, I want to give you an additional way of looking at the ritual…

Apples and Honey: A symbol of healthy living.

Apples are chock full of health benefits:

  • Anti-cancer:  They have flavonoids that prevent cell change,
  • Aids digestion: The pectin of apples (acting as fiber) helps regulate bowel movements, and maintain a healthy digestive tract
  • Reduce risk of heart disease: The phytonutrients in apples act as antioxidants to keep our heart healthy.
  • Weight management : Apples are low calorie while being nutrient dense. This means feeling full and well nourished, with less caloric intake.

But really, most fresh, raw fruits and veg will give you a health benefit list at least as rich as this. So, let’s look at our apple as a symbol of all fresh fruits and vegetables that give our body the quality nutrition we need to live a full and healthy life.

Honey – Mmmm! – so many health benefits…if it’s Raw Honey!

I want to particularly encourage you to look for Raw Honey. Raw Honey means that it hasn’t been heated, it’s not pasteurized. Raw Honey is such a healing food that it’s now considered a “superfood.”

Here’s the short list of  Raw Honey benefits:

  • Contains 27 minerals
  • Contains 22 amino acids
  • Contains 5,000 live enzymes
  • Anti-fungal
  • Anti-bacterial
  • Antioxidant
  • Eases Seasonal allergies
  • Eases sore throats
  • Boosts immunity
  • Heals wounds and burns
  • Aids digestion
  • and more…

Let’s look at Honey as a symbol of how food can help heal our bodies, how we have the opportunity with each bite we take, to make a choice for healthy, vibrant living!

Whether you celebrate Rosh Hashana or not, I encourage you to dip apples into honey  (it’s delicious!) and remember that healthy living is sweet!

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Nina Manolson, MA, CHC, LMT is the Smokin’ Hot Mom Mentor and Family Wellness Expert. She’s the founder of SmokinHotMom.com and HealthyYummyKids.com. She helps busy moms look and feel their best, and helps them feed their kids well in a world that doesn’t. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her healthy recipes and wellness tips click here.