Next time you crave a little something sweet, skip the sugar bowl, and spoon on some of this instead: buckwheat honey.

The dark, sweet, sticky stuff will give your body a powerful shot of cell-protective phenols -- something plain old sugar simply can't do.

Color Is Critical
Honey is a super way to bolster your body's defenses against the kind of cell-damaging processes that can lead to premature aging and disease. But when it comes to honey's antioxidant content, color makes all the difference. Buckwheat honey, the darkest of all the kinds tested in a recent study, had the highest antioxidant activity by far. (Trying to cut back on calories? Here's advice on how to fake it with sugar substitutes.)

Novel Ways to Get Sweet
Hot tea isn't the only way to enjoy a taste of honey. Try serving your next green or fruit salad with this Strawberry-Honey Dressing. Or try Eating Well's take on rice pudding: Honeyed Couscous Pudding.

Look up more honey-rich recipes at EatingWell.com.

Honey with high levels of antioxidants can provide protection to healthy human subjects. Schramm, D. D., Karim, M., Schrader, H. R., Holt, R. R., Cardetti, M., Keen, C. L., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2003 Mar 12;51(6):1732-1735.