During her visit to the Vatican to visit the Pope in 2014, Queen Elizabeth brought along a gift hamper for Pope Francis.  A common person might expect that the Queen would give something priceless and rare, but it is rather interesting to note that what was given was "humble produce from nature".

Let's take a closer look at some of the contents of the gift basket and their natural health benefits:

A) Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples.  Although the legal definition of cider can differ from country to country.  The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, as well as its largest cider-producing companies.  Cider is also popular in many Commonwealth countries, such as India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Benefits of Cider

1.  Gluten-Free 
Cider, unlike beer, does not contain gluten, so those who are sensitive to gluten can feel free to enjoy a glass (or two) of cider.

2.  High in Antioxidants

Just like honey, cider contains high levels of anti-oxidants thanks to the apples that go into making it.  Anti-oxidants can help to slow down the free radicals in your body that create harmful effects on the body, including cancer and related long-term diseases.

3. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is well-known to have an array of health benefits, such as the strengthening of the immune system and boosting of good mood.

B) Eggs

Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high-quality protein.

Benefits of Eggs

More than half the protein of an egg is found in the egg white.  More than half the protein of an egg is found int he egg-white.  Eggs are rich sources of selenium, Vitamins D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper.

C) Honey

You may already know that honey is the only natural food in the world that does not spoil.  But do you know the honey contains the following health benefits?

Benefits of Honey

1.  High in Anti-oxidants
Leatherwood Honey is known to contain at least 3 times the anti-oxidants you can find in the common Australian honey.  It is 3 times the benefits!

2. Contains Nutrients
Nutritionally, 1 tablespoon of honey (21 grams) contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar, including fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose.
It contains virtually no fibre, fat or protein.
It also contains trace amounts of several vitamins and minerals, but you would have to eat many pounds to fulfil your daily requirements.
Where honey shines is in its content of bioactive plant compounds and antioxidants. Darker types tend to be even higher in these compounds than lighter types.

3. Helps Improve Cholesterol Level
High LDL cholesterol levels are a strong risk factor for heart disease.  It reduces total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol.
For example, one study in 55 patients compared honey to table sugar and found that honey caused a 5.8% reduction in LDL and a 3.3% increase in HDL cholesterol. It also led to a modest weight loss of 1.3%