Raw Honey

On top of being super yummy, raw honey provides a huge range of health benefits! Raw honey, which comes straight from the beehive without any processing, contains trace minerals, natural antibodies, & lots of antioxidants. By using raw honey instead of processed sugar/sweeteners you will boost your body & fuel your body with a high-quality carb, while also avoiding the negative effects of those sugars. 

More about antioxidants; they heal cells & help them properly do their tasks in the body. They also help neutralize harmful free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are linked to aging & several diseases and types of cancer. So if you drink or eat a food high in antioxidants, the antioxidants will kill the free radicals, heal the cells, & help them more efficiently bind to the proper receptors so your body can function well again! Antioxidants make sure your body has healthy cells- aka the building blocks of your whole body.
 
Raw honey has so many uses in the body for healing & wellbeing. It is a powerhouse for the skin thanks to its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, & anti-inflammatory properties. It can help treat everything from minor acne spots to serious skin conditions, such as diabetes-related foot ulcers. One review of studies found that honey successfully healed partial-thickness burns & wounds that became infected after surgery. A 2013 study found that eating honey at a high dose (one gram per kilogram of body weight of honey daily) can improve allergy symptoms over eight weeks. It’s also full of vitamins & minerals such as niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, & zinc.

Raw honey is also a better alternative to sugar. Although honey raises blood sugar levels like other sugars, it’s full of antioxidants that protect against metabolic syndrome & type 2 diabetes. Sugar is higher on the glycemic index (GI) than honey, which elevates blood sugar levels faster. This is because sugar has a high fructose content & doesn’t contain trace minerals.

Benefits of raw honey:

• Calm sore throat or cough

• Antioxidant boost

• Skin health 

• Protects the brain

• Treats diarrhea

• Anti-bacterial 

• Anti-microbial

• Treats upper respiratory infection

• Heart health

• Counters pollen allergies

• Sugar alternative

• Digestive health

• Anti-inflammatory

• Improve liver function

• Fight heart disease & stroke 

Getting Raw Honey:
Honey may come with labels with buzzwords such as “natural,” “pure,” & “organic,” but none of these things indicate that the honey is raw. So look for labels that specifically say “raw” or “unpasteurized.” You may have to find it online or from a local beekeeper. Raw & regular honey are processed quite differently. This can lead to a variety of distinctions between the two, especially in quality. Here are the main differences between raw & regular honey.

1) Raw honey contains a wide variety of nutrients. It has approximately 22 amino acids, 31 different minerals & a wide range of vitamins & enzymes. It also contains nearly 30 types of bioactive antioxidants. Whereas commercial honey may contain fewer antioxidants due to processing methods. For example, one study compared the antioxidants in raw & processed honey from a local market. They found that the raw honey contained up to 4.3 times more antioxidants than the processed variety!

2) Processed honey doesn't contain any pollen. Bee pollen has been linked to many impressive health benefits. Unfortunately, processing methods like heat treatment & ultrafiltration can remove bee pollen. Bees travel from flower to flower collecting nectar & pollen. The nectar & pollen are taken back to the beehive, where they are packed into the honeycomb & eventually become a food source for the bees. Bee pollen is surprisingly nutritious & contains over 250 substances, including vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids, micronutrients & antioxidants. In fact, the German Federal Ministry of Health recognizes bee pollen as a medicine. 

3) Processed honey may have hidden sugars & additives.  Because honey is so popular, it’s hard to meet this high demand from local suppliers alone. This is why approximately 70% of the honey consumed in the US is imported. However, there is serious concern worldwide about regular honey being contaminated with sugar or other sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. 

So go find a local farmer & get yourself some raw honey!