Why Raw Honey?
Raw honey has been used for at least 10,000 years playing a vital role in health, healing, religious and cultural traditions. Raw honey is essentially the same as the honey found in a beehive, except it’s been treated to a filtration process that includes straining the honey through a mesh or nylon cloth to eliminate impurities like dead bees and beeswax.
Aside from the filtration, raw honey is honey in its pure, unheated, unpasteurized and unprocessed form. This is perhaps one of the most important characteristics and health benefits of the final product, as it preserves all the natural vitamins, essential minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients and other nutritional elements. True raw honey is quite different from processed, commercial honey for these main reasons.
Raw honey may crystallize or solidify over time. Raw honey can be clear, or opaque, or milky. Its color can vary from white to various shades of yellow, and even brown.
Natural Health Benefits of Raw Honey
Raw honey has been used for at least 10,000 years playing a vital role in health, healing, religious and cultural traditions. Raw honey is essentially the same as the honey found in a beehive, except it’s been treated to a filtration process that includes straining the honey through a mesh or nylon cloth to eliminate impurities like dead bees and beeswax.
Aside from the filtration, raw honey is honey in its pure, unheated, unpasteurized and unprocessed form. This is perhaps one of the most important characteristics and health benefits of the final product, as it preserves all the natural vitamins, essential minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients and other nutritional elements. True raw honey is quite different from processed, commercial honey for these main reasons.
Raw honey may crystallize or solidify over time. Raw honey can be clear, or opaque, or milky. Its color can vary from white to various shades of yellow, and even brown.
Bee Pollen in Raw Honey
Bee pollen is a super nutritious compound, containing an impressive number of the nutrients required by the human body. It is a source of proteins, vitamins, minerals, beneficial fatty acids, carotenoids and bioflavonoids, which are helpful to cardiovascular health. In fact, bee pollen contains over 250 active components, including a wide variety of antioxidants. Bee pollen is so incredibly healthy that some people take bee pollen supplements to gain even more of its health-boosting benefits.
Propolis in Raw Honey
Propolis is a resin-like mixture produced by bees to maintain and protect the hive. Bees make propolis with organic compounds they collect and it’s extremely rich in phenolic compounds, including 12 different flavonoids, plus many vitamins and minerals. The list of reported health benefits from propolis is as long and varied as the nutrients within it. Some benefits of raw honey include supporting immune system health, healthy blood sugar levels already within the normal range, healthy cholesterol levels already within the normal range and more. Raw honey does not ferment in the stomach and can actually be used in supporting digestive system health. Unlike most sugars, raw honey is not known to aggravate a sensitive digestive tract
Additionally, raw honey is alkaline forming, as opposed to acid forming, which means that it helps your body maintain a neutral alkaline balance. This is important because if alkaline is not obtained through diet, the body will leech calcium, which is an alkalizing mineral, from your bone structure.Natural honey, by contrast, is acid forming. For best natural health, our daily food supply should be higher in alkaline-forming foods, rather than acid-forming foods.
Things to Keep in Mind
Raw honey consumption is, to be fair, something to avoid over-indulging in. With that in mind, there are a few raw honey concerns that every health- and planet-conscious individual should be aware of:
Extra Calories– Honey is a fast way to add calories to a meal. 1 tablespoon on average yields 64 calories and 17 grams of carbs. Thus, if you are interested in losing weight, or not gaining excess pounds, you have to be careful about how much honey you use, and how often. Fortunately, due to honey’s intensely sweet flavor, it is hard to consume a lot of it at once.
High Sugar Content– Honey is about 40% fructose and 30% glucose, with the remaining carbohydrates including maltose, sucrose, and other complex carbohydrates. Even though raw honey has been studied for aiding insulin regulation, regular or high consumption of any sugar can cause various imbalances.
Bacterial Contamination– Because honey is very low in water content and very high in sugar content, this makes it undesirable for microbial growth. However, in rare cases, endorses of Clostridium botulinum (the bacteria that can cause botulism) have been found. This usually is isn’t a problem for an adult digestive system, but it’s why honey should not be given to infants.
Source: Navmi Foods
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