After a comment from Mary the other day, I did some research on honey of all things. I found that a whopping 82% of people eat REFINED honey.
I did not even realize there was a difference between RAW and REFINED honey.
One is good for you and can help you maintain a figure.
The other – BAD BAD news…because it is all the good stuff taken out (like refined sugar, which is all most of us ever taste) and leaves us with a high-fructose corn syrup MIMIC that is 100 on the glycemic index.
What is RAW honey? Only a 60.
One benefit Mary pointed out on her comment was that if you eat locally produced honey it helps you build up antiodies towards local pollen which help eliminate your local pollen allergies.
Here are some other distinctions:
Raw honey is used by many cultures as a remedy for many health ailments, including ulters, digestive problems, and even seasonal allergies. Studies have shown honey to have antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antibiotic properties. MAny people use honey topically on cuts and bruises to help fight infection.
Raw, unprocessed honey is a superfood that provides antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. According to the National Honey Board (NHB), (http://www.honey.com) , 82 percent of households currently use processed honey, which has been heated and pasteurized, and can contain botulism and High Fructose Corn Syrup, (HFCS). Processed honey is not as antibacterial, as raw honey, and is dangerous for diabetics and infants under 12 months old.
May Berenbaum, Ph.D., a University of Illinois entomologist, shares that “Honey has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of medical problems like wounds, burns, cataracts, skin ulcers and scrapes,” Various researchers worldwide are finding strong antimicrobial properties in some honeys. Raw honey is used by many cultures as a remedy for ulcers, digestion, bronchitis, and as an energizer, as well as many other answers to health problems. Recently, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, approved Manuka Tree honey as a medicine.
For more info on honey, check out www.naturalnews.com/022859.html
What kind of honey is in YOUR pantry? Were you aware of the difference between raw and refined honey?
If your supermarket sells raw honey too expensively, Farmers market usually has a person that sells raw honey that is comparable to the supermarket price for infintely better HEALTH and WAISTLINES!
Plus, raw tastes better. We got some honey from a monastery once and it was AWESOME. Looks like we’ll have to order some more.
I’d knew that honey had awesome health benefits, I just didn’t really realize there was a difference!!! Ouch! Guess I need to go buy some raw honey!!!
I buy our raw honey at the Farmer’s Market – last summer I bought a 4 gallon bucket that cost me $78, which works out to less than $5 a quart – much less expensive than even buying processed honey from the grocery store. It did crystalize over the winter, but I just scoop it out into quart canning jars and put into a simmering pot of water, and it becomes liquid again. Raw honey, incidently, never goes bad if stored in a cool dry place. As in, it will still be good when you die, and you can pass it on to your grandchildren 🙂