Nowadays, folks can use all the health support they can get. From using hydrogen peroxide to clear the sinuses to taking potassium supplements to lower blood pressure, we often go to extreme lengths to protect our overall health.
But here’s a secret straight from the beehive: raw honey has many positive health benefits. It’s true! Honey, in its purest form from the honeybees, is more than just a delicious natural sweetener. It boosts your overall wellness with powerful anti-inflammatory effects, treatment for seasonal allergies, and much, much more.
At West River Exchange, we believe a spoonful of honey is the best medicine. We’re dedicated to providing authentic, high-quality raw honey for our customers. In this article, we’ll explain what makes raw honey unique, expand on its protective effects, and offer the experts’ insights on adding honey to your daily routine.
Let’s make like a bee and buzz to it!
Pure and Unprocessed: Understanding What Makes Honey Raw
Picking up honey from the grocery store is an easy option. However, most grocery store honey is pasteurized, eliminating the tremendous health benefits of honey. This processed honey will taste fine, and it’s not bad for you, but pasteurization destroys the antioxidants and enzymes that make raw honey so good for you.
Pasteurization involves heating honey to around 160°F and then quickly cooling it. Most foods undergo pasteurization to make them safe for consumption or give a longer shelf life. However, with honey, this is entirely unnecessary. Regular honey is a superfood. It’s not only safe to consume, but, with the right care, it boasts an indefinite shelf life, preserving its quality over time.
Most honey is processed just to make the color consistent and delay granulation. (Which is a natural occurrence in honey that’s reversible.)
Raw honey, on the other hand, goes through a simple process from honeycomb to jar. First is the extraction, where the honey is scraped from the honeycomb, and then there’s filtration, where a cloth and colander are used to remove debris and beeswax. Finally, the honey is preserved in an airtight jar and is ready for anyone to use as they please.
Notice how simple the process is? There’s no unnecessary added sugars or processing. Raw honey maintains all of its natural goodness.
A Spoonful of Goodness: The Health Benefits of Raw Honey
We’ve hinted at the benefits of raw honey, but now let’s explore the authentic list of the top health benefits of raw honey:
- Antibacterial properties
- Antimicrobial properties
- Lowers the risk of heart disease
- Contains many amino acids
- Antioxidant properties via polyphenols and flavonoids
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Helps to lower cholesterol
- Helps to lower blood sugar levels
- Used in wound healing
- Treats ulcers, sore throat, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal disease, and more
These health benefits are only possible because raw honey retains natural ingredients like bee pollen, propolis, phytonutrients, and more.
The powerful effects of honey also include boosting your immune system and quenching free radicals. It’s astounding. (We are in humble awe of the mighty bee.)
The only time you shouldn’t reach for the honey jar is when feeding infants. Children under the age of one don’t yet have the microbes and stomach processing needed to digest honey safely. While honey is a wonderful natural product, it can result in infant botulism (also known as clostridium botulinum).
Once your kiddo is a little older, they, too, can enjoy the stellar benefits of raw honey.
Sweetening Your Life: Incorporating Raw Honey into Your Diet
You don’t have to reach for corn syrup or sugar to sweeten up your daily meals. Use honey to whip up delicious eats for the whole family.
- In coffee or tea: Get all your prebiotics from one cup of tea when you sweeten it with honey. Simply stir a tablespoon or less of honey into your warm drink until it’s dissolved. The natural fructose in honey will complete your drink.
- In a cake: One of our favorite ways to eat honey is in desserts. Replace the sugar in your standard cake recipe with almost a cup of honey. Then, you can make a honey syrup with water and lemon juice to drizzle on your baked dessert. It’s a delight.
- In a marinade: You can marinade meat with honey. This process creates a sweet, delicious, tender meat. Mix up a honey marinade of your choice, pour over meat, and let rest (covered) in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove and cook using your preferred method.
Raw honey can quickly become a key ingredient in your diet. It’s simple to substitute sugar for honey and make it a focal point in many recipes. Be a busy bee in the kitchen and experiment with raw honey. Exploring recipes with raw honey can unlock incredible culinary delights!
Natural Glow: Raw Honey in Skin Care and Beauty
The trend toward natural wellness remedies is gaining momentum and for good reason. A holistic natural skincare routine will help heal your skin, treat common skin conditions, and avoid the damaging chemicals from over-the-counter treatments.
- Natural moisturizer: There is nothing like a raw honey face mask for hydrating skin. Here’s how to do it: cleanse your skin, take a tablespoon of raw honey, rub a thin layer over your face and neck (avoid your eyes), let it sit for 20 minutes, and then wash off. You’ll be left with glowing, dewy, hydrated skin.
- Acne treatment: Honey is an excellent spot treatment for acne-riddled skin. Take a pea-sized amount of honey and dab it over acne with a clean finger. Honey’s natural properties will also help fade acne scars, so even if you aren’t experiencing a breakout, use honey in your routine. Enjoy a quick 30-minute application or an extended nourishing session lasting a few hours.
- Treat inflammation: Alcohol, dermatology procedures, and late nights contribute to a swollen, inflamed face. Thanks to raw honey’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a fantastic choice for calming and caring for irritated skin.
As mentioned, you can also use honey as a topical wound care. Honestly, the possibilities are endless with nature’s golden syrup.
Sustainability Sweetened: The Role of Ethical Beekeeping
Bees are nature’s warriors. They are tough and hardy and keep local ecosystems running smoothly. At West River Exchange, we love bees! Happy bees result in healthy honey production and thriving local flora and fauna.
That’s why we’re committed to sustainable and ethical beekeeping practices. This means supporting hive health, only harvesting honey when it’s best for the bees, and prioritizing quality over excess when it comes to raw honey.
Shopping local and supporting raw honey producers has a substantial positive impact on local ecosystems.
Embrace the Sweetness with West River Exchange
Raw honey is terrific for your health. It’s sustainable, scientifically backed, and incredibly multi-functional. Check out the natural, sustainably sourced raw honey from West River Exchange.
We are also ethical bee suppliers. Look through our honey bee packages for sale in Ohio, along with our top-of-the-line honey bee equipment.
Join our buzzing community for more bee insights and tips.