Raw Honey vs Regular Honey – 7 Underrated Reasons to Eat Raw Honey

Raw honey vs regular honey – Confused about what type of honey is actually good for you? Here’s 7 underrated reasons to eat raw honey and why it’s better for you than processed honey.

What is raw honey?

Raw honey is any pure, unfiltered honey that has not been heated or pasteurized over approximately 35 to 40 degrees Celsius.

Raw honey vs regular honey – what’s the difference?

Raw honey has been extracted from the honeycomb then strained and bottled, without any further processing. Raw honey can be a very healthy addition to your diet and cannot be compared to regular (processed) honey available on the supermarket shelf.

Processed honey requires a few additional steps prior to sale, such as pasteurization and filtration, which is where heat is applied. This process results in the loss of nutrients as well as pollen, enzymes and antioxidants. Some processed honey also contains additional sugars or sweeteners, which further reduces the nutritional value of the product.

Raw honey still has all its nutrients’ intact – including naturally derived vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and phenolic compounds, so can provide a wide range of benefits to human health.

Benefits of raw honey

Raw honey has been used in traditional medicine for a very long time due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Raw honey is effective when applied topically for treating wounds and burns and can also assist with metabolic syndromes such as obesity and diabetes, digestive conditions, such as IBS as well as coughs and colds when consumed orally.

Here’s 7 underrated reasons to eat raw honey that no one has ever told you.

Honey for fat loss

As a Weight Management Consultant with a fascination with fat loss, I always like to relate my content back to how it can help you lose body fat. Although there is limited information in relation to the use of raw honey for weight loss; the studies look promising. 

Studies in animals show that raw honey can help to reduce body weight, body weight gain, body fat and BMI.

High quality studies on the use of raw honey for obesity in humans is currently limited. The complete mechanisms are not yet fully understood; however, it seems honey can intervene with cell-signaling pathways in humans to lower glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL in the blood.

One reason raw honey may aid in fat loss is due to its prebiotic content. This helps to nourish good bacteria in the intestines to improve the gut microbiome for digestion and optimal health. It may also help with appetite regulation, the reduction of inflammation and subsequently, the metabolism of fat in the body.

A systematic review of the role of honey in obesity management can be founds here.

Manuka honey vs raw honey

When you delve into the world of raw honey, you will likely stumble across honeys super star – Manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a unique type of raw honey that contains high levels of Methylglyoxal (MGO). To make Manuka honey, bees collect nectar from the Manuka bush, which can only be found in Australia and New Zealand. Although all raw honey contains a wide range of health benefits, Manuka honey is one of the worlds healthiest honeys as it contains more potent antimicrobial/antibacterial properties due to its high MGO content.

Calories in a teaspoon of honey

There are approximately 20 calories in a teaspoon of raw honey, which is equivalent to 7g.

Where to buy raw honey

In Australia, the two main supermarkets – Coles and Woolworths – stock limited raw honey products. Coles appears to have a few products available; however, only one of these products (Raw Harvest) states on the label that it has never been heated above 45°C.

After investigating the other products available, there was no mention on their websites of the extent to which their honey is heated. One website states that their company defines raw honey as “not being pasteurized or heated to high temperatures and with no ultrafiltration”; however, there was no indication of what they considered to be a “high temperature”.

Other websites state that their honey is “warmed up”; however, also provided no specific temperature guideline. Adleys Honey states that their honey is “gently warmed, creating an atmosphere of tender warmth simulating the natural conditions of a hot summer day”. From my understanding, this would imply that their honey could be heated anywhere from approximately 28°C to 45°C, depending on what you consider a hot summer day. However, they also state that their honey is high-quality, naturally pollen filled and nutrient rich, which would indicate that they do not heat their honey above 35 to 40°C.

Health food shops may be your best bet when it comes to finding quality raw honey; however, you should be able to find a brand you can trust at the larger supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths. IGA also tends to stock local honey products; however, I suggest researching any product thoroughly to ensure the honey is not being overheated.

References

A comprehensive review of the effect of honey on human health can be found here.