- The fascinating process of making honey begins when the bees feast on flowers, collecting the flower nectar in their mouths. This nectar then mixes with special enzymes in the bees’ saliva, a process that turns it into honey. The bees carry the honey back to the hive where they deposit it into the cells of the hive’s walls. The fluttering of their wings provides the necessary ventilation to reduce the moisture’s content making it ready for consumption.
- Honey comes in a range of colors including white, amber, red, brown and almost black. Its flavor and texture vary with the type of flower nectar from which it was made. While the most commonly available honeys are made from clover, alfalfa, heather and acacia flowers, honey can be made from a variety of different flowers, including thyme, buckwheat, and lavender.
- Both raw and pasteurized forms of honey are available. Raw honey is removed from the hive and bottled directly, and as such will contain trace amounts of yeast, wax and pollen. Consuming local raw honey is believed to help with seasonal allergies due to repeated exposure to the pollen in the area. Pasteurized honey has been heated and processed to remove impurities.
- Honey is made up of glucose, fructose, and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium chlorine, potassium, magnesium. Honey is also known to have antioxidant, antimicrobial and soothing effects. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, one tablespoon of honey (approximately 21 grams) contains 64 calories, 17.3 grams of carbohydrate (17.3 grams of sugar no fiber), 0 grams of fat and 0 grams of protein.
- Many of honey’s health claims still require further rigorous scientific studies to confirm them.
- There is some research to suggest that honey may be useful in minimizing seasonal allergies. One placebo-controlled study which included 36 people with ocular allergies, found that participants responded better to treatment with honey compared to placebo.
- Unrefined honey contains an abundance of various antioxidants that can have major implications for health. Generally speaking, antioxidants in the diet are associated with improved health and lower risk of disease.Two human studies revealed that consumption of buckwheat honey increases the antioxidant value of the blood.
- Honey may have some medicinal properties when applied to the skin, killing bacteria and speeding the healing of wounds.
- There are certain factors that can be measured in the blood which are strong indicators of health and risk of disease in the future. Cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose are particularly important. Diabetics have big problems with all of these. In a randomized controlled trial of 48 diabetics, those fed honey for 8 weeks lowered their body weight, triglycerides and total cholesterol while their HDL cholesterol increased.
We’re farmers and not doctors so none of this should be treated as medical advice for you. We’re only sharing our personal experience and testimony, which may not be relevant to your specific medical condition. Talk to your doctor about your own personal diet and care and please don’t sue us because we’re trying to help people in need and lawyers are super expensive and every dollar we spend on a lawyer can’t be spent helping others grow food. Thanks!!!
