HONEY: What you should know about honey before you buy it?

greensmile (59)in #health • 6 years ago (edited)

Raw unfiltered honey is a very different product from the filtered honey sold in supermarkets. Let's try to know what we are buying and how to differenciate the real honey from the fake one.

It’s no secret that I love honey. I have always had a sweet tooth, and honey helped me tremendously when transitioning to clean eating, and away from refined sugar.

Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth. Honey has been used as a sweetener and preservative throughout human history.
We all know that honey is really very important stuff to keep us healthy to the foremost. It is considered to be an elixir of life!

According to Organic Health:

There are approximately 16 minerals, 18 amino acids, 21 vitamins, and a ton of phytonutrients and antioxidants in one ounce of raw honey. Raw honey has many antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial substances. It contains significant amounts of vitamin C, B6,B5,B3,B2, potassium, sulphur, magnesium, phosphate, calcium and sodium chlorine.

For example, here are eight ways eating honey can have a positive effect on your health and your body:

Healthy Weight Management:
Research studies have linked honey consumption with weight loss.
Counters Pollen Allergies:
Raw honey contains bee pollen, which is known to ward off infections, provide natural allergy relief and boost overall immunity.
Natural Energy Source:
Raw honey contains natural sugars (80 percent), water (18 percent), and minerals, vitamins, pollen and protein (2 percent).
Antioxidant Powerhouse:
A daily dose of raw honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants help block free radicals in the body that cause disease. It also boosts the immune system.
Sleep promoter:
Raw honey promotes restorative sleep.
Wound and ulcer healer.
Honey reacts with the body’s fluids to make hydrogen peroxide, creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria. Honey is a natural antibacterial. Honey has been studied for its use in effectively treating various types of ulcers as well.
Diabetis Aid.
The combination of raw honey and cinnamon can be especially beneficial to healthy blood sugar management.
Natural Cough Syrup.
Increasing scientific evidence shows that a single dose of honey can reduce mucus secretion and coughs.

Ancient and mysterious, honey has long held pole position as being a nectar of the gods—and essential food for any trip into the afterlife. Sadly, the honey bears on grocery store shelves today don’t always bear a lot of resemblance to the honey harvested thousands of years ago, since it’s often processed, blended and heated, stripping it of many of its vital nutrients.

If you want to get the goodness from your honey, make sure it is pure and raw. Raw honey contains vitamins, minerals, and enzymes not present in refined honey. If the honey is local yet highly-filtered, all of the pollen, propolis, and other hive goodies are excluded.

There are three elements that make up a true, healthy honey:
raw
unblended
and unfiltered

That said, raw honey is really what matters when you look at honey’s health benefits in general. If you’re buying honey that isn’t raw the beneficial amino and chemical bonds have been destroyed by heat. At that point it’s a sterile sweetener—still natural and low-glycemic, but missing many benefits of raw honey.

Did you know that 76% of the honey sold in the US is fake?

According to research commissioned by Food Safety News, up to 76% of honey options found in US grocery stores are either fake honey, or have been processed to the point that the majority of food laws around the world would prevent them from being labeled as honey.

Honey is a $327 million industry, according to the Department Of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Annual Honey Report from 2017, which means it is a huge business segment that needs protection from fraud so consumers don't become jaded and legitimate sellers aren't cheated.

Here’s a good video that describes how real honey is made:

How to differentiate the real honey from the fake honey when you are at the store?

Ultra-filtration label.
This process removes all impurities such as pollen and wax. Most generic brands of honey are usually ultra-filtrated. Stay away from honey that is labeled ultra-filtrated.
Know The Source.
Honey from local farmers is safe. Usually these farmers will not alter the honey in any way. I used to buy most of my honey locally from farmers, and this type of honey has never been heated or “touched”, just put directly in jars for selling.

Check density turning the jar upside down.
One way to test honey purity at the store is picking a jar of low quality honey, when you turn the jar upside down, you’ll notice the air bubble go up very quickly and reach the bottom (for 1-2 seconds). This shows the honey doesn’t have proper density, it has thin density and could be adulterated.

How to differentiate the real honey from the fake honey when you are at home?

Real honey is usually liquefied only in summer (or if you decide to liquefy it on your stove for your own consumption convenience). The only real honey type that doesn’t get crystalized in the cold months is the one made of acacia, as it naturally contains more fructose.
High grade honey has a pleasant taste that begins to disappear after a few minutes upon consumption. If the honey is mixed with additional sugar or something similar, its sweet taste would last longer.
Spread a layer of honey on a bread slice. If your honey is real, you may feel the bread slice get a bit harder when you take a bite. Fake honey makes bread softer.
The Thumb Test: Pour a little dab of honey on your thumb and see if it sticks. If it does, that’s real honey — fake honey will run.
The Water Test: You can also test honey using a glass of water. Add a tablespoon of honey to the glass and see if it dissolves or sinks to the bottom. If it sinks, it’s real honey!
The Fire Test: Real honey is also flammable — stick a dry match in it and then try to light it. If it’s fake, it won’t spark thanks to the amount of moisture in it.
Another common method to tell the difference is:
1.Add some water.
2.Then add 2-3 drops of vinegar essence into the honey
3.Mix well.
4.Observe for about 2 to 3 minutes
5.If the solution becomes foamy, that is definitely adulterated honey.

As consumers, what can we do to help?
We to think about honey just like they would think about fine wine, organic produce, or single-origin coffee. Be discerning, buy honey from your local beekeepers, buy honey a trust company.

So it’s definitely worth it if you try to acquire pure organic honey made by bees collecting nectar from wild flowers and other plants. Nature has granted us an incredible gift, let’s not waste it!