The Wonders of Honey

The term ‘superfood’ is pretty widely used these days, but we think there are few foods that deserve the title more than honey! From its anti-bacterial and anti-viral healing properties to its vitamins and minerals and absolutely fabulous flavours, it truly is a wonderful substance. This little overview covers some of its primary benefits and forms!

Raw Honey
Raw honey, at its most basic, means honey that has not been pasteurized or, in other words, that has not been heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. This means raw—and especially unfiltered raw—honey still has lots of the straight-from-the-hive nutritious elements such as traces of pollen and propolis, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are destroyed in the pasteurization process! These are, no surprise, the healthiest parts of honey. Without them honey becomes much closer to any other form of sugar. You can also generally speaking be sure that raw honey hasn’t had any sweeteners like regular old sugar added to the mix.

Creamed Honey
Most of us would recognize creamed honey as opposed to liquid honey (both can either be raw or pasteurized), but ever been curious about how creamed honey, the more solid form, got that way? It’s a controlled, intentional process that simply involves mixing honey crystals into liquid honey and then storing it at a cool temperature that promotes rapid granulation! Voila! Honey that’s easy to scoop out with a knife.

Honey Comb
Honey is sometimes sold with a chunk of the honeycomb, and, in case there was any doubt, it is totally safe to eat! It in fact offers many of the same bacterial, anti-viral, nutrient rich benefits of the raw honey itself.

Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is what’s called a ‘monofloral’ honey, which means it’s produced from a single type of pollen— in this case, from the nectar of mānuka tree. It has a distinctive texture and intense flavour, and is considered a powerhouse in terms of the potential anti-viral and bacterial health benefits that honey is widely praised for.

As a final note, don’t forget that honey is not only an awesome addition to your tea, toast, oatmeal, smoothie, herbal elixir, baking (etc. etc. etc.), it can also offer awesome topical benefits for helping heal small cuts and abrasions, and keeping your skin clear and healthy!