Honey is a natural and healthy alternative to refined sugar. According to a recent study, it is very important to make sure that you are eating the right kind of honey. If not, you could be doing your body more harm than good. The results of the study have shown that raw honey could be harmful.
WHAT IS RAW HONEY?
Raw honey or pure honey has not been treated in any way or in other words, it hasn’t been pasteurized, processed, or heated. In this way, the honey retains all of his vitamins, enzymes, phytonutrients, and other nutritional elements that are great for your health.
CONTAMINATED HONEY
Honey is a natural product which means that there are many factors out of your control that contribute to the production of honey. That’s the major difficulty with honey. Bees have almost all the control in their hands and we can’t force them to only go to some flowers and not others. They produce honey simply by following their natural instincts!
Researchers at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia have brought to light just how hazardous raw honey could be to human health. In samples of honey from just about everywhere, they’ve found pesticides, microbial contaminants, antibiotics, and even heavy metals.
Agricultural areas are contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics. Bees pick up those contaminants as they go to work pollinating flowers and then those chemicals go back with them into the hive and are subsequently transferred into the honey. That honey ends up on the shelves at the store, and eventually in your home.
ISN’T RAW HONEY BETTER FOR YOU?
Raw honey is much better for you because it is still rich in nutrients, unlike the other kinds of honey. It is helpful with seasonal allergies and contains a huge range of essential minerals and amino acids. Moreover, raw honey contains 5000 enzymes including amylase which can help digest carbohydrates!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Buy organic raw honey! In that way you will get all the benefits and avoid the pesticides and antibiotics which can harm your body. The truth is that, finding organic raw honey can be quite a challenge.
It is hard for beekeepers to be certified organic.
In order to achieve that, not only do the plants from which the bees collect their honey need to be pesticide-free- their entire foraging area does!
Another thing that strips beekeepers of their organic status is the fact that, they treat their bees with antibiotics to protect against mites.
It is for the best to buy locally because in that way you can speak to the beekeepers directly and find out where the bees have been pollinating in the area. You should also always check the labels or call the company that makes the brand of honey you currently eat.