Why honey can be a healthy choice?

Written by Eva De Angelis  

Honey is the food that bees make for themselves, however, many people also enjoy it, and, nowadays, it has become one of the world's most prized and appreciated natural food since ancient times.

For thousands of years, honey has been used by humans for its sweet taste, yet research shows that honey is more than just a sweetener; it is used in traditional medicine as an alternative and effective treatment for clinical conditions from wound healing to cancer treatment.

Honey is a sugary syrup made by bees from the nectar of flowers, with about 320 different varieties of honey, varying in color, odor, and taste.

Raw natural honey contains bee pollen, bee propolis, beeswax, and dead bee parts, but when processed by manufacturers, raw honey usually goes through a filtering process to remove as many impurities as possible.

However, keep in mind that the main types of honey you can find in regular grocery stores are pasteurized, which means they have been treated with high heat to kill unwanted yeast. The bad side of pasteurization is that most of the nutrients that are good for us are destroyed due to the high heat.

So, why does the industry do this?  Because it is supposed to improve color and texture, as well as prevent any crystallization while prolonging shelf life.

As far as the nutritional composition of honey it is essentially pure sugar, with no fat and only very small amounts of protein and fiber; it also contains small amounts of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, but most people do not typically eat enough honey to make it a significant dietary source of these nutrients.

So, can honey be a healthy choice?

Let’s take a look.

Everyone knows that honey is one of the oldest sore throat remedies that relieve pain and can help with coughs. This is especially important in treating coughs and colds in young children, as over-the-counter medications are not recommended by health authorities for young children.

This is not recommended for children under one year of age because honey might contain spores of the botulism bacteria and since infants, unlike adults, lack sufficient acidity in their stomachs to destroy these spores, they could get very sick.

Raw high-quality honey, the one that is minimally processed, unheated, and fresh, is filled with a wide variety of bioactive plant chemicals that are highly beneficial to our health since they act as antioxidants.

These antioxidant compounds present in raw honey are called polyphenols and flavonoids and can protect our body from cell damage, thereby reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and heart disease, as well as helping to slow down the aging process.

Two things to keep in mind. One is that darker varieties of honey tend to have higher amounts of antioxidants than lighter varieties. The other is that pasteurized honey may have lower antioxidant content, due to the possible destruction of these bioactive compounds by heat.

Another significant aspect of honey is that it has several natural antibacterial and antifungal agents, creating an environment that can eliminate harmful bacteria and fungi; the effectiveness will vary depending on the type of honey.

Thanks to its antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, research shows that honey works well as a wound-healing dressing. However, which types of wounds you can treat with honey will depend on the severity of the injury.

For instance, in the case of minor cuts and burns, raw honey can be applied directly to the wound, and then a bandage can be placed on top of the wound.

But when dealing with a larger, more complex lesion, keep in mind that the honey must be medical grade, i.e., inspected and sterile. In case you have doubts about whether to use honey to treat a minor wound, to your doctor.