Honey – Nature’s Superfood

As well as a delicious, nutritional food, honey is a drug and an ointment.  It has been used for centuries for its medicinal and antimicrobial properties – the ancient Egyptians noted its healing abilities and called it the ‘nectar of immortality’.

Nutritional content
Honey contains 31 different minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium.  It also contains several important amino acids – the building blocks of protein – and several vitamins – B6, thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin.

Raw honey contains polyphenols and antioxidants which help to protect your body from free radicals and boosts overall immunity. It also naturally contains enzymes that fight off bad bacteria, so it can act as an external defence against harmful infections as well as regulating internal processes related to the immune system.

Honey helps to maintain healthy gut flora: The enzymes present in raw honey have many gut-friendly effects such as helping promote healthy digestion whilst discouraging unhealthy microbes like candida albicans – which have been associated with issues such as gastrointestinal upset or yeast infections within our bodies. So honey aids digestion and helps boost your immune system.

An ointment
Honey has long been used as an ointment for treating wounds, providing a healing, antiseptic seal over a wound that stops the growth of bacteria.

An antihistamine
Raw honey has been used historically to treat seasonal allergies like hayfever – by introducing small amounts into your diet before the allergy season starts, you can prime your body with beneficial antibodies that will work in harmony with the pollen in the air.  Additionally, when harvested locally (within 50 miles), consuming local-infused honey may provide better relief due to exposure to regional pollens specific to the area where you live.

Why is honey from local beekeepers better?
Apart from containing local pollens giving it better allergy protection, honey from local beekeepers is a much more natural product and will taste much better because the bees collect nectar from many different local flowers.  The honey will be carefully harvested by artisan beekeepers who regularly check on their bees to ensure they are safe from predators, have sufficient space to thrive and have enough food through the winter months.

Commercially produced honey is collected from large-scale bee farms with limited access to natural floral sources like wildflowers. This means the bees don’t get a wide variety of nectar and the honey produced has less flavour and nutritional value.

Supermarket honey is often highly processed and full of additives and preservatives that can diminish the health properties of the original nectar.

Whereas natural honey is simply filtered, commercial honey is often heated to a high temperature to kill yeast cells, which destroys some of the beneficial properties, and additives like corn syrup and cane sugar are added to enhance the flavour.

Is it true that honey lasts forever?
Honey is one of the only natural food products to have no expiration date.  Properly stored, it can’t go off.  Honey is naturally antibacterial which prevents any bacteria from growing inside it.  Its low water content and high acidity are two of the main reasons honey doesn’t spoil.

Honey has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and tested safe to eat.

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