WHAT RAW HONEY IS
AND WHY YOU SHOULD
USE IT
WHAT RAW HONEY IS
AND WHY YOU SHOULD
USE IT
Raw honey is honey straight from the hive, as is, without processing. Remember seeing honeycomb in the jars on farm stands and the farmers market? That was raw honey. The amber color and sometimes grainy texture is what our grandparents knew and loved about it. Honey straight from the hive is as natural and whole as it gets. It isn’t modified or changed by man or machine. It just is.
People think of food first when they receive a jar of raw honey, and with good reason. It is a delicious and versatile ingredient in meals and snacks any time of day. Open up a jar at breakfast and use honey in tea, on toast, in recipes, and on yogurt with fruit or walnuts. Use it in coffee or in place of maple syrup on pancakes. For lunch and dinner, add raw honey to salad dressings and marinades. Whip up some baklava or classic honey cake for dessert. Raw honey is more than a simple sweetener. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and cancer-fighting phytonutrients. Each serving of honey has Vitamins B6, B3, B2, B1, B5, and C as well as copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus. Unlike granulated sugar, raw honey has nutritional value.
Do not think honey’s usefulness ends with recipes. Honey is an ages-old go- to for health and beauty. Raw honey is a cough suppressant. Did your grandmother give you hot tea with honey when you had a cold? Remember how good it was? It’s more than just tasty. Honey is known to suppress coughs and soothe the throat. The next time you feel a little itch in your throat, eat a teaspoon or two straight up or in syrup made with raw honey, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and water. The taste may take a little getting used to, but it may reduce the longevity of that sore throat or cold.
Regular use of local raw honey helps build immunity to allergies. As you eat honey made from local pollen, you build a tolerance to it. The greater your tolerance, the less you’ll react to the allergens. Try it for a few weeks. Worst thing that could happen is a few weeks of delicious honey.
Honey is old school, natural goodness with anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties. Those properties make it an excellent ingredient for the skin. Anyone tell you to put honey on a cut or scrape? It can help speed healing – think of it as natural Neosporin in a pinch. Just don’t be surprised when your pet tries to lick it off. When used in a facial mask, raw honey can help reduce the size of your pores and pimples. Apply, let dry, then remove and wash as usual.
If the food, beau ty, and health benefits are not enough to sway you, let this bit of info sink in. When you pick it up, you help boost the local economy and support local farms. Out of every $1 spent locally, 70% is reinvested into the community. So pick up some raw local honey on your next shopping trip and enjoy the all of its benefits.
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