Understanding the Distinctions: A Guide to Choosing Your Honey – Insights on Buying Raw Honey
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Raw honey, a treasure trove of natural goodness, is a bee-friendly alternative to commercially processed honey. Unlike its heavily processed counterpart, raw honey retains its beneficial components, such as enzymes, prebiotics, and antioxidants.
Raw honey is defined as a product that has not been heated above about 105–118°F (40–48°C) and has not undergone extensive processing like ultrafiltration. This gentle processing preserves the honey’s natural nutrients and flavour profile.
In contrast, commercial honey is often heated above these temperatures to delay crystallization and ultrafiltered to remove pollen and fine particles. This process can strip away enzymes, antioxidants, and other nutrients.
Raw honey is typically minimally filtered, just enough to remove debris, but still contains natural bee pollen, enzymes, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds. This minimal processing helps maintain its nutritional value and health benefits compared to heated or ultrafiltered honey, which are more processed and nutritionally diminished.
Heat above 105°F starts to degrade enzymes and antioxidants in raw honey. Raw honey is heated only to about 100–105°F, which mimics temperatures inside a beehive. Raw honey is generally unfiltered or gently filtered, allowing pollen and enzymes to remain. This results in a cloudy or crystallized appearance, a sign of its natural composition.
On the other hand, heated or ultrafiltered honey undergoes heat treatments higher than 118°F, which damage or destroy enzymes and reduce antioxidant activity. It is filtered more intensively, removing pollen and other particles, which decreases nutrient content. This process results in a clearer and more uniform product, but it lacks the complexity and health benefits of raw honey.
For those seeking raw honey, our website offers a full collection of traceable, nutrient-rich Manuka honey. Our honey is harvested from remote, untouched landscapes of New Zealand, following The Art of Ethical Beekeeping™ and offering full traceability to its pristine source. Each jar of our honey includes a QR code for traceability.
Raw Manuka honey is naturally rich in MGO (Methylglyoxal), a nutrient that contributes to its unique antibacterial properties. The higher the MGO levels in Manuka honey, the stronger it is, though it's not the only important factor. Our website tests all honey to ensure it's free of glyphosate, antibiotics, and GMOs.
For beginners, our website offers starter kits as a great place to start their journey. Our approach is grounded in keeping honey as close to its natural state as possible, avoiding high heat and ultrafiltration. To preserve the natural nutrients in raw honey, let water cool slightly (30-60 seconds) before stirring in honey in hot drinks or cooking.
It's important to note that raw honey is not strictly regulated, and brands may interpret it differently. Therefore, transparency is key. Brands should be transparent about their methods and sourcing for truly raw honey.
Explore our website today and embark on a journey of raw honey discovery, where every jar tells a story of nature's purest nectar.
- Embarking on a lifelong learning journey, one can discover the nuances of sustainable living and healthy cooking through the education and self-development section on our website, where beginners can find starter kits for raw honey exploration.
- Raw honey, a vital component of a healthy-cooking lifestyle, is often sourced from home-and-garden settings, ensuring a purer and more nutritious food-and-drink option compared to commercially processed varieties.
- The lifestyle choices we make, such as incorporating raw honey into our diets, can promote lifelong learning about food-and-drink production methods and emphasize sustainable-living practices like The Art of Ethical Beekeeping™.
- By supporting companies that prioritize gentle processing techniques and transparent sourcing for raw honey production, consumers can contribute to a healthier food-and-drink landscape and promote a more balanced home-and-garden ecosystem.
