One of
my readers asked me a very interesting question: “Is raw honey better than
processed honey?” My answer is “No.” Okay, that is the end of this blog.
Just
kidding! I’ll give you a bit more information. Most people would say honey is
raw if it was not heated or processed in another way. There are claims that raw
honey is better because it has some pollen that is removed when honey is heated
and filtered. While it is true that heating and filtering the honey will reduce
the pollen content in it, a study that was presented as an abstract at a
conference showed that this did not change the nutrient content of the honey[1].
That is to say, the micronutrient and antioxidant content was the same before
and after it was heated and filtered. Regarding the benefits of pollen, I had
difficulty finding any studies that showed definite health benefits of bee pollen.
The
reason why I almost did not want to give this explanation is because I do not
like to focus on the insignificant differences between two items. Somehow, the
media picks up on these “nutrition” issues and focuses on them. Then, we as
consumers are led to believe that we need to start being concerned about
differences between types of honey.
What if there was a difference
between the two honeys? Do you think you are eating enough of it for the difference
between the little amounts of micronutrients to actually affect your health? If
you have concerns about whether or not you are getting enough vitamins,
minerals, or antioxidants, the answer is to eat more fruits and vegetables, not
to choose a honey that might have a drop more micronutrients than the other one!
And quite frankly, honey is another type of sugar, so honey should not be eaten
in large quantities anyway.
You may wonder, maybe there are
health benefits of pollen—there are some studies that seem to seem to indicate
some sort of link. Well, perhaps there might
some health benefits that have not yet been clarified by research, but I do
know some nutrition changes that are actually
supported by a lot of high quality literature—eating more fruits and
vegetables, drinking less soda, and eating less red meat. Perhaps these may be
areas of nutrition change that can be more impactful on our health than eating
raw honey.
This is
a theme in how I practice nutrition: We need to be looking at our overall diet
to determine its quality. Am I eating vegetables a few times per day? Am I
choosing whole grains and other foods with fiber? Am I choosing beverages that
do not contain sugar? Am I eating food that tastes good and is good for my
health? Let’s focus on the main stuff before moving on the “extra credit” of
nutrition.
Check
out this link for my blog about the basics
of good nutrition.
[1]
Beals K, Ropa D. Effects of processing on the pollen and nutrient content of
honey. The FACEB Journal. April 2013.
vol. 27 no. 1 Supplement 859.7.