When you purchase honey, you may see an alternative product known as raw honey. What makes it different from regular sold honey? Raw honey has been described as honey straight from the beehive. This may raise more questions. Which one is more nutritious? Does regular honey contain additives? Here, we’ll explore the major details to answer the question: what is the difference between raw and regular honey?
Difference in Processing
When considering raw honey vs. regular honey, processing is one of the first things to look at, and it is a major difference between raw honey and regular honey. Our Raw honey is is extracted from the honeycomb and run through our wax spinner, which filters out things such as beeswax and large particles. After that, the honey is ready to bottle. It’s very simple. Regular honey, on the other hand, goes through several steps, including pasteurization followed by filtration. The pasteurization uses high heat which changes the honey and filtration removes all of the pollen and other beneficial parts of honey. This is done to keep the honey liquid which until recently was the standard. The true natural state for raw honey is to let the honey granulate naturally without heat or filtration. Keeping it as close to how the bees made it as possible.
Nutritional Value Differences
Nutritional value is another of the most important differences between raw and regular honey. The truth is raw honey is the more nutritious option. Raw honey contains different minerals along with multiple enzymes and vitamins. Other health benefits come from raw honey’s many polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. These can fight against risks of cancer, inflammation, and heart disease. Regular honey loses many of these antioxidants through the extra heat and processing.
Raw Honey Contains Pollen
Raw honey has another health benefit that people often overlook—pollen. This pollen is left over from the bees that collected it from various flowers. Interestingly, pollen can be incredibly nutritious for people. It can work as an antioxidant, improve liver health, relieve inflammation, and enhance your immune system and healing. Bee pollen can even act as a natural antihistamine, providing relief for people with allergies. When regular honey goes through the heating process of pasteurization and ultrafiltration, the pollen ends up being removed.
Regular Honey Can Contain Added Sugars
The fact that regular honey has added sugars might come as a bit of a surprise. Honey is usually marketed as an incredibly beneficial product for our health. Unfortunately large packers and foreign entities ad artificial sweeteners and syrups to honey to make the price point cheaper. Regular honey still has some basic health benefits. When weighing raw honey vs. regular honey, consider that, while the liquid consistency of regular honey may be appealing, there are far better options—such as natural raw honey, which also comes with other natural flavors. Keep these differences in mind when you’re searching around for the honey you prefer.