Did you know, honey is a superfood packed with all substances vital for sustaining life? The wonderful sweetener includes enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and is also the only food containing “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning. Isn’t that amazing?.
What is regular honey?
Of course, all honey starts as raw honey, but the product that ends up on shelf depends on what it goes through after the harvest. Production of regular honey involves several steps before it is bottled; such as pasteurization and filtration to enhance its shelf life and texture. Pasteurization destroys the yeast found in honey and also takes away natural antioxidants present in it. Ultra-filtration refines it further to make it transparent and smooth, removing other beneficial nutrients like pollen, enzymes, and antioxidants. Due to the large-scale commercialization process, regular honey often has additives, sugars, and artificial sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup or brown rice syrup. The chances of regular honey being pesticide-free and organic are also rather less.
Is forest honey a healthier option over regular honey?
Organic wild forest honey is the honeydew gathered by bees from wild forest trees such as holm oak and cork oak trees. Bees also collect it from rare herbs and wild flora found here. Wild forest honey has a sweeter fragrance when compared to the usual honey.
Wild forest honey is full of vital vitamins such as C and B6 and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, potassium, zinc, and iron. It is also high in nutritive elements such as sucrose and fructose. Organic forest honey is the perfect alternative to regular honey as instead of added preservatives that are present in processed honey, raw forest honey is full of naturally occurring enzymes, antioxidants, and minerals. Loaded with therapeutic benefits, the potent wild forest honey has several medicinal benefits ranging from treating respiratory ailments to heart diseases.
Further benefits of forest honey are-
- Pure Forest honey lowers the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and raises the levels of good cholesterol (HDL). Hence, wild forest honey can lower the risk of heart diseases.
- It has phytonutrients with antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that act as protective agents of the body, thus helping in enhancing the immune system.
- Forest honey has proven benefits for lowering and even curing the symptoms of respiratory diseases and can reduce inflammation in the airways of the lungs.
- This honey has natural hydrogen peroxide present in it, a known antiseptic. This combined with its antifungal and antibacterial properties serves as an effective remedy for fighting infections.
- Wild Forest honey is an excellent sugar replacement, particularly if you attempt to maintain your weight since wild forest honey’s GI is well below sugar, ranging from 54 to 59, while the GI of other sugar forms is as high as 105.
- It is a natural remedy for dandruff, and also helps in controlling eczema.
- The direct application of raw wild forest honey on the face can reduce pimples, black patches, and dead skin cells due to its antibacterial and anti-fungal effects.
In a nutshell-
- Regular processed honey is the by-product of mindless mass manufacturing whereas pure forest honey is the result of the joint effort of wild honey hunters and wild honey bees
- Forest honey is not pasteurized, is unadulterated, and has no added preservatives. All of its nutrients are intact.
- While regular honey is diamond-clear and golden in texture; raw forest honey has a thick and cloudy texture.
- It tastes less sweet and has a slightly salty taste.
How do you differentiate between the two? Dissolve samples of both these types of honey in water. Processed honey would get dissolved in the water within a few seconds, and the wild forest honey, being a thick paste, does not get dissolved easily.
Choosing to replace sugar with honey in your diet is a wise move. What can be more reassuring is that your choice is adequately justified. Drop a heart if you agree!
