honey

If you feel out of touch with miracles, then reacquaint yourself with honey. Unprocessed honey in its raw, living form is nothing less than a miracle from God and the earth. Take a moment to think about what this wild food really is: nectar. It is liquid gold that can turn your life around.

Our immune systems are constantly adapting to whatever microorganisms we encounter which is why raw honey is so important for supporting immunity. Honey in its raw form is a secret weapon against infectious illness. When you’re dealing with weakened immunity and feel like you’re extra susceptible to catching colds and flu, raw honey assists your body in keeping a strong first line of defence by strengthening neutrophils and macrophages so they can fight off pathogens. These properties also make raw honey anti-inflammatory-because it inhibits pathogens from procreating and thus releasing toxins that elevate inflammation. Honey is truly medicine for our planet.

PRIMARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Potassium
SECONDARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Vitamin B2, Iron, Copper, Manganese
NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS and NOTES	Daily consumption improves blood anti-oxidant levels and prevents lipid peroxidation Excellent nutrient source for optimising blood sugar levels before, during and after exercise Anti-microbial, anti-fungal and antibacterial qualities give “honey a potential therapeutic role in the treatment of disease by phytochemical, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties … (and) the use of honey in clinical wards is highly recommended” according this study Wound healing powers come from its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects as well as its ability to nourish surrounding tissue, according to this study
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS	Anti-allergenic: due to pollen in raw unfiltered honey
PHYTONUTRIENTS	Phenolic compounds (eg flavonoids) act as anti-oxidants preventing free radical damage, and lipid peroxidation that lead to Cardio Vascular Disease
NOTES	Dark honey has the highest anti-oxidant capacity Raw Honey retains the healthy phytonutrients are lost in processing
ADVICE	Heating up honey to below 90 Celcius retains valuable enzymes Add raw honey to lemon water to enhance the honey’s bioflavonoids and give the drink an additional immune boost If you feel like you’re coming down with something, take a teaspoon of raw honey beforehand. This is also a good remedy to enhance a night’s sleep. Use raw honey in place of all processed sugar and other sweeteners you normally Look for wildflower honey, if you can find it. Applied externally, honey is great for healing small wounds and revitalising the skin. Try it on scars where you want to speed up the healing process. Consuming honey prior to meditation strengthens the mind and brings about happy sensations throughout the body

		RDA	Honey	% RDA
Nutrient	Unit		per 100g
	g	3700	17.1	0.5%
Energy	kcal	2600	304	11.7%
Protein	g	90	0.3	0.3%
Total lipid (fat)	g	87	0	0.0%
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	224	82.4	36.8%
Fiber, total dietary	g	38	0.2	0.5%
Sugars, total	g		82.12
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	1000	6	0.6%
Iron, Fe	mg	8	0.42	5.3%
Magnesium, Mg	mg	420	2	0.5%
Phosphorus, P	mg	700	4	0.6%
Potassium, K	mg	470	52	11.1%
Sodium, Na	mg		4
Zinc, Zn	mg	11	0.22	2.0%
Copper, Cu	mg	0.9	0.036	4.0%
Manganese, Mn	mg	2.3	0.08	3.5%
Selenium, Se	Âµg	55	0.8	1.5%
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	90	0.5	0.6%
Thiamin	mg	1.2	0	0.0%
Riboflavin	mg	1.3	0.038	2.9%
Niacin	mg	16	0.121	0.8%
Pantothenic acid	mg	5	0.068	1.4%
Vitamin B-6	mg	1.7	0.024	1.4%
Folate, total	Âµg	400	2	0.5%
Choline, total	mg		2.2
Betaine	mg		1.7
Vitamin B-12	Âµg	2.4	0	0.0%
Vitamin A, IU	IU	5000	0	0.0%
Vitamin E, total	mg	15	0	0.0%
Vitamin D	IU	600	0	0.0%
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	Âµg	120	0	0.0%

RDA – Recommended Dietary Amount recommendations are based upon calculations for a 40 year old very active man that I have adapted from USDA’s Dietary Intake Guidelines. Using this link you can make your own calculations

Adapted from:

Murray, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Healing Food. New York, N.Y.: Atria Books

USDA food database: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/

Additional information sources:

Self Nutrition Data: an online nutrient breakdown of foods

Dr Axe – a well researched article on the numerous benefits of raw honey

Medical News today – an excellent and well reseached summary on the benefits of honey

Resources: