All About Honey - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 107

ofbacteriathatcausediseaseanddepleteyourbodyofnecessarynutrients.Organicand
brown sugars have no more nutritional value than white granulated sugar. I am particu-
larlysensitivetowhitesugar.Ittendstogivemeaheadache,causesmetofeelfatigued,
and seems to trigger mood swings. Honey does not have the same effect on my body as
plain white sugar, and substituting honey for sugar has helped me eliminate processed
sugars from my diet almost entirely. Unfortunately, most people assume that honey is
just another type of white sugar, and some folks think all honey is homogeneous. I am
certaintheythinkthiswaybecausetheonlyhoneythey'veevertastedisfromasqueez-
able bear or the plastic honey packets found in diners.
The United States National Honey Board defines honey as a pure product that does
not allow for the addition of any other substance, such as water or other sweeteners.
Pure honey is not the same as cane or beet sugar. It is not refined. Honey is a natural
sweetener made from the nectar of flowers. It is made up of carbohydrates and wa-
ter, yet it also contains amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, like calcium, copper, iron,
magnesium, manganese, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin,
and zinc. Honey is sweet; it does contain fructose, sucrose, and glucose, as well as
small quantities ofother sugars.Glucose andfructose are simple sugarsconverted from
sucrose by the bees. Fructose is also found in fruit and converts to energy more effi-
ciently than white sugar. Honey will not make your blood sugar rise or fall as rapidly
as processed sugar. Pure, wild honey is considered a living, raw food, which means it is
uncooked, unheated, and commonly, unpasteurized. So, if you have a sweet tooth, you
should give honey a try.
R AW H ONEY VS . H EATED H ONEYS
The freshest honey, in my opinion, is honey taken straight from the honeycomb. Most
beekeepers or honey connoisseurs would agree. The honey inside honeycomb is raw
honey. Untouched by human hands, it is still in its original state, exactly as the hon-
eybees made it. However, is not uncommon to find jars of liquid honey that is called
raweventhoughthehoneyhasbeenpartially extracted fromthebeeswax comb.Liquid
honey that is designated as “raw” often contains cappings and even bee parts.
Many larger honey packers or importers will filter honey until it is completely clear,
so there is less chance of crystallization while it is on the shelf at your grocery store.
These manufacturers know that most Americans will not buy honey that is granulated,
because granulated honey is commonly thought of as outdated or spoiled. But this is
actually not true.
Honey that is heat-treated to delay crystallization cannot be considered to be truly
raw. Commercial producers often raise the temperature of the honey to 170°F (77°C)