Surprisingly, not all honey are created equal where they vary in several different aspects. The brand is just one among the qualities of the product that separate one from the other. Unfortunately, the price is not a guaranteed quality measurement of a certain honey product. This means that not all cheap honey are bad and not all expensive honey are good. It is all a matter of choosing the best honey product.
According to the latest survey about the honey products in the American market alone, there is an estimated number of about 76 percent of fake honey products that are being sold on the market shelves. What makes them worse is that instead of giving the health benefits of an organic honey to the consumers, it actually delivers more harm than good.
You have to know that most manufacturing process of honey does remove the valuable nutrients of the substance. So here are the following things that you will expect from a fake honey:
1. Very little or No Pollen
We have already covered the health benefits of the bee pollen on the previous post so it is suggested that you read that discussion as well. Anyway, the bee pollen is a part of an organic honey that contains most of the rich nutrients of the natural bee product. Unfortunately, the processing of the honey into their commercial form removes all the pollen or there are only very little amount that are left on them.
2. It may contain Antibiotics
All manufacturers already knew that processing organic honey can get rid most of its beneficial ingredients. So probably, in order not to make it obvious to the consumers, they are adding antibiotics.
3. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
The worst part about consuming fake honey is due to HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup where the manufacturers are intentionally adding it as one of their primary ingredient. It was recently found out by health experts that too much consumption of HFCS can lead to diabetes, obesity, hypertension, liver damage, plaque buildup and narrowing of blood vessels.
Why Does the Manufacturing Process of Honey Removes most of its Nutrients?
Many researchers still cannot seem to find a method on how to preserve the nutritional value of organic honey on their manufacturing process. As stated above, when honey is ultra-filtered or pasteurized, most of its important nutrients that are necessary for human benefits are removed. Manufacturers have to treat the organic substance in such a way because it is currently the only possible means to prolong the expiration date of the product on the shelves.
Still, the best place to buy organic honey is from a local bee keeping farm. You are ensured that you are getting all the beneficial nutrients of these unfiltered raw or natural products of the bees and reap the complete health benefits that it offers. The only problem is that they won’t last long enough on the shelf even when stored inside a freezer or refrigerator. Thus, if possible, you should only buy the exact amount that you are most likely able to consume before it will expire.
Yet, there is still some uncertainty that even the natural bee product that comes from a bee keeping farm, there are still chances that it is “not purely organic”. Majority of local bee keeping farm are close to a neighborhood with land farms consisting of non-organic plants where they use pesticides. As a result, bees harvesting on these plants are likely to produce low quality honey. It is indeed seems impossible to find real organic honey these days.
Contaminated Honey Products on the Market
Back in 2003, contaminated commercial honey products reached the international market broke out and made a threatening historical record to all consumers. These products came from China and India where they were massively produced to meet the large demand on the market. However, it was found out that these honey products contain chloramphenicol which is a substance used for eye drops. Health experts claim that its side effect can lead to leukemia. Thus, the authorities recalled all those products and banned all imported honey products coming from China and India.
Today, there are still too many commercial fake honey products that are making their way into the market shelves not knowing that they contain malicious and harmful ingredients unknown to all consumers. So if you are the type of person who really does not care about making any research and investigation about the product that you are buying, then you are actually putting your health at risk.
So which type of Honey is best to buy?
Raw organic honey is no doubt the best recommended product to buy but the most important thing that must be considered is the origin. Make sure that the local bee keeping farm is not a polluted place and flourished with organic plants growing around its surroundings. Meeting this standard result into the highest quality of honey that offers the promising health benefits mentioned several times on this blog.
Unfortunately, not all individuals do not have access to bee keeping farms especially consumers living within the cities. It would be a hassle for them to travel long distances just to obtain their raw honey. This is the main reason why manufactured or commercial honey products are their only alternative option. Although, this requires doing some research in order for them to filter out the fakes and at least land on the most decent ones.
Avoid imported honey
Imported honey are most likely fakes and cheaper as compared to local honey. They are actually being introduced in the international market just for the purpose of making money and not to satisfy their consumers. Thus, it is best to avoid imported honey and support your own local beekeepers by only buying their local honey products.
Do not easily fall on a product’s organic label
If you found a product with a label claiming itself as purely organic honey, do not immediately fall for it unless you made your own research. You have to conduct your own investigation if the manufacturer is really following the set of stringent organic standards and conditions on their honey production.
Overall, the key in choosing the best organic honey for you to buy is putting some effort in doing your own research about the product. Thanks to the internet that searching for information is now a lot easier.