Honey......RAW or NOT?

shgadwa

I know, I know, raw is best but I never took much thought because regular is cheaper but then an older health nut friend of mine (not a raw vegan at all but a health nut) told me that regular honey is like sugar. She said never to use it an only to use raw. after doing some research, I found that raw honey is VERY medicinal. They way that regular honey is pasteurized and MIGHT contain high fructose corn syrup.

Is this true? Do any of you guys consume regular honey still? Also, if honey is really bad for you pasteurized, should I give all my honey to my mom and tell her to use it in baking and such (beings that it is better than sugar)?

Also, we worry about honey and oils and such beings raw and then when we cook it sometimes, like in bread or something, that means raw honey is not much better than regular right?

waterbaby12347

I can only tell you that when you “cook” with raw honey, the nutritional value of “raw” is now killed… You didn’t say how YOU were using the honey so I’m not sure of your goal… I really doubt that HFCS is ever added to “regular” pasturized honey… I buy fresh raw honey from a “beeman” near my home, but because of the high glycemic index value, I have to use it sparingly… Hope this helps!!!

bitt

i am not sure. but being vegan i don’t use it. just agave nectar.

according to alex jamieson author of “the great american detox diet”, honey can be 25-60% sweeter then sugar. apparently there is no industry standard, it varies from batch to batch. she did not mention raw or cooked.

agave has a very low glycemic index so it is not going give you the high of sugar. but there is some debate about it being truly raw. i use it very sparingly. i prefer to use dates to sweeten most things that need sweetening.

ps: that dog picture is very cute.

Sonnenhut

Hi shgadwa,

on my way to raw, I did get me some raw honey. Thankfully you can get that here in the health food stores from someone locally. I used to be crazy about honey, but I can tell you, I had no idea!! When I ate the “real” thing, the raw honey, I was amazed! The flavor is so strong and tasty, I loved it!! So if you like honey, I can only recommend to spend the extra money on raw honey. You won’t regret it! :) Also, when I used raw honey I could use much less than with conventional honey. It’s just because it has so much more flavor! (But then again, isn’t that the case with all food – that it has much more flavor raw?)

You can also use agave syrup, if you would like to sweeten things in a vegan way. But it’s not raw!

Personally, I’ve come so far that I don’t use either one anymore. Like bitt said, I use dates, but also raisins or bananas (when they’re very ripe) to sweeten things. :)

Hope I could help!

RawKidChef

Hey there…cute dog btw. I use only raw honey. It tastes much better and healthier, and yes, it is very medicinal and actually boosts your immune and respiratory overall health. My favorite brand is Apitherapy. The honey to so smooth and decadent…...I could eat the entire thing but wouldn’t. Also, beware of companies that label their honey raw but it’s not actually raw. You can tell if it’s raw because the honey will be much thicker and more solid at room temperate, versus non-raw honey which is liquid like maple syrup at room temperature.

elizabethh

i love raw honey. i guess you could call me a beegan_

Ssarah

Oh, I love Apitherapy honey too! It’s delicious, but also very useful for basic first aid. Superficial scratches and cuts will heal much faster if you apply a very thin layer of raw honey to the injured area. I used to get nasty infections when my cats scratched me, and honey makes a big difference. Of course, it’s kinda sticky, but very natural and helpful.

lzhpt

I also use raw honey—just made a gazpacho recipe on this site that uses it. It’s not vegan, but it is raw. I consider it to be kindly and freely given and the bees that made it would be very sad if I didn’t eat it. All that hard work! Make sure you have a good local source and those hives aren’t trucked accross the country.