Raw Honey Nutrition Facts

Raw honey is honey that has not been heated or pasteurized. It is a naturally sterile substance and has been used since ancient times as a home remedy for coughs or sore throats. Used on sterile dressing, it has recently been proved to be beneficial in reducing scarring and accelerating healing after operations. Randomized trials have shown that honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn wounds than silver sulfadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on burns in hospitals.

Raw honey is a source of simple carbohydrates. Its composition, on average, is 17.1 percent water, 82.4 percent total carbohydrate and 0.5 percent proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The average carbohydrate content is mainly fructose (38.5 percent) and glucose (31 percent). The remaining 12.9 percent of carbohydrates is made up of maltose, sucrose and other sugars.

A limited study at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory found raw honey to be one of the most effective forms of carbohydrate gels to ingest just prior to exercise. According to Dr. Richard Kreider, the study’s lead investigator, “honey appears to be a carbohydrate source that is relatively mild on its effects upon blood sugar compared to other carbohydrate sources.”

Raw honey contains vitamins C, D and E as well as some B vitamins and traces of minerals, levels varying according to the region in which it is harvested. It is said that honey from any particular area contains components specifically needed to boost the immune systems of those living there, so local may well be best!

Use raw honey over cereals, in teas (add it when the liquid has cooled down), and add it to smoothies or natural unflavored yogurt. In fact, you can use it almost everywhere you would usually use sugar.