Raw Honey: Dangers and Benefits

Many people prefer honey as a sweetener because it is natural.  They use it for cooking or to sweeten drinks like lemonade or tea.  It may surprise some people to find out that honey, although natural, is not necessarily good for everyone. There are both raw honey dangers and raw honey benefits when it comes to health.

Because honey that is raw is not cooked, it may still contain small amounts of naturally occurring bacteria.  Botulism is a bacteria that is sometimes found in this product and it can be harmful to people who have weak digestive systems, especially babies.  The digestive systems of most healthy adults can easily kill any botulism that may be present in this product, but a baby’s digestive system, which is weaker, cannot kill the bacteria as easily.  Although getting this disease from honey is fairly rare, it is generally recommended that infants under 12 months of age do not consume any amount of this sweetener.

raw honey

There are many benefits to honey, but raw honey also has some dangers

This sweetening additive may also cause weakness, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting if it comes from pollen from certain flowers, like azaleas, rhododendrons, and oleanders.  Very rarely, ingesting this food can even cause death.  These side effects are generally not a problem for large producers where honey is collected from different sources and pooled together, thereby diluting any toxins that may be present. From a large producer, this food is therefore safer, but many people still chose to buy it from smaller producers who make it organically, or from local producers.

There are many honey benefits to take note of, and the benefits generally outweigh the risks.  This sweetener can help prevent allergies for people that are allergic to pollen, especially if it is made in the area where the person lives.  This sweet syrup is a good source of vitamin B, calcium, potassium, and iron.  For thousands of years, honey has been used by ancient cultures to heal wounds, and we are just now beginning to understand the antibacterial properties it contains.

Y.S. Organic Bee Farms, Honey Gardens Apiaries, and Wedderspoon Organic are three brands of  honey that can all be bought on-line from stores like Amazon.com or Vitacost.com.  It is often available in grocery stores as well.  Before using this natural sweetener, it is important to consider raw honey benefits as well as raw honey dangers.  For the majority of people, this natural sweetener will probably be a beneficial product to use. Just remember that too much sugar from any source is not good for your or your family.

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