Is honey good for you? Or is honey bad for you? It entirely depends on the honey you are eating, and how much of it you are consuming...
Firstly many heather honeys and manukas have been found to have healing properties with high levels of antioxidants, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. There have been numerous studies backing this up, and we’ve written another blog about this here. Honey is also known to help with coughs, sore throats and even hayfever (although the studies have come back as inconclusive with this one).
Saying this, ALL honey is basically sugar, and so each spoonful is high in calories, on average about 64 per spoonful (depending on the size of your spoon). Honey is still better for you than pure white sugar, as during the honey making process, the bees start to break down these natural sugars, meaning it is easier for your body to digest it.
What honey is best for me?
In general, pure honey is better for you than honey that is not (and you can read more about this in our blog on pure honey), as well as honeys described as raw. We always recommend reading the label. Words like ‘superfood’ are buzz words and so look beyond the word to what is actually stated on the jar. Has anything been added into the honey? Have any discoveries been made about this particular set? For example, here at the Scottish Bee Company, we have had our honey tested to reveal large amounts of the nutrient manganese (10 X more than any honey in the world), as well as antioxidant and antibacterial qualities.
Ultimately, it’s more about quantities. Honey is still sugar. Remember Winnie the Pooh, who consumes several jars of the golden stuff a day? If you don’t want a tum the size of Winnie’s, eat in moderation. A spoonful a day spread on toast or in your breakfast bowl won’t do you any harm.
