The Honey Craze These Days - Everything you need to know.
November 22, 2021
Ingredients used in ancient times are making a comeback and taking the world by storm. Let's take honey, for instance.
Has your social media feed been flooded with Texas honey recommendations? Are all your friends raving about how wildflower honey saved their complexion?
Every day, more and more companies seem to be introducing new products with this simple ingredient. We're not just talking about the liquid honey you put into your tea. Honey is being used in skincare, allergy, digestion, and cold products.
You may be wondering if honey in grocery stores can truly improve health or if it's just another fad. The good news is that health and honey seem to be closely tied. So, if you're looking for a solution to your allergies, skin, and overall health, here's what you need to know.
Why Honey?
The use of honey by humans can be traced back to over 8,000 years ago. It seems that since humans have discovered how to use stone, they have been using local honey for their health and traditional medicine.
Honey bees don't just make a sweet treat; they make a nutritious substance that contains many benefits for your health. Some of the good things that you'll find inside this ingredient include:
• Antioxidants
• Antibacterial Properties
• Antifungal Benefits
• Vitamins (pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid)
• Minerals (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc)
We'll get into what this means for your health later on. But just looking at what's inside your average Texas honey, it's clear that this sweet liquid is more than just a sugary snack. Perhaps people 8,000 years ago didn't know what was inside exactly, but they saw the positive effects it could have on health.
As people in our time turn away from using prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines to solve every problem, people are rediscovering the wonders of nature's gold.
Going back to the basics of nature's products can also be beneficial for those who have built up an immunity to antibiotics. The history of health and honey combined with modern evidence and its contents show that its benefits aren't just old wives' tales. Texas honey truly has the power to improve your life and health.
The Health Benefits of Honey
Whether a bit of Texas honey in your tea helps a sore throat or a skin product with raw honey has been your go-to for years, you may have noticed some correlation between this special ingredient and your health.
Before raw honey is treated and pasteurized, it's brimming with nutrients to help you. But even the honey in grocery stores that is manufactured traditionally will still retain many beneficial components. Depending on what you want it to treat, you may want to look for different forms of it. Keep in mind that each form has its health benefits.
Let's take a look at the connection between health and honey. What is it good for and how does it improve our health? Perhaps this special ingredient can't solve all your problems, but it can certainly do you a lot of good. And depending on your situation, it could be the perfect cure.
Skin
Everyone wants more beautiful skin. With skincare being a billion-dollar industry, people are spending more than ever to be comfortable in their skin and keep it looking healthy, fresh, and young. But who knew that the solution to replacing countless creams and serums could be found in Texas honey.
Because it is made up of all sorts of natural plant matter, enzymes, and healthy live bacteria, it interacts well with your skin when applied topically. Many skincare products may contain small or even large amounts of the ingredient. However, you can also apply raw honey directly to your face.
Part of what makes this ingredient so great for skin health is that it has anti-inflammatory properties. Due to these, it will help calm any irritation to the skin while soothing it. And because it is a humectant, the ingredient will help your cells retain moisture - great for skin health! So using something natural that will promote moisture retention can do wonders.
Texas honey can help your skin by treating and soothing the symptoms of conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It can even lessen the appearance of wrinkles. And because it balances bacteria on your skin, it can improve acne.
If you struggle with skin conditions, or you just want to improve the overall appearance of your skin and ensure it gets plenty of support, try Texas honey. Apply it directly to your face or look for products with this ingredient.
Once you have the honey of your choice, spread a thin layer across the area of the skin you want to treat. Let it dry. It should only take about 10 minutes to get all the benefits. Now simply rinse the ingredient away with warm water. Gently rub it into your skin as you wash it away. Finish with a moisturizer or lotion if desired.
Nutrition
You'll always find honey in grocery stores, and for many, it's a staple in their kitchen. Whether it's a little something sweet to add to tea or the topping of your favorite dessert, everyone uses honey. But did you know it's not just yummy, it's nutritious?
Unlike you're processed sweeteners, this is a completely natural substance. Coming from the nectar of plants and flowers, it carries many of nature's nutrients. Because of that, it can have seriously great benefits for your health when eaten.
Although raw honey is mostly made up of sugar, it contains so many vitamins and minerals making it a healthier alternative to other sweet additions. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that it contains antioxidants.
Antioxidants have been linked to lowering the risk of diseases and health problems such as cancers, heart attacks, and strokes. By destroying free radicals and harmful cells in your body, you avoid high levels of oxidation that lead to health problems.
And the anti-inflammatory properties aren't limited to your skin and topical applications. Anti-inflammatory foods promote overall health and longevity.
With its antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, vitamins, and minerals, this golden ingredient will improve your overall health. For those concerned about certain conditions such as heart health, regularly consuming local honey can help you avoid future complications.
And everyone can benefit from stopping free radicals in their tracks. This not only improves your health but eases the aging process. While we are still learning more about how free radicals harm our long-term health, even honey in grocery stores can help you keep them away.
It's easy to incorporate this ingredient into your diet. Just a teaspoon or two a day is all your need to get the health benefits. Add it to your yogurt, toast, or eat it with fruit. Get as creative as you'd like and enjoy the delicious taste of health and honey.
Wounds
With so many beneficial components, perhaps it's easy to imagine skin and nutritional health and honey's effects. But the miracles don't stop there. Since ancient times, local honey has been a source of healing both the inside and the outside. It doesn't just promote healthy skin. It can heal wounded skin.
Honey is filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It's also antibacterial. According to studies, it's just as good if not better than your more traditional medicinal means of treating wounds.
First, due to the antibacterial nature of Texas honey, it can help protect a wound from infection and keep it clean. Then, it will help the wound heal by stopping harmful inflammation. Protecting your wound from bacteria is essential for healing, and local honey can help you heal faster than what you may typically use.
Throughout history, people have been using honey for just about all wounds and seeing positive if not miraculous results. Local honey has been shown to treat all sorts of wounds such as ulcers, boils, pilonidal sinus, burns, cuts, and more. If you can apply this ingredient to your wound, chances are it will help either by keeping inflammation at bay or stopping any possibility of infection.
If you're unsure about using honey for your wound, talk to your doctor. As long as you don't have a severe pollen allergy, chances are it won't do any harm.
Apply the honey first to a wound dressing or bandage. Place a dry bandage on top of the soaked bandage to avoid any stickiness. Regularly change the dressing once the bandage is saturated. It's best to use some sort of filtered organic product rather than a raw one. This ensures you don't get any unwanted materials in your wound.
Diabetes
For those dealing with monitoring sugar and insulin levels, diabetes and honey may not seem like a good match. However, when used in proper, safe amounts, diabetes and honey are a match made in heaven.
Local honey is a great place to start if you're looking for a sweetener in moderate quantities that can help your health. It has the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties everyone needs. However, those with diabetes are often more affected by inflammation. Texas honey can improve the level of inflammation as well as hemoglobin levels.
There are other foods with antioxidants that are not as sugary as honey. So for those with diabetes looking for a sweet treat with health benefits, local honey is a great ingredient.
Just add a bit to your routine while maintaining proper sugar levels and enjoy the anti-inflammatory benefits for your overall health. It's important to monitor sugar levels as it is still high in sugar and carbohydrates. We recommend organic honey to avoid added sugars.
Digestion
Science has yet to produce conclusive results on digestion health and this special ingredient. However, honey has long been used to help with digestion. And so far, studies have been able to back up this claim. Perhaps it's not the perfect cure for any digestive ailments, but it provides the help that many people need.
This is likely due to the enzymes found in it, including diastases, invertases, and proteases. These enzymes help break down food, flushing out unwanted toxins from the body. And with its anti-inflammatory properties and healthy bacteria, it will only improve your gut health.
For those who regularly struggle with indigestion or ulcers, introducing local honey into your daily health routine could be a great way to promote proper digestion. Hot water or tea with filtered or raw honey and a bit of lemon could be just what your stomach needs to take on the day.
Sore Throat
Whether you've been sick or just overworking your voice, you may experience pain in your throat. Honey is a classic remedy for sore throats and often the first thing that people reach for. But why is that?
Although the scientific jury is still out on exactly why Texas honey heals sore throats, many believe it comes down to its wound healing properties. The same properties, such as its antibacterial characteristics that heal a burn, can heal what's causing the pain in your throat. Rather than applying the honey directly to the wound, consume it - this should do the trick.
There are many reasons for a sore throat. Thankfully, research shows that local honey can help with all these causes. These include:
• Colds
• Laryngitis
• Tonsillitis
• Glandular fever,
• Strep
• Allergies
• Exposure to cigarette smoke
This isn't just any old home remedy. On the contrary, many doctors and experts recommend honey as the first treatment of a sore throat. This is especially true for children who may suffer from adverse effects from over-the-counter cough medications. Simply add a small spoonful's worth of it to a cup of tea or hot water for the best results.
Allergies
Find yourself coming down with terrible allergies every year around springtime? Then it may be time to try and see how your allergies and honey mix. While studies conflict on the efficacy of allergies and honey, there's a chance it may help, and there are virtually no negative side effects if it doesn't work for you.
There are several reasons that local honey may help relieve allergies. The primary reason is that local honey is made up of the local flowers, crops, and the pollen they produce. So by getting a big dose of pollen directly to your system through local honey, you can desensitize your system to the local pollen, much like how an allergy shot works.
While this aspect of allergies and honey continues to be debated, the other side of this is proven and likely to help. This goes back to the positive effects of honey on your throat. If you're finding yourself coughing through every spring, it can help soothe the symptoms of allergies.
Applications
To expose your system to the local pollen, you'll want to buy local honey. Organic and raw are typically recommended so that you get the most exposure possible. Add a bit into your diet, and see if your allergies are eased. To relieve your throat pains, add some of this golden ingredient to your tea or coffee.
Types of Honey to Look For
You now know all about the benefits of health and honey - although there's still so much to explore and discover. But now, you want to get some Texas honey for yourself and see what it can do for you. However, as you begin to shop local honey, you may be surprised to find just how many options there are at your fingertips.
Texas honey isn't just one type itself. This product comes from all over. Each hive will offer you slightly different flavors and even colors. Beekeepers practice different techniques for treating their product before it gets into customers' hands. Each type will mean a different product for you with potentially different health benefits and ways to enjoy.
Before buying the first honey in grocery stores that you see, let's go over the different types of honey at your hands. This will help you find the right one for you.
Natural Honey
In the world of honey labels, the term natural doesn't mean too much. By natural, the manufacturer may just be implying that the product initially came from a real hive of bees. But it doesn't say much about whether things were added to create the final product.
When it comes to beekeeping, natural may refer to the techniques to leave hives intact. However, without context, natural doesn't tell you much about what you're buying and is best to be ignored.
Pure Honey
Unlike natural, pure tells you that what's inside your product truly comes from raw honey initially and nothing else. This means no added sugars, corn syrup, or similar additives. For those interested in trying local honey, this is a great place to start.
Once the raw honey is extracted, the “pure” form is typically made by heating the stuff. This is to kill microorganisms and filter out unwanted components. Because it is heated and parts are extracted, you'll often see a lighter color. This will also be a milder flavor. If you've only ever had honey in grocery stores, this may be a nice familiar step into local offerings.
Raw Honey
You might say that buying raw honey is enjoying it as nature intended—no heating the product, filtering, and additives. The benefit of this form is you get everything: the nuanced flavors and all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. If you're in this for health and honey, going raw may deliver the most benefits.
Another benefit of raw honey is that beekeepers under this label typically treat their bees more ethically than others. That's because the healthier the bees, the more raw honey they can collect from the hives. It will also be of better quality.
Wondering if it's safe to eat raw honey? A lot of people have concerns about eating anything “raw”. However, just because this ingredient is raw, it doesn't mean it's unsafe. On the contrary, raw honey is always ready to be eaten. No need to cook it before you eat or apply it to your skin. Just treat it as you would honey in grocery stores.
Unfiltered Honey
When treating honey, there are two different ways of treating the product: straining and filtering. While they sound similar, there are key differences that define this type of Texas honey.
All products are strained, even raw honey. This removes debris, bee parts, and wax. However, filtering is far more intense. This processing step means purifying the product and removing air bubbles or tiny bits of grains like pollen.
All raw honey is unfiltered. However, not all unfiltered honey is raw. Although unfiltered honey will not undergo a filtering process, it may be heated to be put in a bottle or used in other products. This means you get the health benefits of raw honey, but perhaps in an easier-to-use form.
Wildflower Honey
Want to get the most variety in flavor? Buy wildflower honey. This means that bees go collecting from wildflowers. With so many varieties of flowers and crops around, you'll end up with different types of nectar making up your wildflower honey. If you want local honey, try the wildflower version first.
Organic Honey
While some labels may seem vague and fluid, organic is not one of them. Anything labeled organic honey must pass the rules and regulations of the USDA's organic requirements.
What does that mean for organic honey? It means that the bees can only collect nectar and pollen from organic plants. The bees absolutely can't be treated with any potentially harmful chemicals such as miticides. Buying organic honey ensures you're not consuming any pesticides that could harm your health in the future, undoing what you want to accomplish from the product in the first place.
Organic honey is not mutually exclusive to the other types. This label doesn't mean that a Texas honey isn't manufactured or is raw. Different forms of it can be one type and organic. So keep an eye out for organic honey labels if this is important to you. Reading the labels will ensure you get the best product possible.
Vegan Honey
Vegans are committed to forgoing any products that involve harm or the exploitation of animals. For most, that means giving up this ingredient we love so much. However, this doesn't mean that vegans can't enjoy its wonderful tastes and textures.
For some, it's enough to seek out local beekeepers who maintain more ethical practices. But if that's not enough, there is also vegan honey. The vegan versions won't come from a hive or any bees at all. Instead, these products will use concoctions of other ingredients. While this may deliver the sweet taste and texture that vegans are looking for, it won't deliver the health benefits of the real thing.
However, for any vegans who just want that taste, choosing vegan Texas honey could be the perfect alternative.
Impact of the Environment
For many people today, it's not enough to know about a product and its potential impact on health. People also want to know how a product affects the planet's health. By being informed, consumers can decide how to purchase products ethically.
If caring for the environment's health is important to you, you'll be happy to know that there are several ways that local honey production can work in tandem with nature if not even help. Here are some things you should know.
Low Carbon Footprint
Some things we eat produce an awful amount of carbon. Practices such as factory farming have come under intense pressure as we learn more about just how bad excessive production of carbon is for the environment. The good news is that local honey has a very low carbon footprint.
To put things in perspective, producing over 2 pounds of Texas honey will generally produce the same amount of carbon as driving a car a couple of miles. Of course, the carbon footprint may be higher depending on the transportation and production involved. For the lowest footprint, buy local honey. Check out your local Farmer's Market for the best shopping in your community.
Low Water Requirements
So much of the world's limited access to usable water goes toward watering crops. But not with this product. Of course, water is necessary for sustaining bees. However, the water required to sustain a hive of bees is far smaller than it would be, for example, to grow sugar cane.
As sweeteners go, the production involved can be extremely minimalist for the lowest impact on the environment. Check out your Farmer's Market. You can often find beekeepers who are dedicated to wasting as little resources as possible to produce their local honey.
Beekeeping Practices
So the product itself has a low carbon footprint and water requirements. But what impact does beekeeping itself have on the environment? Bees are crucial for sustaining life on earth as they pollinate our flowers and crops. By keeping bees, there is interference with nature.
Thankfully, this interference isn't too disruptive. On the contrary, there are benefits to keeping the practice alive and well today.
Promotes Pollination
Beekeepers can encourage pollination in two ways: agriculturally and in the wild.
By loaning bees out to farmers, crops get pollinated, and bees find food for the hive. But equally important is the pollination of wildflowers. This provides food to bees while pollinating the earth. And only with pollination do we have plants growing and food to eat.
While bees are not the only means of pollination, they are an important part of the pollination system. And it's best to avoid a world without these helpful creatures.
Maintain Nature's Balance
Although bees are crucial to sustaining life on earth, they are also in danger. For a variety of reasons but primarily habitat loss, bees are losing places to go. However, beekeeping ensures a safe place for bees to build their hives and maintain a community.
Bees are not typically a welcome part of the neighborhood. As urban sprawl continues, humans are taking up more space and kicking nature's creatures out. And with that comes taking down beehives. Beekeepers actively work against this by protecting hives from humans.
On the flip side of this, they also protect bees that may become food for other animals. It may be an uncomfortable fact, but bees are part of the food chain. And for other animals to live, bees may just get eaten. Without bees, their predators may not survive. So while beekeepers protect hives, they also preserve the delicate ecosystem on earth.
The Basics
If you only know this ingredient from a little bear-shaped bottle, you may not completely understand the process and what gives this special ingredient so much value in both taste and health benefits. Now that we know how Texas honey helps us let's take a closer look at how we get this seemingly miraculous piece of nature.
Honey Bees
When you see a yellow and black insect flying around you, do you run away? Well, it may be time to say thank you instead. Honey bees, not to be confused with yellow jackets, hornets, and aggressive stinging insects, are an essential part of the world we live in. The world couldn't survive without them as they help flowers and crops grow.
Bees travel from flower to flower, crop to crop, collecting nectar and pollen. As they collect nectar, the necessary ingredient for their survival, they pollinate flowers and crops. Once they have enough nectar in their stomachs, they return to their hive.
The nectar is then used to create raw honey. This is done by packing away the nectar into tight, hexagonal-shaped beeswax cells. Bees then create a breeze with their wings, solidifying the nectar into the golden stuff we know and love.
What That Means for Your Texas Honey
Because honey is made from the nectar bees collect and bees visit thousands of flowers and crops a day, you can imagine all the incredible flavors found in different nectar. Just as a rose smells differently from a lily, the nectar changes too.
This means that no hive will produce the same flavors and aromas as another hive. This is heavily influenced by the specific environment of the hive, such as where it's located and even when the bees are pollinating.
How We Harvest from Honey Bees
Those busy bees have worked hard making their sweet gold. Now it's time for beekeepers to do their job to get the honey. There are a variety of methods, and each beekeeper may have a different method.
The traditional first step is to use smoke so that the bees are common during extraction. Beekeepers then remove the combs and the raw honey from each cell. This can be done by scraping away the liquid or using a machine. The machine will spin very quickly, using physics to remove the raw honey.
Once removed, beekeepers will typically warm the raw honey to get it to a more liquid state to more easily strain it of wax and any unwanted materials. Of course, this step may be skipped for unfiltered honey lovers.
Harvesting That Doesn't Harm Bees
Bees do not solely rely on honey for food. They will mostly feed on nectar. However, raw honey is a backup food supply for bees. This means that in times of trouble, bees rely on their own Texas honey for nourishment.
Due to this and a desire for humane treatment of bees, some people are averse to honey products. But thankfully, there are more ethical ways that beekeepers can harvest honey that is kinder to these little creatures.
Some ethical beekeeping methods include balanced, natural, and biodynamic. The practices vary in difficulty and, therefore, price. But none of them will include smoking out the bees or creating a food shortage for bees.
Their goal is to only collect Texas honey when the hive no longer needs it. For example, they may only take some when the hive has an excess. They might not even use any artificial means of promoting hive growth and only collect from naturally occurring hives that have been abandoned.
If you want to enjoy the health benefits of Texas honey without any of the guilt, you can look for labels that indicate less traditional methods. But be aware that prices will often be much higher due to the difficulty of the practices and lack of predictability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Risks from Honey?
No matter whether applied topically or eaten for your health, there are very few risks associated with using honey in your daily life. The only health side effect that you should seriously consider is allergies. However, this is rare.
Most people are not allergic to Texas honey itself. However, depending on the severity of people's allergies to pollen and depending on the type of product, they may experience negative side effects. For most people, this can be avoided by opting for filtered products. But if you're concerned, speak to your doctor first.
Can Honey Help My Dog?
Honey is a safe ingredient to give your dog. And just as health and honey go hand in hand for humans, the same holds true for dogs. Many people may give their dogs a regular taste of local honey to keep allergies at bay and improve their health.
And just like humans, it's great for treating wounds, even on dogs. If you notice something odd on your dog, or they've gotten themselves a scratch or injury, apply honey. Of course, you'll need to cover it in gauze to avoid your dog helping themselves to a snack.
Do monitor how much your dog gets, as too much sugar can harm your dog's health. But a little can do a lot of good and is an enjoyable treat for your canine buddy.
Does Honey Have an Expiration Date?
Honey has antibacterial properties, meaning that it doesn't allow harmful bacteria to grow. This not only means that it's great for treating wounds for humans but also won't go bad. That's right - your local honey never spoils. It may change in color or texture, but even then, it's safe to eat.
Why Does My Honey Look/Taste Different?
There are two reasons yours may look or taste different:
1. It has changed over time on the shelf, changing the texture, or
2. You purchased a local honey product that is a different varietal than what you're used to.
For the first, it's important to know that while the texture may change, it's still safe to eat.
For the second, remember that while manufactured products may have additives to make each product the same, local versions will be influenced by the local flowers and crops that a bee visited. With different nectar and pollen come different flavors and colors. So enjoy the difference.
Can I Use Honey after It Crystallizes?
Your honey will never spoil. However, it may crystallize. When that happens, it's still safe to eat; it may just be a little more difficult than simply pouring. All you need to do is grab a spoon. If you're looking for a liquid texture, place the jar in a pot of hot water or microwave what's left. This will melt it into a liquid, although be careful not to boil or scorch it.
If you want to put it in your tea, you can just put the crystallized version directly in hot tea without worrying about turning it into a liquid first.
Why Is Honey Filtered?
The filtration process also has benefits, just like the raw version. By filtering, the product will stay liquid longer (which many people want). It is also better for the health of those who have a severe allergy to pollen.
Conclusion - The World of Texas Honey
If all you know is one brand of honey, then it's time for you to explore a new world. Try different varieties of honey for yourself, incorporate them into your daily life, and see the health benefits for yourself. No matter whether you want to expand your skincare routine or want to learn how to find ethical beekeepers, use this guide to find the perfect Texas honey product for your lifestyle. The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
