Can I ask you a simple question – did you know that honey is one of the
healthiest foods on the planet? Why – well, that’s easy to answer!
Because honey contains high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Note: the
experts say that the type of vitamins and minerals and their quantity
depends on the type of flowers used for apiculture.
Honey has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it is often used as a natural antiseptic in traditional medicines. Honey contains nutraceuticals, which are very effective for the removal of free radicals from the body. But, the real and ugly truth, (due to its high price), is that people usually buy the cheapest one they can find in the supermarket, or the one with the most misleading advertisements. And sometimes the one in the best-looking, most dazzling container – which is a bad thing. And, now you probably ask yourself – why? Well, because when you buy this type of “honey”, you’re not actually buying pure honey.
How this works – in order to lower the price, this type of honey is often subjected to numerous alterations. Here’s what you need to know – a recent study, conducted by group of experts at the Food Safety News, has discovered that up to 76% of all types of honey available in supermarkets have been subjected to a process called ultra-filtration. What this means – well, this filtration process removes impurities like wax traces, but also the pollen as well – which is a bad thing. You should also know that the honey manufacturers say that this process is “important” in order to prevent “crystallizing and to prolong the shelf life of their products”. The bad thing is that many consumers don’t know the fact that pollen is extremely important and beneficial to our bodies.
This is very important for you to remember – the main reason why you should avoid honey that’s been treated with this type of process is that you can’t locate the geographical origin of the honey, as in cases of pollen contamination, the origin needs to be analyzed and traced. You can take this for example – the Chinese honey. It is often treated and contaminated with illegal antibiotics and some metals, because the manufacturers in China use this process to import it, and its origin is usually unknown.
We can suggest a few brands and places where you can purchase honey which lacks pollen:
- Honey types sold at Walgreen’s and CVS Pharmacy do not contain pollen.
- Certain packages of KFC and McDonald honey do not contain pollen.
- Honey Winnie the Pooh which can be bought at Walmart does not have pollen.
- 77% of the honey sold at Costco, Target and Sam’s Club do not have pollen.
And, unfortunately, there are honey types which have been combined with glucose, as well as others which are high in poor-quality mead. Adulterated honey is honey that is not in its purest possible form. Some people also say that adulterated honey is often sold in the supermarkets, so you should learn how to recognize it:
- Don’t forget – if your honey does not “crystallize” after some time, there is a good chance it may be adulterated, since the pure one will crystallize when kept in the fridge.
- This is also very important for you to remember – you should always read the labels! As we said, always read the label on the honey, and if it contains commercial glucose or high fructose corn syrup, avoid it.
- You should definitely try this simple trick – you just have to add a few iodine drops into a glass of water and add in some honey afterwards. If your honey turns a blue color it has been combined with corn starch.
- Or, you can try this method as well – just add a couple of drops of vinegar into a mixture of water with honey. If you see foam, your honey has been adulterated with plaster.
- Some people use this trick as well – you can burn the honey with phosphorus or a match, and if it ignites, it is pure honey.
Or, just place a spoon of honey into a glass of water. In case the honey does not dissolve, it is pure. Fake honey or poor-quality honey dissolves in water due to the high adulteration. We really hope you find this article helpful and don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Thank You and take care!