Local raw honey can be hard to find if you don't know where to look. You can't trust grocery stores since labels can be misleading. The best way to ensure you are getting raw honey is by purchasing honey from a local beekeeper who sells it.

 

Is there a difference between organic raw honey and regular honey? Each is processed slightly differently. There are very few steps involved in making raw honey, but it is also purer than other honey. Organic raw honey is taken straight from the beehive. Honey is carefully taken out of the bee's honeycombs and strained to separate the honey from dead bees, beeswax, and other impurities you don't want to find in your bottle of honey. After this straining process, organic honey can be put in a bottle, sold and enjoyed by local consumers who appreciate the quality of honey that they get from local sources.

 

Regular honey goes through a rigorous process with more steps than raw honey. Regular honey goes through filtration and pasteurization before it is sold on store shelves. Sugar may also be added to lower the costs of making this kind of honey. Pasteurization gets rid of yeast in the honey that makes it smoother and lasts longer than local honey.

 

Filtration in store-bought honey gets rid of more impurities like air bubbles and debris. This helps make the honey last longer and as a clear liquid. Consumers also like the look of the clear honey. Some store-bought honey even goes through ultrafiltration, which refines the honey, even more, giving it a more smooth and clear look. The honey looks visually appealing, but nutrients that are good for the body are removed in this process, such as pollen, enzymes, and nutrients.

 

As the above explains, local raw honey is more nutritious than store-bought honey that has been purified. There are many good-for-you nutrients that can be found in raw honey. These nutrients include 31 various minerals, 22 amino acids, and a variety of enzymes and vitamins. There are also many healthy polyphenols found in raw honey. These polyphenols act as antioxidants. polyphenols come from 30 different bioactive plant compounds. These special antioxidants have been shown to help with lowering the risk of specific cancers and heart disease, as well as lowering the chance of inflammation occurring.

 

Other studies have been done to show the main differences between organic honey and store-bought honey. There are fewer antioxidants in regular store-bought honey since the purification process this honey goes through gets rid of these healthy components of raw honey. Some organic honey can have as much as 4.3 times as many antioxidants as the processed kind.