Executive Summary:
- Raw honey has been used for centuries in both culinary and medicinal ways. Honey contains a multitude of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds.
- Raw Manuka honey contains unique bioactive compounds and nutrients that support optimal immune and digestive health.
- Ethical beekeeping includes allowing enough time for the bees to cap their honeycomb, leaving enough honey to get them through the winter, and limiting beekeeper interference.
Discover the Benefits of Local, Raw Honey
Honey is a natural sweetener that humans have used for centuries. In fact, beekeeping goes as far back as ancient Egyptian times. Yet, the honey that apiaries produce is good for far more than its delicious flavor.
The nutrients in raw honey from your local providers has a range of wellness benefits. So, let’s explore how including raw, local honey in your pantry can support overall wellness. What should you know?
What Are the Benefits of Raw Honey?
Raw honey from local beekeepers has different nutrients and benefits than the pasteurized, mass-produced honey you’ll find at the supermarket. It also often has a significantly richer taste and texture than store-bought honey.
While we often associate honey with its use as a flavor additive or sweetener in cooking, its nutrients can also offer wellness benefits when consumed raw.
Raw honey can contain several necessary nutrients that support our overall health and wellness, including:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Niacin
- Pantothenic Acid
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Riboflavin
-
Zinc
Another type of honey containing beneficial wellness nutrients is Manuka honey. Manuka can be taken for daily immune support, or to maintain healthy digestion and gut health, depending on its potency of beneficial nutrients.
Now that we’ve covered some basics, let’s dive into four amazing benefits of raw honey.
1. Antioxidant Content
Honey is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, which act as natural antioxidants. Antioxidants may help prevent a process called oxidative stress, in which the cellular structure of our body is affected by the presence of free radicals or unstable molecules. In turn, they help maintain good health and functioning of various systems in the body.
2. Supports Local Farmers
There are many health benefits of honey, especially if eaten raw. Thanks to its great taste, it is a great addition to your pantry. But one of the best reasons to opt for local honey is the support you give to local farmers and beekeepers.
For one, the honey from your community apiary is likely far less processed than the industrial alternatives on grocery store shelves. Honey found at the supermarket can lose much of what makes raw honey such a treat: its beneficial nutrients and its unique taste.
Moreover, locally sourced honey keeps farm-to-table food options alive and well. Honey bought to your neighborhood farmer’s market doesn’t just support your wellness, but the wellness of your community food network.
Buying straight from the source ensures folks know what they’re getting out of their honey, while also supporting ideals of local food sourcing, which can also then support sustainability initiatives that aim to reduce the logistics costs of produce transportation.
3. Helps Local Bee Populations
Honeybees are critical to the ecosystem — local crops, as well as the plants, flowers, and trees in your local parks and nature spots, are pollinated when your community apiaries are rich with honey.
Ensuring that honeybees can thrive in a safe, well-maintained habitat is essential to a functioning agricultural system and ecosystem. Bee populations have continued their shocking decline in numbers. Without bees, the food systems currently in place could collapse.
Buying local honey helps support bee populations. Locally maintained bee habitats don’t just provide you with delicious honey; you’re supporting a central pillar of our food system when you support your local bees!
You can check out our own sustainability initiatives here for more ideas and info on what helps!
4. MGO Levels
Okay, this one is specific to raw honey that’s local to us here in New Zealand, but we think it’s an important one to highlight.
Raw Manuka honey contains high levels of Methylglyoxal (MGO), a naturally occurring nutrient found only in Manuka. It possesses antibacterial properties thanks to the nectar of the New Zealand Manuka tea tree flower, which possesses the same properties.
Paying attention to the MGO levels in your Manuka honey is the first step to ensuring your Manuka is authentic and of high quality. A higher MGO number means higher potency and, typically, a deeper, richer flavor too.
At Manukora, we test all of our products for authenticity markers used by the Ministries of Primary Industries (MPI). If Manuka honey does not meet these standards, it is not considered authentic.
What Is Ethical Beekeeping?
Ethical beekeeping is the practice of allowing the bees to work with nature to produce delicious, high-quality honey. We believe the health and happiness of our bees directly contribute to the quality of the resulting honey.
Our ethical beekeeping practices here at Manukora include eliminating any antibiotic or spray use, allowing the bees to dehydrate the honey at their own pace, leaving enough honey to get them through the colder months, and not interfering unless absolutely necessary.
Every Manukora honey product further contains a unique QR code on the label. We believe that traceability is key to sharing ethical beekeeping with our customers.
When you scan this QR code, you will find:
- Confirmation of authenticity
- The batch number of the product
- The harvest region
- The beekeeper
- The potency of the Manuka honey in the product
Don’t Have a Local Apiary? Choose Manukora!
If you can’t find locally made raw honey at your community farmer’s market, or if you’re particularly looking to reap benefit number five in the list above, Manukora has got you covered.
At Manukora, our extensive range of products caters to different needs and preferences. For instance, our Manuka Honey UMF 24+ MGO 1123 is perfect for those seeking the highest potency. Alternatively, our Manuka Honey MGO 600 UMF 16+ offers a balance of quality and value.
For daily wellness, the Manuka Honey MGO 1000 is an excellent choice. Beyond our products, we also aim to educate our customers. Our blog provides insights on topics such as what the Queen Bee does, why honey crystallizes, and why Manuka honey is so expensive. Don’t forget to check out our trending products for the latest in Manuka honey innovations.
We’ve been producing the highest quality raw honey since 1998. Our mission from day one has remained the same to this day: sharing high-quality Manuka honey, harvested ethically and sustainably, with people all over the world.
Ready to try raw, New Zealand-local Manuka honey for yourself? Explore our authentic Manuka honey here.
Sources:
Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research | NIH
Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity | NIH
Novel Insights into the Health Importance of Natural Honey | NIH
Honey, Propolis, and Royal Jelly: A Comprehensive Review of Their Biological Actions and Health Benefits | NIH
