There is long known debate over honey! There are varieties of honey in the market all different in composition, texture, taste and nutrition. Honey is a great natural sweetener and whichever form you take it, it will remain a sweetener but will only differ in the nutrition content. Here is guide to the difference between the regular honey which you usually buy from shops and raw honey which too is available in selective stores:
COSTING
There is a difference in costing of standard honey and raw honey- depending upon the name of brand and the extraction and processing methods used. The process that requires less of work and the final product that is least concentrated is usually available cheaply which is the case with honey while the raw honey is costly since it is in pure form.
NUTRITION
The standard honey that you find in the grocery store is made using few steps that involves filtration and pasteurization. Filtration removes particulates and residual bee parts while the pasteurization heats the honey that kills all the heat labile enzymes and nutrients that makes the honey useless. The raw honey is not pasteurized so it retains all the essential nutrients and enzymes making it antimicrobial and a great antioxidant.
EASY TO USE
Standard honey is usually not very thick and has a thin consistency. As a result, it is not very easy to use due to dripping problem and it does even spread or form a layer on the bread or toast, it just seeps in making it soggy. The raw honey is thick and has a creamy texture that can be spread on anything without dripping.
SWEETNESS
Standard honey usually is very sweet but may contain fructose corn syrup whereas raw organic honey has the natural sweetness which is good for health and does not add on to the calories as much as standard honey does. Since raw honey has natural sweetness, it can be used as a natural sweetener in a number of recipes and for those who are diet conscious.
HEALTH BENEFITS
As mentioned earlier, standard honey is deprived of nutrition because of the processing and pasteurization process. Raw honey retains all the essential nutrients and enzymes that are beneficial for the body. Raw honey is rich in flavonoids, polynutrients, anti-microbial enzymes and anti-inflammatories. This is the reason why raw honey is used to treat a number of ailments.
MORE: Clear skin with honey.
WEIGHT CONTROL
Standard honey contains added artificial sweeteners and flavours that add on to the calories and make you gain weight. Raw honey on the other hand contains natural sweeteners which do not add on to the calories much and helps you maintain a healthy weight. You may have warm honey-lemon water early in the morning for weight loss.
SOME WAYS TO TEST HONEY:
- Put some honey on the surface of bread, if it seeps in, the honey is not pure.
- Add a tablespoon of honey to a glass of water. If the honey dissolves immediately, it is fake. Raw honey forms a lump and settles at the bottom.
- Put a drop of the honey on your thumb. If it spreads around right away or spills/drips, it’s not pure.