Many people like to buy raw unpasteurized honey from a local farmstand.
It’s believed, but not proven, that local honey contains the same types of pollen that afflict seasonal allergy suffers. So, ingesting a little bit of something that makes you sick, may improve your health. (This principle works in homeopathy.)
Any type of pure, unprocessed honey is good for you, unless you have a medical condition that overrides its nutritional value. Some holistic health experts consider honey a superfood, because it’s rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals and infection-fighting compounds.
Where Can I Buy Raw Unpasteurized Honey?
(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)
Local honey is probably your best choice. Aside from the potential health considerations, it’s good to support small farmers. Although a Mom and Pop operation may not offer USDA certified organic honey, this may not matter, if you trust the source.
Many of us, however, don’t live within a reasonable drive of a beekeeper. Or, the hives may be located close to an area sprayed by pesticides.
For instance, I could get my honey from a farm about a half hour away. I don’t think any pesticides are used. I have no concerns that chemicals would be added. But the honey I’d buy would be pasteurized. So, in order to obtain raw, organic honey, I need to go online.
Or, I could pick up this same brand at one of the grocery stores in my area. But I’d pay a fortune for it.
In our house, we use raw organic honey as our primary sweetener. If my children bake something, they add organic sugar to the recipe. But for regular cooking, we use honey. This means we also use a lot of it. So I need to find an affordable source.
One of the best prices I’ve found anywhere on YS Eco Bee Farms Organic Honey is at Vitacost. This honey is delicious. It tastes different than what you may be used to, if you’ve previously purchased those little plastic squeeze jars of honey in the grocery store.
Cheap generic honey may have unhealthy additives. This is also the same for many of the inexpensive name brands, according to a scathing report by Food Safety News.
YS Bee Farms Raw Honey Review
This media outlet uncovered shocking revelations that much of the honey sold in the United States really comes from China and may have added chemicals and artificial sweeteners.
For me, the only real honey option is a USDA-certified organic brand. I buy YS Eco Bee Farms honey in a 2-pound size from Vitacost. This is much more economical than getting it on my regular grocery run. I also like the fact that this size is packaged in a glass jar, so there are no concerns about plastic. The wide-mouth jars can later be used for freezing homemade soups. Vitacost typically offers special coupons, in addition to their already deep discounts on natural health products.
Vitacost offers excellent prices on healthy items. This is where I now do a lot of my grocery shopping. I save so much money, and having boxes dropped at my door is the ultimate in convenience.
Real Raw Unpasteurized Honey
I’m extremely careful where I buy my honey. That’s because honey fraud is widespread. Because I suffer from a chronic nerve disease, kept under control with a good diet and various natural remedies, I have to make sure I’m not unintentionally consuming toxins. With off-the-shelf honey, it seems as if this would be easy to do. That’s why I make sure to get real honey.
Much of the honey coming into the United States is questionable, according to Food Safety News. This outlet has been at the forefront of coverage of the international honey scandal. It’s interesting to note that the European Union has banned Indian honey. That’s because much of it was found to really come from China, according to other published reports.
(The United States, at least at the time of this writing, has not stopped these potentially dangerous imports.)
The EU crackdown was done in response to discoveries that Indian honey may be contaminated with heavy metals. One possible source may be small family farms in China, where much of this honey probably originates. The honey collected may be stored in lead-contaminated containers, noted Food Safety News.
Antibiotics in Chinese Honey
Illegal antibiotics have also been found in some batches of Chinese honey.
Equally alarming is the possibility that some honey samples may be doctored with chemicals. In Europe, fake imported honey was found, noted the Food Safety News report. although it resembled the real thing, it contained a mix of artificial sweeteners and other ingredients.
This is why I never trust most honey brands I see in the grocery store. Food Safety News even tried to contact one of the major labels, but met with no success. This is not something that inspires confidence in this label or many of the others sold at a discount at drugstores, supermarkets and other retail outlets.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Children under one should not eat honey.
