Honey is often considered to be a great food choice because it is an all natural sweetener with antibacterial properties. Unfortunately, not all honey is equal, and you may not even be getting any health benefits if you buy certain brands.
It turns out that cheaper honey can be vastly different from the real thing. The primary issue with so much store bought honey is that it goes through an “ultrafiltration” process.
Though manufacturers claim that this is just to remove wax particles, it actually causes a lot of issues. Ultrafiltration means that the honey is mixed into water and then filtered through a high pressure method.
After the water is removed, this produces a clear, uncrystallized sweetener that does not contain most of the pollen and beneficial microbes found in real honey. Research from the Food Safety News has found that 76 percent of all store bought honey is actually ultrafiltrated honey.
This type of honey often seems preferable to consumers because it does not crystallize during long storage times and looks nice and clear. This type of honey might look more appealing, but it is very far removed from the complex flavor of real honey.
You may be able to find honey that has not gone through the ultrafiltration process at your grocery store, but it can be hard to tell which honey is actually real.
Your chances of getting real honey will be much higher if you go to a local farmer’s market where you can buy pure, raw honey from a local beekeeper.
