Raw honey is a pure, unfiltered, and unpasteurized sweetener straight from the hive and made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Most of the honey we eat today is processed honey that has been heated and filtered. Unlike processed honey, raw honey keeps it’s incredible nutritional value. It can help with everything from low energy to sleep problems to seasonal allergies. Switching to raw honey may even help weight loss efforts when compared to diets containing sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Raw honey is one of nature’s purest foods and considered a “functional food”, which means it’s a natural food with health benefits. Raw honey contains 22 amino acids, 27 minerals and 5,000 enzymes. Minerals include iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and selenium. Some of the vitamins found in raw honey include vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin.
One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories; however, it has a healthy glycemic load around 10 for 1 tablespoon, which is a little less than a banana. Raw honey does not usually cause a high sugar spike and elevated insulin release like refined white sugar. Honey is typically about 18% water, but the lower the water content, the better the quality of honey. Best of all, you do not need to refrigerate raw honey, and you can measure it by the spoonful straight from the jar.