Raw Unheated Honey

[mentisafer]

Hi, I've bought raw honey from the store, and was wondering since there are two brands available, and they are quite different; one is Really Raw Honey and the other is Heavenly Organics. Both claim to be raw, unheated, organic. Really Raw brand looks white, creamy and has some wax and pollen at the top. It is very thick. Heavenly Organics brand looks just like a regular honey, it is runny and amber, but it has a label USDA Organic. Is it possible that this is not really unprocessed? Which one is better? Maybe both are ok and just different kinds?

[RawZi]

    I think sage honey I think is supposed to be runny.  I don't like it though.  I tried a honey labeled unheated that looked otherwise, and it gave me a bad reaction that lasted for months.  I find runny amber regular looking as honey suspect, as well as any USDA label.  I've never heard of Heavenly Organics.  I have tried Really Raw Honey, and it stands the tests of making the foods I ferment grow good microorganisms. 

[TylerDurden]

I'm going to post about this on the Primal Diet yahoo group and let you know. They seem more aware of this issue and know about all the genuine 100% raw brands - not surprising as they eat so much raw honey.

[mentisafer]

Thank you guys; last night, as I was posting, I was getting a bad sore throat from going out the night before to the bars to drink beer and smoke cigarettes(I habit I'm trying to quit). Then I opened the jar of honey that looks amber and runny, Heavenly Organics, a little worried that the label unheated might be fake. Well, I ate 3 spoonfuls, and within 20 minutes the sore-throat was gone. Unbelievable, it normally takes days or weeks to get rid of it. And today no sore at all. But I'm gonna stick to Real Raw since it looks more authentic. I thought I should post this little experiment though.
Please let me know what the guys at the other forum say.
Thanks.

[Sully]

You could try finding actual honey comb. That is your best bet as far as quality, health, and taste in my opinion.

http://www.tassotapiaries.com/images/Honey%20Comb%202.JPG

http://www.kallashoney.com/retail.html     Check the specialty items for honey comb.

[mentisafer]

Does the honeycomb guarantee it is unheated? I remember eating honeycomb at a monastery, it was delicious.

[Sully]

Does the honeycomb guarantee it is unheated? I remember eating honeycomb at a monastery, it was delicious.

Yes. Just make sure its only honey comb, not honey comb in a jar surrounded by liquid honey.
Liquid honey is usually heated then filtered. Some honey is slightly heated to make it liquid, not necessarily cooked, but then filtered.
Your safest and healthiest bet is with local or close to home honey comb. Also the wax in honey comb turns to a gum kind of, and actually lifts the honey out of the crevices in your teeth somewhat.

[djr_81]

Thank you guys; last night, as I was posting, I was getting a bad sore throat from going out the night before to the bars to drink beer and smoke cigarettes(I habit I'm trying to quit). Then I opened the jar of honey that looks amber and runny, Heavenly Organics, a little worried that the label unheated might be fake. Well, I ate 3 spoonfuls, and within 20 minutes the sore-throat was gone. Unbelievable, it normally takes days or weeks to get rid of it. And today no sore at all. But I'm gonna stick to Real Raw since it looks more authentic. I thought I should post this little experiment though.
Please let me know what the guys at the other forum say.
Thanks.

Honey is a fantastic throat aid, whether heated or raw. I remember as a kid when I'd get a sore throat I'd have a mug of hot tea made from marshmallow with a bit of slippery elm and a spoonful of honey.

[Sully]

Honey is a fantastic throat aid, whether heated or raw. I remember as a kid when I'd get a sore throat I'd have a mug of hot tea made from marshmallow with a bit of slippery elm and a spoonful of honey.

Actually some highly sweet things seem to cause throat irritation for me. Makes it kinda soar. Don't remember if raw honey comb did this (not up for an experiment though). But sure raw honey could cause problems in excess, just like many foods.. Hot water is another story though. That seems work on a soar throat.

[RawZi]

Honey is a fantastic throat aid, whether heated or raw. I remember as a kid when I'd get a sore throat I'd have a mug of hot tea made from marshmallow with a bit of slippery elm and a spoonful of honey.

    You probably ate carbs as a kid?  The herbal extract could have given more benefit, or maybe even the warmth what helped.  It's nice to feel something warm sometimes, especially or sore parts.

    Or the rare occasion I get a cold or sore throat, I may mix good raw apple cider vinegar, unheated honey and fresh lemon in the morning.  That usually takes care of it if I do that.  I might do it several mornings in a row if need be. 

   

[PaleoPhil]

Actually some highly sweet things seem to cause throat irritation for me. Makes it kinda soar. Don't remember if raw honey comb did this (not up for an experiment though). But sure raw honey could cause problems in excess, just like many foods.. Hot water is another story though. That seems work on a soar throat.

Me too. Honey, even pure raw honeycomb, gives me a scratchy throat for some reason. Never worked to soothe my throat. A little soothes my stomach, but if I eat too much it makes me nauseous.

In strange contrast, elderberry syrup, which is also sugary, soothes my throat faster and better than anything. I don't know why.

[TylerDurden]

Honey is a fantastic throat aid, whether heated or raw. I remember as a kid when I'd get a sore throat I'd have a mug of hot tea made from marshmallow with a bit of slippery elm and a spoonful of honey.

 I agree. I used honey for sore throats pre-rawpalaeodiet and it worked wonders for me.

[whatever]

Discovered raw honey 2 weeks ago a tiny amount of it with each bite of raw meat hmmmmmm. Very very good. 

[TylerDurden]

Discovered raw honey 2 weeks ago a tiny amount of it with each bite of raw meat hmmmmmm. Very very good. 

Hmm, it's common to glaze cooked meat with honey, but I've never tried mixing the two when raw. Might have a go.

[Hannibal]

Raw unheated honey or honeycomb is especially delicious when combined with mutton suet.
With egg yolks it's also toothsome.

[mentisafer]

Raw unheated honey or honeycomb is especially delicious when combined with mutton suet.
With egg yolks it's also toothsome.

Hey that's great! It hadn't occurred to me before when I ate bone marrow and made me gag, had to spread it on bread. I'm gonna try this, I guess it must taste like a kind of sweet cream.

[TylerDurden]

Raw unheated honey or honeycomb is especially delicious when combined with mutton suet.
With egg yolks it's also toothsome.

  Sounds like a wonderful idea. I find most of the suet I've had from various sources to be far too bland - i usually prefer raw marrow.

[TylerDurden]

I checked with the primal diet yahoo group, and so far I've had 2 people complain severely about the Really Raw brand, considering it to be unlikely to be genuinely raw or of high-quality. No comment yet on Heavenly Organics Honey.

[djr_81]

I checked with the primal diet yahoo group, and so far I've had 2 people complain severely about the Really Raw brand, considering it to be unlikely to be genuinely raw or of high-quality. No comment yet on Heavenly Organics Honey.

I've had it many times in the past(actually, have some in the house for my wife right now). It has a thick layer of cappings, wax, etc. and is a very opaque with a thick consistency. It is very sweet though which I've noticed others equating to processing. I'd say it might be raw but have no guarantees.

On the topic of honey; anyone ever use Manuka honey? It's supposed to be one of the most antiseptic & analgesic of the honeys available and I've seen it recommended for topical healing purposes. Tastes awful IMO though.

[RawZi]

I've had it many times in the past(actually, have some in the house for my wife right now). It has a thick layer of cappings, wax, etc. and is a very opaque with a thick consistency. It is very sweet though which I've noticed others equating to processing. I'd say it might be raw but have no guarantees.

On the topic of honey; anyone ever use Manuka honey? It's supposed to be one of the most antiseptic & analgesic of the honeys available and I've seen it recommended for topical healing purposes. Tastes awful IMO though.

    The only thing I don't like about Really Raw Honey brand, is that the label only mentions Baltimore, while I hear the honey actually comes from upstate NY. 

    I have tried manuka.  I can't stand the taste either.  I don't recommend it for this reason. 

    I like Brazilian peppertree honey from Honey Pacifica, and dislike Russian honey yuck!  I don't remember the brand, but it was from Russia and I bought it in a store here in the US.  It smelled like rat urine.  Not saying whether rat urine is a health food or not, Idk, but I don't expect it in my honey.

[PaleoPhil]

I agree. I used honey for sore throats pre-rawpalaeodiet and it worked wonders for me.

Interesting. I wonder if there's a correlation here--maybe people who are more carb sensitive, like me, are more prone to the scratchy/tingly-throat-&-tongue effect (does anyone know what causes that?) and less prone to the soothing-throat effect?

Because of the slightly negative effects I get from raw honey, I was quite surprised when I did rather well with mead. However, much of the sugar is converted into alcohol in mead, of course.

I've noticed that the negative effects I experience from honey are much less pronounced in raw honey than in heated honey, and raw honey definitely tastes way, way better, of course. As a matter of fact, before I threw out some conventional honey I had, I tried some of it and found that since going raw carnivore it tastes sickeningly sweet and semi-burnt to me. Disgusting! It amazes me that I used to like that stuff.

Also, as my health has improved, I seem to handle raw honey better on those occasions when I try it.

[djr_81]

Interesting. I wonder if there's a correlation here--maybe people who are more carb sensitive, like me, are more prone to the scratchy/tingly-throat-&-tongue effect (does anyone know what causes that?) and less prone to the soothing-throat effect?

No. I'm about as carb sensitive as you get before diabetes and even last year the honey had a soothing effect.

[RawZi]

Interesting. I wonder if there's a correlation here--maybe people who are more carb sensitive, like me, are more prone to the scratchy/tingly-throat-&-tongue effect (does anyone know what causes that?) and less prone to the soothing-throat effect?

    Raw royal jelly and a few other foods make my throat and tongue like that.  In the royal jelly I wondered if it had anything to do with bee venom.

Because of the slightly negative effects I get from raw honey, I was quite surprised when I did rather well with mead. However, much of the sugar is converted into alcohol in mead, of course.

    Lots of (raw) foods that I can't handle plain, I do well with fermented.

No. I'm about as carb sensitive as you get before diabetes and even last year the honey had a soothing effect.

    I read in AV's writings that the only sugars he can handle are raw milk drank at the same time both at least room temperature and even then sipped very slowly, unheated (not more than 93 degreesF) unfiltered honey and unripe organic date eaten with lots of raw fat.  He was diagnosed type one diabetes when he was fifteen and supplemental insulin injection dependent, and says he's still very sensitive to fruit sugar etc.  I confirmed the type one diabetes part with him personally.  I didn't ask him in person about the fruit.

[Ioanna]

so I looked  at the honey at whole foods.. I saw the Heavenly Organics... the label says "unheated".  There is also Manuka that is labeled "raw"... I don't know the technical difference in something labeled unheated vs raw?

[Raw Kyle]

so I looked  at the honey at whole foods.. I saw the Heavenly Organics... the label says "unheated".  There is also Manuka that is labeled "raw"... I don't know the technical difference in something labeled unheated vs raw?

I think "raw" with honey doesn't necessarily mean anything, but "unheated" does. Unheated means that they didn't use any extra heat to get the honey out, or filter it. Raw is like "organic," with no strict definition. It could mean, to the company making the label, that it's "pure" honey or "natural" honey, not necessarily uncooked. That is not to say that honey labeled raw isn't really raw, just that honey labeled unheated is always raw, from my experience and research. I usually just rotate the jar and check how viscous it is, if it slows very easily then it's probably not raw. I could be wrong, but most of the truly raw honeys I've had were very viscous, some almost solid at room temperature.