Raw Honey Nutrition Facts

Honey is a favorite syrup of children and adults. In the market, two types of honey are available - one is regular honey, and another is labeled as raw honey. Well, the former refers to the pasteurized form of nectar after extracting from the honeycomb, whereas, raw honey is an unprocessed nectar that is neither heated not strained for packaging.

The term raw honey itself explains a lot about the production of this sweet tasting, golden colored liquid. The following paragraphs will provide you with information on raw honey nutriments.

Raw honey is also known as unpasteurized honey, owing to its production method. With true natural sugar and innumerable health benefits, one can spread raw honey over bread, use it in baking and tea making or prepare a drink with lemon and water.

Indeed, it can be consumed in any form, that you can think of. However, being a sweet tasting liquid, high sugar content is quite obvious, and so is the calorie count.

But, what nutrients contribute to the calorie count is an important aspect in deciding, whether a high calorie food is good or bad. The truth is, raw honey is good for health in a number of ways.

Most people are interested in knowing the actual calorie count in raw honey. Well, the calorie content in 1 tablespoon serving amount of raw honey is approximately 60 calories. The calorie value may differ from one food brand to another.

Say for instance, serving 1 tablespoon of Y.S. Organic Bee Farms raw honey yields 60 calories, while the same serving quantity of really raw honey is sufficient to provide 70 calories. Speaking about calories in regular honey, the calorie value is nearly similar to that of raw honey, and 1 tablespoon provides 64 calories.

The impressive part with raw honey consumption is that all the calories come from sugar or carbohydrates. In short, this sweet liquid contains zero fats. The carbohydrate content is found to be 16 g per tablespoon of raw honey, with higher amounts of fructose and glucose, and less amount of maltose.

Just like the calorie data, amount of sugar present in raw honey may vary slightly for different brands. Other constituents of raw honey are water, vitamin C, amino acids, minerals and enzymes. The major isolated minerals are calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese amongst others.

Coming to raw honey nutritional benefits, this unfiltered honey contains traces of propolis, pollens and honeycomb. The propolis adds to the antimicrobial benefits of consuming honey. Overall, raw honey possesses strong antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer properties.

According to studies, some of the phytonutrients present in raw honey are missing in regular honey. The reason behind nutrient depletion is the heating, straining and other processing steps followed for producing regular honey. Hence, raw honey having a thicker consistency is a better choice over regular honey.

Unpasteurized honey retains maximum flavor and tastes great, which is not so with the heat-treated regular honey. After all, the flavorful enzymes and phytonutrients are lost during heating and rapid cooling process. In terms of therapeutic applications, raw honey is again touted as the best, over all other honey types.

It is consumed as a natural cure for acid indigestion. Raw honey helps in combating nausea, vomiting, arthritis pain, gastrointestinal infections and helps lose weight. On the downside story, it may contain some contaminants, so purchase it from a reliable brand to avoid raw honey dangers. You can read a detailed overview of raw honey health benefits.

As you have seen, raw honey nutrition facts are quite impressive and superior to pasteurized honey. So, consider using raw honey as a substitute for white sugar. What's more, the sweet intensity of this natural sugar is higher, thus requiring it in lesser amounts. Using 1 tablespoon of raw honey is sufficient to replace 1½-2 tablespoons of white sugar. Add it while making beverages, baking goodies and serving it during breakfast to stay healthy and strong.