Honey is a natural and pure product which we get from honey bees who convert nectar into honey. Pure and unprocessed honey has many benefits.  But the question is – how to choose honey which is pure, fresh and not adulterated.

It’s important to understand the difference between pure and impure honey to choose the best natural honey.

What is pure honey?

Pure honey is the honey which is free from any kind of adulterations. It is not manufactured in the factories but it is extracted and manufactured through nectar collected by bees. They make it in a hygienic and systematic way without even harming the beehives in the process. The colour and taste of pure honey are not always the same as it varies depending on the weather, region and kind of flowers. Some people prefer raw honey but it is different from processed honey. It is directly packed and has not undergone any process to remove the impurities.

How to find pure honey?

There are many types of adulterations in pure honey, for example, additions like fructose syrup, corn syrup or even rice syrup. These are nothing but sugar syrups that are cheaper to honey and even your most trusted brands might be practising it without becoming illegal.

To check the purity, many people perform different tests like burn test, water test etc. at home.  But in reality, these are not the ways to check the purity of honey. They can’t detect the presence of rice Syrup in honey.

Sadly it’s not easy to find the purity as even some trusted brands in India are selling sugar syrup instead of honey. They claim of selling pure honey but many are just sugar syrup with a little amount of honey. Due to this adulteration of honey, FSSAI had checked into various trusted brands of honey to check any kind of adulterations, as posted in a DNA article. It is a good step by FSSAI and hopefully, the companies producing honey will be careful and we can get pure and real honey. The reports will be out soon and hopefully, there will be some norms and regulations.

You must know which is the best honey to buy and where to get it from. One has to be careful and choose the right one for their family. To be on the safer side, you should buy honey that is in the range of Rs. 500-600 per Kg and you must look for honey that provides proof of no added rice syrup or corn syrup.

[bctt tweet=”If you avoid sugar, why not avoid honey with added sugars too? #Nutrition #Health” username=”Deepagandhi1″]

As I wanted to buy the best for my family, I did a small research on the internet. My research led me to a brand Zandu Honey that actually gives proof of no added rice syrup. You can find the Rice Syrup addition test reports on its website.

As a mom, I try to choose everything that is pure and real for my family. There is no compromise when it comes to the health and wellness of my family. I am glad that I found a product which is pure and tested.

Health Benefits of pure honey-

100% Pure honey has all the vitamins and minerals intact in it and has many health benefits.

  1. Antibacterial and antioxidant – Honey helps to boost immunity due to its antioxidant properties and you can keep your kids safe from various illnesses. It is also an effective cold and cough remedy. You can take honey with some ginger juice to cure a cough. Also, its used in many medicines to heal wounds faster.
  2. Preservative – Honey is a preservative and there is no need of adding any preservatives in it. Due to a high amount of sugar in it, it is sometimes used as a preservative.
  3. Weight loss – Many of my clients ask if they can substitute honey for sugar as they think it has fewer calories. It is a major misconception. Honey contains almost similar calories as sugar but its health benefits make it a better substitute for sugar. You can take it in the morning with lemon and a glass of warm water on an empty stomach. It helps to boost the metabolism and helps in weight loss.
  4. Skin problems – Honey is used in different ways to keep skin problems like eczema and dryness away. A mix of honey, oats and turmeric with little oil can be used to keep skin healthy. Also, you can add honey to any face packs to get its benefits. It can also help to treat dandruff problems due to its antifungal properties.
  5. Sleep better – Honey can help you to sleep better as it helps to release a hormone called serotonin converts to melatonin which helps to aid sleeping. It is also helpful to boost memory and helps to prevent brain degeneration due to its antioxidant properties.

Ways to use it in your diet – 

I use honey in many recipes and recommend people to add it to your normal recipes to get its benefits. Here are some ways to include honey in your diet.

  1. Use honey in your tea and coffee instead of sugar.
  2. Pour it over your salads.
  3. Add it in the dips or marinades.
  4. Use it in place of maple syrup with your pancakes and waffles.
  5. Add it in milkshakes and smoothies. Here is a recipe of Honey strawberry milkshake.

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