Does honey have to be raw to be healthy?
Replies
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I have pretty bad pollen allergies. I tried eating local honey in my tea for close to a year (I drank it all day long when I was working, so well over a tablespoon a day). Sadly, it didn't help at all. It tasted good, though, so I don't regret the experiment
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comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
OP said in the original post that they have symptoms caused by eating raw honey. This means there is harm in OP eating the honey.6 -
As a bee keeper I can defiantly tell you that honey bought in shops, made by big manufacturing companies is highly filtered and processed. Heat treated beyond buggery and often cut with even more inferior honey and sugars.
If you are able to eat honey, best you buy local, from a local bee keeper, buy it raw and unfiltered.7 -
Love_2_Hike wrote: »As a bee keeper I can defiantly tell you that honey bought in shops, made by big manufacturing companies is highly filtered and processed. Heat treated beyond buggery and often cut with even more inferior honey and sugars.
If you are able to eat honey, best you buy local, from a local bee keeper, buy it raw and unfiltered.
Well not best for OP since she has an allergic reaction to it.
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Also if the OP is still here, they really need to get themselves to an allergist.3
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.[/quote
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.1 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.
Fixing the quote-embedding, since you made it look like I said something you actually said, that I don't agree with.
And yes, you are recommending that "people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to." You keep ignoring what I and others are saying, and moving the goal posts. We say X, and you say, I didn't say Y.1 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.
If a person experiences symptoms when eating a food, then they should not eat that food without at the very least consulting their doctor. As many people have stated here, OP's symptoms are concerning because what begins as a slight throat irritation could, in some people, develop into a potentially deadly anaphylactic reaction if the person continues to be exposed to the substance that causes those symptoms. These deadly reactions can develop without warning. It is irresponsible and dangerous to recommend that OP continue to eat honey when there is any potential at all of a negative reaction, whether that reaction is "just" a scratchy throat or something more severe.
I am not sure why you want to keep arguing this point, but it really doesn't matter whether we call it hay fever or an allergy. The point is that no one should continue eating things that harm them, no matter whether we perceive that level of harm to be small or large.2 -
Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »I've always heard of the benefits of honey. But does as that mean any honey or just raw honey?.
If it just means raw honey I'll likely skip honey all together. Raw honey makes my throat itch and I can't stop coughing when I have it. It's not healthy for me.
People will tell you anything is healthy to sell you things.
No one food is healthy, it is your total diet that matters.
By this thinking, no one food is bad for you. Just like food can poison is it can rejuvenate us. Not in the ways we always want, and moderation is best, but don't throw out the notion that some foods actually are "super" foods.15 -
First of all, @mdtb8 mentioned an ichy throat and coughing when she ate raw honey. She came back with additional information that indeed she has a pollen allergy.
From itching to swelling to anaphylactic shock are just baby steps away.
Proof that for some people, a touted superfood should be avoided. Because for her, it’s potentially deadly.
I like raw local honey. I don’t have an allergy to it. Yay for me. I am diabetic though so I must watch the dosage. Boo.4 -
foxtrot1965 wrote: »Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »I've always heard of the benefits of honey. But does as that mean any honey or just raw honey?.
If it just means raw honey I'll likely skip honey all together. Raw honey makes my throat itch and I can't stop coughing when I have it. It's not healthy for me.
People will tell you anything is healthy to sell you things.
No one food is healthy, it is your total diet that matters.
By this thinking, no one food is bad for you. Just like food can poison is it can rejuvenate us. Not in the ways we always want, and moderation is best, but don't throw out the notion that some foods actually are "super" foods.
Correct - no one food is bad for you - obviously unless you have an allergy or a medical condition to a specific thing.
I disagree that any foods are super foods or that any specific food rejuvenates us
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I've always heard of the benefits of honey. But does as that mean any honey or just raw honey?.
If it just means raw honey I'll likely skip honey all together. Raw honey makes my throat itch and I can't stop coughing when I have it. It's not healthy for me.
Healthy or not healthy. Kind of a button term (pushes some people’buttons here) truly open to interpretation. Clearly, op, if you are having a reaction to it, you should refrain from consuming it. Simple logic. There are plenty of alternatives to sweetening foods/drinks.
I buy honey at the local farmers market. It is produced at a nearby farm. It is the best honey I have ever tasted.1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.
Fixing the quote-embedding, since you made it look like I said something you actually said, that I don't agree with.
And yes, you are recommending that "people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to." You keep ignoring what I and others are saying, and moving the goal posts. We say X, and you say, I didn't say Y.
Sorry, I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. My fault for not being clear enough. And apologies for the quote mistake.
I'm not ignoring anything, neither am I arguing and neither am I insisting that people eat things that make them ill. Can we drop it now, please?3 -
Backyard beekeeper here. We simply extract and strain, without heat processing. I don't pretend that it is a miracle cure for all that ails you, but some people just prefer it this way. I don't like honey, so...2
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Love_2_Hike wrote: »As a bee keeper I can defiantly tell you that honey bought in shops, made by big manufacturing companies is highly filtered and processed. Heat treated beyond buggery and often cut with even more inferior honey and sugars.
If you are able to eat honey, best you buy local, from a local bee keeper, buy it raw and unfiltered.
Honey is AWESOME for you...lots of nutrients/enzymes...I wish the couple of beekeepers who have commented would elaborate on why honey is good for us...it isn't just a sweetener like any other...of course, if a person is allergic/sensitive for whatever reason they should refrain from eating it...that's kinda obvious & has been commented on a lot here. Anyway, it does turn into "just a sweetener" when they heat the goodness out of it to pasteurize it as the above quote relates.7 -
What kind of benefits would honey have? I don't really like honey. I'll leave it for the bees.0
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lorrainequiche59 wrote: »Love_2_Hike wrote: »As a bee keeper I can defiantly tell you that honey bought in shops, made by big manufacturing companies is highly filtered and processed. Heat treated beyond buggery and often cut with even more inferior honey and sugars.
If you are able to eat honey, best you buy local, from a local bee keeper, buy it raw and unfiltered.
Honey is AWESOME for you...lots of nutrients/enzymes...I wish the couple of beekeepers who have commented would elaborate on why honey is good for us...it isn't just a sweetener like any other...of course, if a person is allergic/sensitive for whatever reason they should refrain from eating it...that's kinda obvious & has been commented on a lot here. Anyway, it does turn into "just a sweetener" when they heat the goodness out of it to pasteurize it as the above quote relates.
The comment right above yours...AngryViking1970 wrote: »Backyard beekeeper here. We simply extract and strain, without heat processing. I don't pretend that it is a miracle cure for all that ails you, but some people just prefer it this way. I don't like honey, so...
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lorrainequiche59 wrote: »Love_2_Hike wrote: »As a bee keeper I can defiantly tell you that honey bought in shops, made by big manufacturing companies is highly filtered and processed. Heat treated beyond buggery and often cut with even more inferior honey and sugars.
If you are able to eat honey, best you buy local, from a local bee keeper, buy it raw and unfiltered.
Honey is AWESOME for you...lots of nutrients/enzymes...I wish the couple of beekeepers who have commented would elaborate on why honey is good for us...it isn't just a sweetener like any other...of course, if a person is allergic/sensitive for whatever reason they should refrain from eating it...that's kinda obvious & has been commented on a lot here. Anyway, it does turn into "just a sweetener" when they heat the goodness out of it to pasteurize it as the above quote relates.
It has trace amounts of some vitamins and minerals, but really nothing substantial. If you're eating enough for it to be providing a lot of nutrition, then the calories count is going to be incredibly high. It's probably better for most people to just get their nutritional needs met from other foods and choose a sweetener based on flavor.5 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.
Fixing the quote-embedding, since you made it look like I said something you actually said, that I don't agree with.
And yes, you are recommending that "people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to." You keep ignoring what I and others are saying, and moving the goal posts. We say X, and you say, I didn't say Y.
Sorry, I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. My fault for not being clear enough. And apologies for the quote mistake.
I'm not ignoring anything, neither am I arguing and neither am I insisting that people eat things that make them ill. Can we drop it now, please?
Not hostile, just exasperated.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Sorry, I embarked on a lengthy response then decided it wasn't worth it. No, I'm not "recommending" that at all. If someone is allergic to honey then of course they should avoid it. But having hay-fever doesn't necessarily mean you're allergic to honey.lynn_glenmont wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »I have heard that eating local honey can help desensitize certain allergies. The idea is the honey is made from the same local pollen that you are allergic to. I have no idea if it is true or myth but I know some people that swear by it.
That's actually a myth. It might work if it doesn't land you in the hospital or flat out kill you, but for real desensitization, you need shots by a doctor. Trying to do it yourself is a guaranteed way to ruin your health. It's the same as 'trying' just a tiny bit of peanut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.
I am not talking about a serious allergy like me getting stung by a bee, it takes me a week to finish swelling. I wouldn't go get stung to desensitize my allergy. I am talking about getting a runny nose when a plant blooms. If a desensitization via doctors shots work I see no reason the bee honey from local pollen wouldn't work too. That is just speculation on my part but if someone wants to try it I see no risk other than running out of tissues.
You don’t see a risk in recommending that a person do something that might make them sick, and does not have any proven benefits? Eating honey is not the same thing as getting prescribed allergy shots under medical supervision, after undergoing appropriate testing.
I don't think they were referring to food allergies. I think they were referring to hay-fever. If you aren't allergic to honey then there's no harm in trying local honey to see if it desensitises you to local pollen (though I gather it's a myth) I didn't see anyone recommending that you should eat honey if you're allergic to it!
Hay fever is an allergy (or, more properly, an allergic response to a variety of allergens which could include pollen). So you're recommending that people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to.
Fixing the quote-embedding, since you made it look like I said something you actually said, that I don't agree with.
And yes, you are recommending that "people who are allergic to pollen eat the pollen they're allergic to." You keep ignoring what I and others are saying, and moving the goal posts. We say X, and you say, I didn't say Y.
Sorry, I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. My fault for not being clear enough. And apologies for the quote mistake.
I'm not ignoring anything, neither am I arguing and neither am I insisting that people eat things that make them ill. Can we drop it now, please?
Not hostile, just exasperated.
Yes, I can see that.
Honestly I think it was a misunderstanding but I'm shutting up now! 1
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