Demystifying Honey: What's the healthiest way to eat honey?

October 7, 2025 •

4 min read

For millennia, honey has been used for both food and medicine. But with so many varieties and uses, understanding what's the healthiest way to eat honey? is key to unlocking its full potential, from soothing a cough to boosting your immune system.

Quick Summary

This guide covers the healthiest methods for consuming honey, including choosing raw over regular varieties, avoiding high temperatures, and using it in moderation. It also offers creative, healthy pairings to help you maximize its nutritional benefits.

Key Points

Choose Raw Honey: Opt for raw, unfiltered honey to ensure you get the full range of enzymes, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds that are often lost during pasteurization.
Avoid High Heat: Never mix honey into boiling liquids or cook it at high temperatures, as this destroys its key nutrients. Use warm water or let hot beverages cool down first.
Consume in Moderation: Treat honey as a sugar and consume it in recommended daily amounts (around 6-9 teaspoons total added sugar) to avoid excessive calorie and sugar intake.
Pair with Nutrients: Combine honey with other healthy foods like yogurt, oatmeal, or cinnamon to create a balanced snack and enhance its prebiotic effects.
Use it for Wellness: Take advantage of honey's soothing properties by adding it to warm tea for a sore throat or using it as a natural energy booster before a workout.
Beware for Infants: Never give honey to infants under 12 months due to the risk of infant botulism.

The Raw vs. Regular Honey Debate

Choosing the right kind of honey is the first step toward healthier consumption. The key difference lies in processing. Raw honey comes straight from the hive and is typically only strained to remove larger impurities, like beeswax or pollen. Regular or commercial honey, on the other hand, is heated (pasteurized) and filtered to improve its color, consistency, and shelf life.

Raw Honey: Because it is not pasteurized, raw honey retains more of its natural nutritional components. These include beneficial enzymes, bee pollen, and propolis, which is a glue-like substance bees use to build their hives. These compounds are rich in antioxidants, which help fight cell damage and inflammation. Its cloudy or opaque appearance is a sign of these intact components.
Regular Honey: While still a natural sweetener, the pasteurization process can significantly reduce the levels of antioxidants, enzymes, and other beneficial phytonutrients. Some commercially processed honeys may also contain added sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, so it's important to read labels carefully.

Comparison: Raw Honey vs. Regular Honey


Feature	Raw Honey	Regular Honey
Processing	Strained to remove debris, not pasteurized.	Heated (pasteurized) and filtered.
Nutrients	Contains beneficial enzymes, pollen, and propolis.	Many nutrients and enzymes are destroyed or reduced by heat.
Antioxidants	Higher levels of phenolic acids and flavonoids.	Lower levels due to heat processing.
Appearance	Cloudy, opaque, or creamy.	Clear and smooth.
Texture	Thicker and may crystallize over time.	Consistent, slow to crystallize.
Flavor	Varies depending on floral source; more complex.	Milder and more uniform flavor.

The Golden Rule: Avoid High Heat

One of the most important considerations for healthy honey consumption is temperature. Excessive heat can destroy its beneficial enzymes, phytonutrients, and antibacterial properties. For this reason, it's best to add honey to foods or beverages that are warm, but not boiling. For instance, when adding honey to tea, let the water cool slightly after steeping to preserve the honey's integrity.

Cooking or baking with honey at high temperatures will caramelize its sugars and diminish its health benefits, essentially turning it into a simple sweetener without the added nutritional value. This is why adding honey to marinades or glazes, while delicious, is not the healthiest way to consume it if your goal is nutrition.

Creative and Healthy Ways to Use Honey

Incorporating honey into your diet can be both delicious and healthy. Here are some smart ways to do it:

Morning Elixir: Mix one teaspoon of raw honey into a glass of lukewarm water with a squeeze of lemon juice first thing in the morning. This can help stimulate metabolism and aid digestion.
Yogurt or Oatmeal Topping: Drizzle raw honey over plain Greek yogurt, oatmeal, or a bowl of fresh fruit for a natural and energizing boost.
Pre-Workout Fuel: For a quick energy source before exercise, especially endurance training, take 1-2 tablespoons of honey. It provides easily digestible carbohydrates that fuel your muscles and can be more effective than some sports gels.
Sore Throat Soother: Combine honey with warm herbal tea (like chamomile or ginger) or just a spoonful of honey to help soothe a sore throat or cough.
Healthy Marinade (No-Cook): Use honey in a cold marinade or dressing for salads. A classic honey-mustard vinaigrette can be made with honey, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.
Honey and Cinnamon Paste: Mix honey with cinnamon for a paste that is claimed to help boost immunity. You can also mix this into warm water for a soothing drink.
Digestive Aid: Honey contains prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria in your digestive system. Taking a small amount can help with digestion and soothe issues like diarrhea.

The Importance of Moderation

Despite its natural origins, honey is still a form of sugar and contains a significant number of calories. The healthiest way to consume honey is in moderation, treating it as a sweet treat rather than a health supplement to be consumed freely. The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars (about 6 teaspoons), while men should have no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons).

For individuals with diabetes or those watching their weight, honey's sugar content must be carefully monitored. While it has a slightly lower glycemic index than table sugar, it still impacts blood glucose levels. Always account for your honey intake when calculating your daily sugar consumption.

How to Choose the Healthiest Honey

Beyond the raw vs. regular debate, the source and type of honey also matter. For maximum health benefits, here’s what to look for:

Raw and Local: This ensures you get the full spectrum of enzymes, antioxidants, and pollen. Local honey may also help build immunity to local allergens, though more research is needed.
Manuka Honey: Hailing from New Zealand, Manuka honey is famous for its high concentration of Methylglyoxal (MGO), giving it superior antibacterial properties. Look for a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) or MGO rating to ensure quality and potency.
Buckwheat Honey: This dark, robust honey is particularly rich in antioxidants and is often used to soothe coughs and respiratory issues.

Conclusion

To consume honey in the healthiest way, the key is mindful and moderate consumption. By opting for raw, unprocessed honey, you preserve the natural enzymes, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a healthful food. Always avoid exposing it to high heat to protect these delicate compounds. Whether stirred into a warm drink, drizzled over yogurt, or used as a pre-workout boost, a spoonful of honey can offer a natural, nutritious touch to your diet. Just remember that it is still a sugar, and a little goes a long way in providing flavor and health benefits without excessive calories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Raw honey is unprocessed and unfiltered, retaining more natural enzymes, antioxidants, pollen, and propolis. Regular honey is pasteurized (heated) and filtered, which extends its shelf life and improves clarity but can reduce its nutritional value.

Yes, high heat can destroy the beneficial enzymes, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties in honey. It's best to consume honey at room temperature or mixed with warm, but not boiling, liquids to preserve its nutritional integrity.

Honey is still a form of sugar and should be consumed in moderation. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men daily, which includes honey.

Yes, honey has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can help soothe a sore throat and suppress a cough. Mix a spoonful with warm tea or water, but do not give it to infants under one year old.

Some people believe consuming local, raw honey can help with allergies by exposing the body to local pollen. While anecdotal evidence exists, scientific research on this effect is limited and inconclusive.

No, honey is not safe for infants under one year old. It can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism, a serious form of food poisoning.

Honey can be consumed anytime. Many enjoy it in the morning to boost energy or before bed to promote restful sleep by stabilizing blood sugar. It can also be a good pre-workout energy source.