Raw Honey for Gut Health: Why We're Buzzing About the Health Benefits of Raw Honey by Joy Stephenson-Laws JD [inactive]

Much of the honey you see in the stores is processed and heated, which significantly reduces its nutrient content. Raw honey is natural, unprocessed honey and may be lightly filtered, but it is unheated, unpasteurized and full of nutrients that may benefit your health. 

Raw honey is a prebiotic. You are likely familiar with probiotics, live beneficial bacteria we get from eating certain foods including:

• yogurt

• sauerkraut

• kombucha

• kimchi

• kefir

Prebiotics, like raw honey, are just as critical for gut health because they are made of fiber that our bodies cannot digest. Prebiotics can, however, be digested by probiotics (live beneficial bacteria in our gut). So prebiotics are the food source for probiotics.

We need to feed the good bacteria in our guts in order to have a balanced gut microbiota, and a great way to ensure this may be by eating just a tablespoon of raw honey a day. Put raw honey in your morning yogurt for a prebiotic/probiotic “cocktail.” If you do not eat dairy, you can get herbal teas with probiotics and add raw honey.

A balanced gut may improve digestion, and studies have shown that if we take care of our gut health, we have better mental health.

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