What Kind Of Honey Is Safe For Pregnancy?

What Kind Of Honey Is Safe For Pregnancy
“Raw” Food – Steak tartare: a raw food you may want to avoid in pregnancy Perhaps the idea that raw honey is taboo in pregnancy is an association with the word “raw” and hazards of infection during pregnancy. Raw honey poses no special risk for pregnant women. Of note, pasteurizing honey has no effect on the C.

Botulinum bacterial spores that can cause infant botulism. Pasteurized honey is not safer in any way than raw honey, it simply doesn’t ferment as the natural yeasts have been killed during pasteurization. I won’t ask you to take my word for this, but you might be interested in what the world-renown Mayo Clinic has to say on the risk of eating raw honey (relating to immune compromised individuals, but relevant to pregnant women if they are worried about botulism or infections, or concerned by the word “raw”): “‘Pasteurization’ of honey actually has no technical meaning, and heating honey doesn’t provide any food safety advantage.

Producers may heat honey to keep it from crystallizing but there is nothing safer about honey calling itself ‘pasteurized’ honey versus ‘raw’ honey. Therefore, you will not find any research or government advice indicating the need for immune compromised patients to use ‘pasteurized’ honey. Unlike raw honey, raw salad poses a non-zero risk of infection
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Contents

Is any honey safe during pregnancy?

A Word From Verywell – It’s important to be conscious of what you eat during pregnancy because some foods can be unhealthy for you, your unborn baby, or both. Fortunately, honey does not carry the same risks as many other uncooked or unpasteurized foods.

In general, honey is a safe sweet treat for you during pregnancy. So if you want to swirl some honey in your tea, use it to sweeten your baked goods, or take a spoonful to soothe a sore throat, feel free. Honey can carry bacteria, but your body should have no problem processing it as long as you are a healthy adult.

Still, if you have gestational diabetes, a gastrointestinal problem, or are coming off a course of antibiotics, it’s a good idea to discuss your honey intake with a doctor to be extra safe. Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

  1. Centers for Disease Control. Botulism,
  2. Tan M, Kim E, Koren G, Bozzo P. Botulinum toxin type A in pregnancy, Can Fam Physician,2013;59(11):1183-1184.
  3. Centers for Disease Control. Botulism: epidemiological overview for clinicians,
  4. Abbas AS, Ghozy S, Minh LHN, et al. Honey in bronchial asthma: from folk tales to scientific facts, J Med Food.2019;22(6):543-550. doi:10.1089/jmf.2018.4303
  5. Dżugan M, Tomczyk M, Sowa P, Grabek-Lejko D. Antioxidant activity as biomarker of honey variety, Molecules,2018;23(8):2069. doi:10.3390/molecules23082069
  6. Harris RA, Anniballi F, Austin JW. Adult intestinal toxemia botulism, Toxins,2020;12(2):81. doi:10.3390/toxins12020081
  7. Bobis O, Dezmirian DS, Moise AR. Honey and diabetes: the importance of natural simple sugars in diet for preventing and treating different type of diabetes, Oxid Med Cell Longev,2018;2018:4757893. doi:10.1155/2018/4757893
  8. Nemours Foundation. Infant botulism,

Additional Reading

  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Nutrition During Pregnancy,
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention: Botulism,
  • New England Journal of Medicine. Botulism in the Pregnant Woman ; 335:823-824. September 12, 1996. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199609123351117.

By Chaunie Brusie, RN Chaunie Brusie is a registered nurse with experience in long-term, critical care, and obstetrical and pediatric nursing. Thanks for your feedback!
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What is the best honey for pregnancy?

Is raw honey safe for pregnancy? – Most likely, yes. You may find unpasteurized or raw honey at a bee farm, roadside stand, or farmer’s market. There are no studies on the safety of raw honey during pregnancy, but there’s no reason to believe it’s unsafe.

  • Unpasteurized honey doesn’t carry the risk of you find with and,
  • In fact, because it’s less processed than pasteurized honey, raw honey likely contains more antioxidants.
  • Most honey sold in stores is pasteurized – not for safety reasons but for storage purposes and to improve appearance.
  • The honey is pasteurized using a method similar to the one used for pasteurizing milk.

It’s heated to 161 degrees F for 15 to 30 seconds and then rapidly cooled. This kills yeast cells (though not the botulism spores) so the honey won’t ferment. Pasteurization also slows the crystallization process so honey will stay liquid longer. Sometimes manufacturers add unhealthy sweetners, such as corn syrup, to pasteurized honey.
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Which honey is pasteurized?

– There are many different types of honey, each with their own characteristics, and some people may find it confusing to work out their differences. Common types of honey and their properties are as follows:

Raw honey — comes straight from the hive and is available in filtered or unfiltered forms. Regular honey — pasteurized and may contain added sugars. Pure honey — pasteurized but contains no added ingredients. Manuka honey — made by bees that feed on the manuka bush. It may have additional health benefits. Forest honey — made by bees that take honeydew from trees instead of nectar from flowers. It is often darker than other kinds of honey. Acacia honey — made by bees that feed from the flowers of the black locust tree. It is often lighter than other types of honey.

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Is pure honey pasteurized?

Raw Honey vs. Pure Honey: What Is the Difference? – Both “raw” and “pure” sound like they could be interchangeable descriptors, but when it comes down to the specifics, they mean very different things for honey. Raw honey refers to honey that has not been heated for pasteurization.

  1. It also means that it has not been cut with corn syrup, sugar or another ingredient to dilute it or change the flavor, and that it has not been closely filtered to remove pollen and air bubbles.
  2. Raw honey is lightly filtered to remove pieces of honeycomb and other debris, but that is the only processing that it undergoes.

Basically, raw honey is as close to the beehive as you can get. (Learn more about what raw honey is in our dedicated guide.) Pure honey only means that it has not been cut with corn syrup, sugar or another ingredient to dilute it. Usually, pure honey has been heated for pasteurization and filtered at least once if not twice, which is what separates it from raw honey. What Kind Of Honey Is Safe For Pregnancy Pure honey may or may not be different from just plain “honey,” depending on the manufacturer. A lot of products labeled “honey” actually are diluted with corn syrup, sugar and other lower quality ingredients. The addition of these other ingredients makes the “honey” sweeter and also reduces manufacturing costs, thereby increasing profits for the grocery store and supplier.
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How do I know if honey is pasteurized or not?

So how to know if honey is raw? – Though commercial honey prevails on the market, some retailers do offer healthier alternatives. To make sure you are buying raw honey, look at the label. It should say “100% raw” or “unpasteurized”. Words like “organic” and “pure” do not indicate that the honey was unheated.

  • If the label passed the test, look at the product more closely.
  • Raw honey is cloudier and creamier than the regular one.
  • It may also be crystallized or set, which some people perceive as an indication that honey has gone bad.
  • However, it is not so.
  • You can easily reverse the crystallization at home by putting the jar of honey into hot water.

The high temperature will melt the crystals and make the product liquid again. However, be careful not to overheat the honey as it destroys all the healthy nutrients. What Kind Of Honey Is Safe For Pregnancy
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Which honey is not pasteurized?

How to Pick the Healthiest Honey – When it comes to choosing the healthiest honey, you should look for one that is raw. Raw honeys are not pasteurized and bypass filtration, a process that may reduce its nutrients. A great variety of raw and unfiltered honey is available on Amazon.

  1. While minimally processed honeys are not bad, it’s hard to know which ones are minimally processed without actually performing tests beforehand.
  2. If you would prefer a minimally processed honey because of its texture, it’s best to buy it from a local beekeeper, as they are far less likely to be ultrafiltered.

Summary When it comes to choosing honey, your best bet is to go raw. While not all commercial honeys are bad, it’s hard to know which ones are healthy or unhealthy without doing a test beforehand.
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What happens if you eat unpasteurized honey while pregnant?

“Raw” Food – Steak tartare: a raw food you may want to avoid in pregnancy Perhaps the idea that raw honey is taboo in pregnancy is an association with the word “raw” and hazards of infection during pregnancy. Raw honey poses no special risk for pregnant women. Of note, pasteurizing honey has no effect on the C.

  1. Botulinum bacterial spores that can cause infant botulism.
  2. Pasteurized honey is not safer in any way than raw honey, it simply doesn’t ferment as the natural yeasts have been killed during pasteurization.
  3. I won’t ask you to take my word for this, but you might be interested in what the world-renown Mayo Clinic has to say on the risk of eating raw honey (relating to immune compromised individuals, but relevant to pregnant women if they are worried about botulism or infections, or concerned by the word “raw”): “‘Pasteurization’ of honey actually has no technical meaning, and heating honey doesn’t provide any food safety advantage.

Producers may heat honey to keep it from crystallizing but there is nothing safer about honey calling itself ‘pasteurized’ honey versus ‘raw’ honey. Therefore, you will not find any research or government advice indicating the need for immune compromised patients to use ‘pasteurized’ honey. Unlike raw honey, raw salad poses a non-zero risk of infection
View complete answer

How do you know if honey is 100% pure?

Water test – Pour 1 teaspoon of honey into a glass of water. If the honey settles as a lump at the bottom of the glass, the honey is pure. Flame test – Light a matchstick dipped in honey. If it does not light, your honey is adulterated.
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What is the difference between raw honey and pasteurized honey?

Honey: Raw, Unpasteurized, and Pasteurized – Country Bee Honey Farm Honey can be raw, unpasteurized or pasteurized. But what is the difference? And is one better than the other? We explain it all. The difference in these three types of honey can be found in the way the honey is processed.

  • Raw honey can be seen as honey straight from the hive.
  • It is extracted from the honeycombs and poured over a nylon cloth to separate the honey from any impurities.
  • Once the honey has been extracted, it is jarred without being heated and only lightly filtered.
  • Due to the honey being kept in it’s natural state, it still contains all of it’s nutritional properties.

Unpasteurized honey is slightly heated while being processed. Most of the honeys nutritional properties will still be present after processing. Pasteurized honey has been exposed to high heat while being processed. During the heating process, the yeast that is naturally present in honey will be destroyed, giving it a smoother texture.
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What color is unpasteurized honey?

Like The Force, honey is a magical substance with a light side and a dark side that’s mysteriously made by tiny living things, We have nearly a dozen Star Wars movies to explain The Force to us, but what is it that makes honey light or dark? Read on, you must.

  1. Honey gets its color from the pollen that a hive gathers to make it.
  2. Because plants blossom at different times of year and bees collect honey nearly year-round, a single hive can produce radically different colors of honey from season to season.
  3. You can see a great example of this phenomenon here, with plenty of discussion from the local beekeeper who produced the honey.
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All that changes is the bees’ pollen source: what we in the buzz biz call a ” varietal. ” So, now that we know where they come from, how do light and dark honeys taste? In her book The Honey Connoisseur, Marina Marchese describes the limit of what you can learn about honey from color alone: “Each varietal of honey generally falls within a color range, with slight variationsbut color does not always correspond to what we expect to taste.” The common wisdom is that light honeys are mild while dark honeys are heavy and rich.

  • This is generally true, with some exceptions.
  • For example, goldenrod pollen will make honey darker, but doesn’t bring along particularly intense tasting notes.
  • Meanwhile, tupelo honey is prized for its strong, fruity flavor but is almost always a light, translucent yellow color.
  • Bees use whatever pollen they can find, so if lots of plants are in bloom, the honey that results will be a unique mix of different varietals with an equally unique color and flavor.

Single-varietal honeys, like clover, have more consistent taste but can only be produced when and where that one plant is in bloom. That leaves one question: what about the honey in the middle? Most honey on store shelves isn’t particularly light or dark.

It’s more of a golden-orange color, consistent from bottle to bottle and brand to brand. You’d be forgiven for thinking that translucent goo in a bear-shaped bottle is honey in its natural state. But that middle-of-the-road honey has to be heavily processed, blended and pasteurized to end up that way.

All those “unusual” light and dark honeys are what honey really looks like. They’re more likely to be pure, raw and unfiltered honey. Even though their colors range from what beekeepers call “water white” to “motor-oil black,” raw and unfiltered varietal honeys are almost always cloudy and opaque, with their natural pollen––and flavor––still intact.
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Is all raw honey unpasteurized?

Is raw the same thing as unpasteurized? by Becky (Toronto, Canada) Just a quick question. I’m finding the information on the site a bit confusing. I have purchased honey labelled as raw, and liquid unpasteurized. (both organic) Aside from the consistency, is there a difference? The information on the site informs the reader to purchase honey labelled as “raw” or “unpasteurized”, however it has been my experience that raw honey does not come in liquid form.

  • Therefore, I am curious as to whether this organic, liquid, unpasteurized honey I am purchasing is as good as organic, unpasteurized, raw honey.Hi Becky, When raw honey is first bottled, it is in a liquid state so this might be the case here.
  • Over time it will return to a solid state.
  • If it doesn’t, then it is not raw and it has likely been heated.

Raw honey is simply a honey that has not been filtered or pasteurized. It will then contain naturally occurring bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax and propolis. A honey simply labelled as un-pasteurized is likely filtered but simply hasn’t been heated. It would not be considered raw as it has been filtered and had the royal jelly, beeswax, bee pollen and propolis removed from it.Hope that helps,Angela : Is raw the same thing as unpasteurized?
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Is it OK to eat unpasteurized honey?

– As long as a person is not allergic to bee pollen, raw honey is generally safe to use. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) say that people should not give honey to infants under the age of 1 because of the risk of infant botulism, Honey is safe from the age of 1 upwards. This applies to both raw and regular honey.
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Is Grade A honey the same as raw honey?

Raw Honey FAQ Q: What is the best way to store your honey once the jar has been opened? A: Most people keep their honey at room temperature as refrigeration is not necessary. If you like your honey thicker, the fridge is your best bet. Most raw honeys will crystallize over time; cooler temperatures can speed this process.

  • Q: What is the shelf life of honey? Does it expire? A: No, honey will never spoil and has even been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.
  • Q: Why does the honey look like there are two different layers? A: The honey is starting to crystallize and become lighter, which is natural and happens to all raw honey.

Q: My honey has crystallized, what should I do? A: Warm some water and set your jar in it for a warm-water “bath”. To preserve the rawness of unheated honey, keep the water below 95°F, which is the highest temperature we’ve recorded in bee hives. Q: Is your honey organic? A: Our honey is not certified organic.

Although our and meet standards to be certified organic, we do not currently certify them for the following reason. Due to the drought our production of these honeys are very low, even with the high prices we must charge we often sell out before the new crop. Therefore, we do not wish to increase the cost of the honey by going through the certification process and then have to pass that cost on to the consumer.

Q: Are your products free of pesticides and chemicals? A: Yes! Q: Do you treat your bees humanely? A: We treat our bee friends as humanely as possible and keep our interference in their lives to a minimum. Q: Do you use antibiotics in your honey? A: No, our bees are healthy and antibiotic free!! Q: Do you feed the bees sugar in the off-season? A: We feed our bees only when it’s absolutely necessary to keep the hive alive and never when they are making honey.

Q: How long will Royal Jelly keep in the fridge? A: We recommend you keep Royal Jelly for no more than six months in the fridge or up to two years frozen. Q: Is your honey fair trade? A: None of our honey is from a developing country; therefore, we are not fair trade. Q: What is the difference between Grade A and Grade B Honey? A: Grade A honey has to be super clear, defect-free honey and can only be done with heat and hyperfiltration.

Grade A is what most people consume and are the cheapest honeys. Our Honey is Grade B honey because it’s raw, unheated and unfiltered. We believe honey should be unprocessed, raw, and as close to eating out of the hive as possible. Our honey is beautiful, but unprocessed honey can’t get a grade A.

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Q: Some of your honeys are more viscous than others; does this mean they were heated? A: All raw honeys have different viscosities depending on the floral source. The moisture level can vary from 13 percent to 20 percent. Our cold packed honey is not heated. Q: How do you get the different varieties of honey? A: We specialize in placing bees in areas that contain only one floral source.

The bees will only work that type of flower, which gives us the varieties. Due to uncontrollable circumstances like rain, sun, wind and plant growth, the taste, viscosity and color of the honey will change from year to year. Keep an eye on the local news, if they are predicting a bad year for a certain crop it’s also going to be a slow year for that type of honey.
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Is all raw honey unpasteurized?

Is raw the same thing as unpasteurized? by Becky (Toronto, Canada) Just a quick question. I’m finding the information on the site a bit confusing. I have purchased honey labelled as raw, and liquid unpasteurized. (both organic) Aside from the consistency, is there a difference? The information on the site informs the reader to purchase honey labelled as “raw” or “unpasteurized”, however it has been my experience that raw honey does not come in liquid form.

Therefore, I am curious as to whether this organic, liquid, unpasteurized honey I am purchasing is as good as organic, unpasteurized, raw honey.Hi Becky, When raw honey is first bottled, it is in a liquid state so this might be the case here. Over time it will return to a solid state. If it doesn’t, then it is not raw and it has likely been heated.

Raw honey is simply a honey that has not been filtered or pasteurized. It will then contain naturally occurring bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax and propolis. A honey simply labelled as un-pasteurized is likely filtered but simply hasn’t been heated. It would not be considered raw as it has been filtered and had the royal jelly, beeswax, bee pollen and propolis removed from it.Hope that helps,Angela : Is raw the same thing as unpasteurized?
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Is honey pasteurized if it doesn’t say raw?

Raw honey is not pasteurized. However, although this works for milk, this is not the case with honey. Raw honey is naturally antibacterial and stays perfectly safe to eat, even after thousands of years.
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Is Manuka honey pasteurized?

Most Manuka honeys marketed as raw honey are infact creamed honeys that have been heated several times and pasteurised at 66°C / 150°F.
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What color is unpasteurized honey?

Like The Force, honey is a magical substance with a light side and a dark side that’s mysteriously made by tiny living things, We have nearly a dozen Star Wars movies to explain The Force to us, but what is it that makes honey light or dark? Read on, you must.

  1. Honey gets its color from the pollen that a hive gathers to make it.
  2. Because plants blossom at different times of year and bees collect honey nearly year-round, a single hive can produce radically different colors of honey from season to season.
  3. You can see a great example of this phenomenon here, with plenty of discussion from the local beekeeper who produced the honey.

All that changes is the bees’ pollen source: what we in the buzz biz call a ” varietal. ” So, now that we know where they come from, how do light and dark honeys taste? In her book The Honey Connoisseur, Marina Marchese describes the limit of what you can learn about honey from color alone: “Each varietal of honey generally falls within a color range, with slight variationsbut color does not always correspond to what we expect to taste.” The common wisdom is that light honeys are mild while dark honeys are heavy and rich.

This is generally true, with some exceptions. For example, goldenrod pollen will make honey darker, but doesn’t bring along particularly intense tasting notes. Meanwhile, tupelo honey is prized for its strong, fruity flavor but is almost always a light, translucent yellow color. Bees use whatever pollen they can find, so if lots of plants are in bloom, the honey that results will be a unique mix of different varietals with an equally unique color and flavor.

Single-varietal honeys, like clover, have more consistent taste but can only be produced when and where that one plant is in bloom. That leaves one question: what about the honey in the middle? Most honey on store shelves isn’t particularly light or dark.

  • It’s more of a golden-orange color, consistent from bottle to bottle and brand to brand.
  • You’d be forgiven for thinking that translucent goo in a bear-shaped bottle is honey in its natural state.
  • But that middle-of-the-road honey has to be heavily processed, blended and pasteurized to end up that way.

All those “unusual” light and dark honeys are what honey really looks like. They’re more likely to be pure, raw and unfiltered honey. Even though their colors range from what beekeepers call “water white” to “motor-oil black,” raw and unfiltered varietal honeys are almost always cloudy and opaque, with their natural pollen––and flavor––still intact.
View complete answer