Frequently Asked Questions
Are Hythes Health Honeys 100% Pure?
Can I Take Honey If I'm Diabetic?
Diabetes
is a complicated multi-faceted disease. Watching our diet is important
for the treatment and prevention of diabetes. Research has shown
that the overall diet and eating patterns matter more than consumption
of any specific food or drink.
The speed at which a food is able to increase a person's blood glucose levels is called the glycemic response. The ranking of different foods based on their glycemic response resulted in the creation of the glycemic index (GI). The GI of various foods varies according to the way they are processed or prepared and other factors. |
Check
out these links about diabetes : |
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Foods such as milk and fruit tend to have a lower GI value than carbohydrates such as bread, rice, potatoes and breakfast cereals. Honey has approximately the same GI as foods such as boiled white rice and potatoes. White sugar (sucrose) and glucose have higher GIs than the average Australian honey. In
2002, the American Diabetes Association recommended that the total
amount of carbohydrates taken is more important than the type of
carbohydrate. Honey is therefore allowed as part of a diabetic's
diet. |
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Why Is Western Australian Honey Considered One Of The Best In The World?
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Australian bushland and flora yield a variety
of delicious tasting honeys that is ranked amongst the top in the
world.
Western Australia’s clean and unpolluted environment is free of acid rain, agricultural and industrial pollutants. Unlike honeys produced in more industrialised countries, Australian bush honey is purer and better for your health. It also has the perfect climate for honey production, with long sunny days and clean Antarctic winds. Its short mild winter enables the bees to live without the need for artificial feeding. This ensures that our honey is genuine 100% pure and natural. |
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will also find that our honey has a delicious taste that is not too
sweet. Most honey producing countries practice feeding sugar syrup
to the bees during winter, when the bees are unable to forage for
nectar due to the cold weather and lack of flowers. This increases
the sucrose content found in honey. Tests have shown that West Australian
honey has a level of less than 1.5% sucrose compared to an international
standard of 5-15%.
Bees and beehives around the world suffer from many pests and diseases such as Varroa and European Foulbrood. Beekeepers worldwide need to feed and treat the bees with drugs and chemicals to prevent sickness and infestations. Western Australia is unique in that it does not have many of these beehive diseases. This advantage results in drug, chemical and pesticide-free honey. Strict quarantine controls restricts honey or apiary products from entering Western Australia, to protect our hives and keep the honey pure and natural. Adulteration of honey is common in many honey producing countries. Hythes Health honey comes directly from Western Australia and is 100% pure and natural, with NO additives of any kind. |
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Why Is Raw Unprocessed Honey Good For My Health?
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Raw unprocessed honey has been valued as a health
tonic since ancient times by many civilizations across the world.
It was used by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Chinese for skin and
mouth sores and to improve athletic performance.
It was so valuable that the Romans were known to use honey to pay for their taxes instead of gold. Many historical documents, including Egyptian papyri, the Koran and Veda recorded it as a treatment for skin disorders, upset stomachs, coughs, sore throats and wounds. |
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13
Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet
to your taste. 14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. The Holy Bible, New International Version Proverbs 24:13-14 |
Honey is made by honey bees from nectar and pollen.
It comprises a complex combination of carbohydrates (mainly fructose,
glucose, maltose and sucrose), water and small amounts of protein,
enzymes, vitamins, minerals, oligosaccharides, phytonutrients, antioxidants
and amino acids.
Raw honey will also contain bits of pollen and propolis. Honey bees make propolis from tree sap and use it in honeycomb building and to sterilize it from infection. Researchers have found that propolis has phytonutrients that prevent cancer and tumours. These phytonutrients include flavonoids and organic acids. Propolis also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic and antimicrobial properties. Most commercially processed honeys contain no pollen and propolis. |
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| Bee
pollen also contains relatively high levels of nutrients and antimicrobial
properties. Recent research at the Western Australian Department of
Agriculture has established that Western Australian Redgum bee pollen
is especially rich in linoleic and lauric acids. These are free fatty
acids known to have high levels of antimicrobial activity.
Raw honey is naturally antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal in nature. Research has shown that it prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast and other organisms. Honey is hygroscopic and therefore limits the water available for these organisms. One of the enzymes in raw honey, glucose oxidase, converts glucose in the presence of water to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. This results in mild natural acids that kill bacteria and heal wounds. Gluconic acid has also been shown to increase calcium absorption. Glucose oxidase and the other enzymes are destroyed by light and heat, eg heat-processing or pasteurizing the honey. Due to its antimicrobial properties, scientists and hospitals are now increasingly researching and using honey for the treatment of wounds, burns, persistent ulcers and gastrointestinal disorders. Raw honey also sooths inflammation and stimulates the repair and growth of body tissue. |
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| Raw honey’s antioxidant properties combat free radical damage in our bodies that may contribute to aging and some degenerative diseases such as cancer. The antioxidant activity is the result of enzymes such as catalase and non-enzymatic substances such as flavonoids and phenolics. | Read more about honey and health : “Honey’s
Healing Secret” |
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Honey’s antioxidant properties can also be used to prevent food from spoiling. Research has shown that meats and other foods marinaded in or mixed with honey can keep longer, and this reduces the risk of food poisoning. The presence of oligosaccharides in honey promotes the growth and activity of friendly gut bifidobacteria. It can therefore improve digestion and gastrointestinal health. Personally, I find adding raw honey to plain yoghurt makes a delicious cure for upset stomachs and indigestion. Honeys from different floral sources have differing amounts of the above components and also differing healing abilities. Darker honeys generally have higher amounts of antioxidants and therefore tend to be more effective. |
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What Are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals are known to help prevent and/or treat several of the leading causes of death, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. They are involved in many processes including preventing cell damage, preventing cancer cell replication and decreasing cholesterol levels. Those consumed naturally from foods may be more beneficial than those taken through pill supplements.
Phytochemicals include allyl suphides found in garlic and lycopene found in tomatoes.
Foods rich in phytonutrients include honey, garlic, tomatoes, broccoli, chrysanthemum and soy.
What Are Antioxidants?
Read more about antioxidants in this newspaper article : |
Antioxidants are phytochemicals that reduce the risk of body tissue damage caused by oxidation. Honey is known to be rich in antioxidants. These include catalase, ascorbic acid, flavonoids and alkaloids. |
Why Does Honey Have Different Colours And Tastes?
Generally, darker honeys are higher in antioxidants and nutrients than light or cream-coloured honeys.
Hythes Health's delicious honey is harvested from a range of Australian bush and wildflowers. The colour, texture and taste can vary slightly depending on the season and the plants that are blooming at the time.
Our honey is generally fairly dark, fragrant and very pleasant in taste. Try a free sample today!
Is It True That Many Honey Sellers Add Sugar To Their Honey?
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Honey harvested from different floral sources
in different parts of the world will have different tastes and colours.
Some are naturally sweeter in taste than others due to their floral
sources.
Many beekeepers from countries that have winter weather feed sugar syrup to the bees during winter, when the bees are unable to forage for nectar due to the cold weather and lack of flowers. This also increases the honey’s sweetness and sucrose content. Our apiary has NEVER fed our bees with sugar syrup. Due to the mild climate in Western Australia, the bees are able to feed themselves naturally all year round. |
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| Beekeepers from some less regulated countries (eg. Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and India) have been known to mix sugar syrup directly into their honey to increase its bulk and weight. These honeys have also been found to contain illegal drug and pesticide residues. | Read these articles for more information : “Quality
Control Tightens Vietnam’s Honey Industry” |
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Hythes Health’s honey is guaranteed 100%
pure and natural, with no additives of any kind.
All pure honey will granulate (become solid) in cool conditions, and honey from different floral sources will granulate at different speeds. Raw unprocessed honey tends to granulate faster than processed honeys. Granulation is a natural process in pure honey. Honey that has granulated is still perfectly edible; do not throw it out! The crystallized honey granules are NOT the result of artificially added sugar. |
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How Do I Store Honey?
Honey should be stored in a dry place, as it absorbs moisture. Honey with high moisture content can turn bad and ferment.
All pure honey will granulate (become solid) naturally. Honeys from different flowers have different granulation speeds, but in general the lighter honeys granulate faster.
Store honey at room temperature. Refrigeration will hasten granulation.
Granulated honey is delicious as a spread for toast or stirred into a drink!
To liquify honey that has granulated, place its container in a pan of warm water.
Do not over-heat raw honey! Temperatures above 50 Celcius destroy the natural enzymes in the raw honey.
Can I Feed Honey To My Baby?
There is a very small chance that honey, and other raw agricultural products, may contain some spores called clostridium botulinum. The spores do not thrive in the intestines of adults and older children. However, in the young stomachs of infants, the spores can possibly cause a form of food poisoning known as infant botulism.
For older children and adults, honey is a safe and wholesome food.
Why Is Honey Good For Athletes?
| Throughout history and across cultures, honey has been recognized as a natural energy booster for athletes of all kinds. Athletes competing in the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, as well as modern day mountain climbers and swimmers, have all benefited from honey as an effective energy source. | ||
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It provides a concentrated energy source that helps prevent fatigue and can boost athletic performance. Recent studies have proven that athletes who took some honey before and after competing recovered more quickly than those who did not. This is because honey has a natural combination of carbohydrates that are similar to those in modern sports drinks. These include fructose (approximately 38%), glucose (approximately 31%) and sucrose (approximately 1%). As a result of this composition, honey supplies 2 stages of energy. Glucose is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost. Fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. |
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| Regulating blood sugar after endurance training by ingesting carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for maintaining muscle glycogen stores. Glycogen is the form in which sugar is stored in muscle as ready-to-use fuel. This enables more efficient muscle recuperation to enable athletes to perform again at their highest level the next day. Read more about this in the US National Honey Board's press release. | ||
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