I have access to some very good raw, unheated, unfiltered, local honey with lots of pollen in it.

I've heard two sides to the honey argument. There are those that argue honey, regardless whether its raw, is a pure sugar with little or no benefits. Then there is the other argument, held by for example AV, who says raw honey does the body good and doesn't really affect blood sugar levels that drastically.

Now I gotta say I really love raw honey. I could eat it by its own (although I don't think it's a good idea) so when I eat it I always mix it with nuts (lots of fat) and I often eat it after a meal with protein/fat. But even though I mix it with other things I end up eating a lot of honey when I buy it. I might end up eating 100 grams of honey which is 100 grams of sugar - which is a lot.

Can someone tell me exactly what AV said about honey? what are the benefits and how much it should be used? I really can't understand he discourages fruits but then says honey is perfectly fine. I mean honey has a lot higher sugar density than fruit and less vitamins. 100 grams of apple has 20 grams of sugar but 100 grams of honey is 100 grams of sugar.

 

I was following Av's primal diet for about 4 years which included LOTS of raw honey - usually eaten with plenty of raw butter.  Honey and dairy products were the last foods I've dropped on my way to my current diet which is largely fatty grass-fed meats & organs, fish/seafood, bone marrow and a few low-carb fruits/veggies.

Like you Seeker, I love raw honey but I finally had to admit that it was doing me no good whatsoever.  Ok, it may well be rich in minerals and enzymes (over 5000 apparently found so far!) but I found the overall effect to be negative.  I would regularly experience the 'sugar blues' from using honey (even when combined with fats) and had to accept, in the end, that this wasn't some kind of mystical AV 'detox' but just the results of spiking my blood sugars.

I have felt a hell of a lot better without the magic nectar!  But, that is just my own experience.  I believe I have problems with candida (and always have had) so this may be the reason honey is not good in my case.  My own feeling on it is that it is a wonderful food if used sparingly - as it would have been in nature when tribes were fortunate enough to come across wild hives.  I think raw bee pollen is also potentially a wonderfully nutritious food, again, if used sparingly.  It is so incredibly rich in amino acids, vitamins/minerals and enzymes that it would be a shame not to utilise it.

My suggestion to you would be this.  If you have no issues with candida, hypoglycemia, diabetes etc then small amounts (perhaps 1 tsp a day MAX!) of raw unfiltered pollen rich honey eaten with fats would be a useful addition to your diet.

Michael

One teaspoon of honey PER day or one tablespoon per week?... In those cases I think I'd better avoid honey altogether, because if I ate that I wouldn't satisfy the craving I have for honey and it would leave me craving more..