Local Honey and its Be(e)nefits

by Olivia Parr

Honey. It’s what you call your sweetheart, put on your toast, or in your favorite tea. We love honey. Can’t get enough. Neither can your pup! But with the levels of sugar that honey contains, we need to be mindful of the other ingredients that are processed along with our favorite condiment. So before you run off to go buy honey in bulk, let’s talk about your options. 

When it comes to honey, local and raw are the best things to see on a label. It’s 2019, and we are finally realizing that processed foods are more of a danger than a convenience. There are some major benefits when you buy local:

Allergy Protection

The use of local honey (as close to your home as possible) has been seen to provide a type of vaccination effect by building immunity for those with seasonal allergies. A couple of teaspoons of honey a day can help the sneezing go away!

Cancer-Fighting

Raw honey consists of antioxidants and cancer-fighting phytonutrients found in the sterilization process of building a beehive. These nutrients are only found in local raw honey compared to pasteurized honey.

Medicinal

Local honey is a multi-use home remedy. It can be used to stimulate and regulate your digestive system, to heal external wounds due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties, and as you probably already know, it helps soothe the throat during respiratory infections and suppresses coughs! Finally, the vitamins in raw honey are B2, C, B6, B5 and B3. There are also beneficial minerals including calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc. Honey truly is a life-saver.

All of these benefits are just as applicable to you as they are for our pups. Raw local honey helps with kennel cough, topical wounds, skin allergies, the digestive track, and boosts energy! (*Do not feed raw honey to your pup if they have any immune disorders.)

It is definitely a huge plus to find that raw local honey is an ingredient in your dog’s food/treats, as well as your own. 

Looking for a dog treat using local, raw honey?! Check out Winnie Lou's Oat n' Apple Pretzels.