Honey is the sweet, thick food that bees make from flower nectar. It’s built mostly from carbohydrates, namely fructose and glucose, with small amounts of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids mixed in. For most people it’s perfectly safe, but there are a couple of real exceptions worth knowing about.
People have used honey as a sweetener and a folk remedy for centuries, and many believe it has medicinal properties that help with certain health conditions. There’s a long tradition behind that reputation.
Still, honey is sugar, and it should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugars per day for women and 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men. Honey counts toward that total, so “natural” doesn’t mean unlimited.
For safety, honey is fine for most people, but a couple of groups need to be careful. Some people are allergic to honey itself or to the flower pollen it came from, and a reaction can range from hives and swelling to difficulty breathing and, in serious cases, anaphylaxis. Separately, in rare cases honey can carry the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and cause botulism. Because of that risk, children under 1 year old should never be given honey. That one isn’t a maybe; it’s a firm rule.
As always, it’s a good idea to check with a healthcare professional before adding honey to your diet or using it as a home remedy. They can walk you through the risks and benefits so you can make an informed choice. And since we’re from the Cahaba region, we’ll always put in a word for local honey; if you can’t get it locally, you can order Alabama honey online.