There are many reasons to be thankful for bees, and honey is one of them. The sweet, sticky substance is made by the buzzing pollinators after collecting nectar from flowering plants.
Humans have been eating honey for thousands of years — and animals like bears and honey badgers, probably longer.
Honey adds a boost of natural sweetness to food and drinks. It’s also used for medicinal purposes, like soothing coughs.
Today, you can find dozens of honey varieties, from the classic bear-shaped bottle to speciality jars at your local farmers market. Increasingly, it seems like there are more options to choose from: clover, manuka, raw, unfiltered, and the list goes on.
The type of honey largely depends on the floral source, or which blossoms the bees collect nectar from. The process from hive to bottle can also vary. These factors will affect the honey’s color, flavor and consistency.
There are more than unique 300 types of honey in the United States, per the National Honey Board.
But does the source or processing of honey make a difference nutritionally? Is one type of honey better for you than others? We spoke to dietitians to find out.
Honey Nutrition Overview
Unsurprisingly, honey is mostly made up of sugar and doesn’t offer much else in the macronutrient department.
One tablespoon of honey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture database, provides about:
64 calories17 grams of carbohydrates17 grams of sugar
All of the carbohydrates in honey come from sugar, mostly in the form of sucrose and fructose. Other than those simple sugars, honey is mostly water. It has no protein, fiber or fat.
In terms of micronutrients, honey contains trace amounts of vitamins B and C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, but it’s not a significant source of any vitamins or minerals.
However, honey does contain antioxidants and bioactive plant compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids, Kristen Smith, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com.
Is Honey Good for You?
When eaten in moderation, honey can be part of a healthy diet, Smith says. However, it’s still a source of added sugar and extra calories.
“I don’t think of honey as a health food,” Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and TODAY nutrition editor, emphasizes. Due to its high sugar content, she says she wouldn’t consume honey by itself for its nutritional value.
That said, honey, unlike other many sweeteners, does offer some benefits in addition to a dose of sugar. “Honey contains the natural antioxidants and flavonoids and polyphenols, which may help reduce inflammation,” Smith adds.
Antioxidants can also help protect against free radicals, harmful molecules that damage cells.
Research shows honey contains slightly more vitamins and minerals than white sugar, says Smith. However, the amounts of micronutrients in honey are still relatively low.
So, honey may be a slightly more nutritious choice if you’re looking to sweeten food and beverages, but it doesn’t mean you should be eating honey in excess, the experts emphasize.
(Children under the age of 1 should not consume honey due to the potential risk of botulism, the experts note.)
What Is the Healthiest Type of Honey?
All types of honey share a similar nutrition profile. “I would probably say they are all relatively the same,” says Rizzo. Most honeys are about 80% sugar.
There’s a lack of robust scientific research comparing the health benefits of different types of honey, the experts note.
The type and dosages used in studies varies significantly, which makes it hard to attribute the potential beneficial effects to any specific type honey, according to a 2023 review of research on honey published in Nutrients.
However, research suggests some types of honey are richer in antioxidants and plant compounds than others.
Dark, Unfiltered Honey
Dark, unfiltered honey, which gets its color from the type of nectar used to make it, may have more health benefits than other types, but the differences are likely modest, the experts say.
“Darker honey varieties tend to contain higher levels of antioxidants,” Smith explains. These include buckwheat and Manuka honey, per the National Honey Board.
“Manuka honey does have more phenolic compounds, and research suggests it has antibacterial properties, but that mostly pertains to wound healing,” says Rizzo.
When honey is not filtered, that may also mean it has more pollen, enzymes and antioxidants, but it’s unclear if this alters the nutrient content and therefore health benefits in a meaningful way. (Honey is filtered to remove impurities and extend shelf life.)
“Research has not confirmed whether raw honey retains more nutrients than processed honey,” says Smith.
Bottom line? Pretty much any honey will give you a similar health bang for your buck, especially compared to refined sugars, but don’t get “too fixated on the type of honey, as most varieties do still contain some beneficial antioxidants,” Smith advises.
“Weighing out what’s affordable, what’s available and what your preferred flavor profile is also important,” she adds.
Does Local Honey Help With Allergies?
You might’ve heard that local honey can help with seasonal allergies to pollen.
While it probably won’t hurt, consuming locally sourced honey does not help prevent or treat symptoms of seasonal allergies, the experts note. There’s no scientific evidence that exposure to pollen via raw, local honey will de-sensitize allergy-sufferers, TODAY.com previously reported.
That’s probably because the pollen in honey comes from flowers, which is different from the fine, powdery pollen that typically causes seasonal allergies. That comes from trees, grass and weeds and spreads easily through the air, Dr. Dave Stukus, a professor of clinical pediatrics in the division of allergy and immunology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, previously told TODAY.com.
However, honey can coat and soothe a sore throat. “The other beneficial research about honey is that it may as a cough suppressant for people who have respiratory infections, but that’s any type of honey” says Rizzo.
Tips to Use Honey Healthfully
“Although honey offers some nutritional benefits, it’s still a form of liquid added sugar,” says Smith. “Enjoying honey in moderation — typically less than one tablespoon per day — can help balance its benefits with its calorie content.”
The experts recommend pairing honey with whole foods rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats to maximize the nutrients and health benefits.
Try these honey-packed recipes to get started: