Is Honey Safe to Consume while Pregnant?

Honey could be considered a superfood as it can be used topically to heal wounds, it contains many substances such as phytochemicals, enzymes, minerals, vitamins and has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

Honey is used in Chinese herbal medicine together with ginger and licorice to help the digestive system absorb the herbs.

Antibacterial: The bactericidal activities of pure honey are activated against organisms including, Salmonella, E. Coli, Shigella and H. Pylori

Digestive health: Honey is a benefit to the gut because it has fructo-oligosaccharides that are prebiotic and probiotic helping to balance intestinal flora and maintaining regular bowel movements

Immune boosting: We gain benefit from honey, herbal medicine and plants has to do with our biological unity with plants. Plants produce chemicals for their own use (survival) and evolved in the same environment as humans and animals and we use them for ourselves, that their immune compounds in honey benefit our immune system.

1. Is honey safe to eat when pregnant?

Honey is perfectly safe to eat during pregnancy.

Sweet is a flavor in Chinese medicine that promotes nourishment and stimulates the channels of the “Stomach and Spleen” meridians and energetics.

Adding honey with ginger tea can help with nausea.

GINGER WITH HONEY CAN HELP WITH NAUSEA AND SOOTHE A SORE THROAT.

2. Is RAW honey safe to eat while pregnant?

Raw honey is safe to eat while pregnant.

Pure, local and raw is less processed and will have more of the nutrient and health benefits of the nectar from the flowers honey bees extracted in the honey-making.

Allergies come from local flora and fauna and local honey will have small amounts of the pollen that helps regulate the immune system and allergic response.

Honey is safe especially if it is sourced locally, because the closer to the origin of the honey is the benefits from the local flora and fauna that can help with allergies.

Processing such as pasteurization and filtering can remove some of the nutrients and enzymes that have health benefits.

The pasteurization kills some of the naturally occurring enzymes and yeasts lowering the health benefits though not all are gone .

Pasteurization of honey is not done for food safety reasons like dairy products and juices.

Large scale production of honey may mix honey from various sources and by heating (pasteurizing) the honey to 160 F then cooling it creates a homogenized version and slows the crystallization of the sugars.

3. What are some benefits of eating honey while pregnant?

Honey has a lower glycemic index than regular sugars.

The risk of gestational diabetes increases with age and, in the US gestational diabetes, it is as high as 30%.

Honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar and studies show that patients with type 2 diabetes fare better glycemic control with honey.

Overall sugar in the American diet is problematic, 34.2 million Americans have diabetes that accounts for almost 11% of the population.

Approximately 88 million (34.5%) are pre-diabetic in the US. These numbers combined represent 122 million or 36% of the population with a serious health condition.

4. How much honey can you have daily when pregnant? Is there a suggested limit?

While honey has a slightly lower glycemic index; similar to sugar consumption during pregnancy women need to be cautious with how much they eat.

5. Are there any specific cases where a mom-to-be shouldn’t eat honey? (GD, GI issues, etc)

For the most part honey is safe. The only consideration would be if the source of the honey is questionable. it is unclear

6. Can babies have honey? (Why not?)

It is not advisable for children under 1 year to consume honey as there are some bacteria such as botulism that children may not be able to fight against.

7. Can you eat honey while breastfeeding?

Honey is safe to eat when breastfeeding.

Honey is safe to eat while breastfeeding, honey has many health benefits and is immune supporting.

Honey is being digested first through the mothers body; the hormone prolactin causes the alveoli in the breast tissue to take proteins and sugars from the blood and turns them into breast milk.

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