The health benefits of raw honey are substantial. It's a superfood that provides antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. It fights bacteria, builds the immune system, and provides energy. You can use it topically on cuts, burns and even warts! When my son has a cut or a scrape, I put a dab of raw honey on it and a Spiderman band-aid. Then he gets a spoonful of the honey to make him feel better. Raw honey does cost more but I think the health benefits make it a no-brainer.

Here's one of the simplest and healthiest product switches you can make in your pantry. Start buying and eating raw honey instead of the commercial stuff, which is heated and pasteurized and thus loses many of its healing properties.

The pollen present in local raw honey can help if you suffer from seasonal allergies. I picked up some of Andrew’s Local Honey from the Union Square Greenmarket to see if it would help me with my itchy throat. His honey is from different rooftops, gardens and backyards in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens and is sold by neighborhood. I bought the one from Prospect Heights, as that’s closest to my home. So far, it seems to be helping! See more tips for reducing allergy symptoms naturally here .

I heard recently that some honeys that are labeled raw are actually heated a bit to ease its removal from the honeycomb. Moreover, many big brand honeys don’t even contain pollen , as it’s all been filtered out, or worse, diluted with corn syrup. Look for honey that says that it is raw and unheated and always try to buy local honey, especially if you are using it to treat allergies.