I’ve always thought that honey was one of the ’safe’ alternative sweeteners that we could eat in place of refined sugar. Honey, being a natural product is packed full of vital vitamins and minerals and is thought to have a relatively low glycemic index. So essentially it’s a healthy food to eat, and even a healing ingredient to use in our skin care.
I keep organic honey at home to use as a sweetener. I sometimes use it on my oatmeal, on whole grain toast, or even in a mug of warm milk if I need something warm and comforting. And if I ever find a dessert or ice-cream that’s sweetened with honey [and not refined sugar], then I’ll always buy it, because these products are so hard to find.
So here I was, happily eating my honey thinking that it was doing my skin good, and preventing my acne rather than causing it. UNTIL I was doing some research on The Glycemic Index website last night, and discovered that you need to be careful with what type of honey you eat.
It’s true that all honey contains vitamins and minerals because it’s a natural product, but some types of honey have a very high glycemic index (GI). If you suffer from acne or are prone to getting breakouts, then you want to avoid all foods that have a high GI. So you will need to find a honey that has a low GI.
The Glycemic Index and acne
An Australian University actually did a study on the glycemic index diet and acne. The results were pretty much self explanatory, with the volunteers skin improving by 50% within a 3 month period. You can read more about the trial in an article by The Age - Low GI diet clears up acne in boys.
In fact, I was so impressed with the skin clearing results of following a predominantly low GI diet myself, that I based a lot of Eat Away Your Acne around it.
The right and wrong honey to buy
As you probably know, I’m a bit of an advocate for organic products, so if you can find a honey that’s organic then it’s a good start. It may be a strange thought to think that all honey isn’t organic (don’t bees look after themselves?) but in fact, many beekeepers actually use sulfa compounds and antibiotics to keep diseases away from their bees!
Whether or not you eat organic is a personal decision, but if you’re an acne sufferer or if you’re prone to breakouts, then please look for a honey that has a low GI. Here I’ve listed some of the GI ratings for honeys that I could find. Use this reference next time you’re buying honey. Most often you can find quite a large range of honeys at the grocery or health food stores so you should be able to find one with a low GI.
How to use this list
The number next to the type of honey is the GI for that product. Numbers range from 0-100 with the lower the number the better.
Low GI = under 55
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70+
- Locust honey (Romania) - 32
- Yellow box honey (46% fructose) (Australia) - 35
- Stringy Bark honey (52% fructose) (Australia) - 44
- Red Gum honey (35% fructose) (Australia) - 46
- Iron Bark honey (34% fructose) (Australia) - 48
- Yapunya honey (42 % fructose) (Australia) - 52
- Pure Capilano honey - 58
- Commercial blended honey, WA blend, Capilano brand (38% fructose) (Australia) - 62
- Salvation Jane honey (32% fructose) (Australia) - 64
- Commercial blended honey, NSW blend Capilano brand (28% fructose) (Australia) - 72
- Honey, unspecified type (Canada) - 87
- Bush honey, sugar bag (Australia) - 43
So yes, honey is a highly nutritious food and safe to eat. All you need to do is buy one with a low GI.
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
10 responses ↓
How about Private Selection grade A organic honey?
I don’t see any GI label for it.
Hi Mark, this is the problem, there are literaly hundreds of types of honey because the bees make the honey from many different flowers, and I don’t think they’ve tested many of them at all for its GI.
One way is to just avoid those listed with a high GI, and hope that yours has a low one. You’ll notice that the majority of the honeys listed do have a relatively low GI which is a good thing …so chances are yours will be low too.
Also note the TYPE of honey, not the brand. So Iron Bark and Red Gum are both types for example, regardless of what brand they come from.
I’m assuming Private Selection is the brand …so does it list the type of honey anywhere on the packaging?
Hey,
It says Grade A Organic Honey - pure & wholesome
Locust honey it is from now on, assuming I can find it…
Did you read anything about the differences between raw honey and commercial honey? I’d assume raw is better.
I don’t eat honey but I do get good results on my acne if I use the honey as a mask. I leave it on for about 30-45 minutes and then rinse with luke water. Because it takes quit some time I don’t use it often. Only when I have broken out a lot, so my skin wil calm down.
Lindsay- raw is definitely better. Honey that is not raw has been through a pasteurizing process (heated above 110 degrees to have the dextrose mix with the other sugars and it will not crystallize as quickly) which depletes some of the nutrients. Anything in its raw and preferably organic form is going to be better for you. It’s a tough one because honey is just so incredibly good for you. So I’d rather eat a little bit of an organic raw one that I can’t find the GI for, then not eating it at all.
Madelon- Is that Manuka honey that you’re using? I love a honey mask but find it so sticky! Do you add anything to it?
Mark- Grade ‘A’ honey just means natural so it could come from any flowers …so you won’t be able to find the GI when you don’t know the type of honey. I guess it’s great that it’s natural and organic which are FULL of nutrients so I’m sure it’s okay
I add milk and honey and also a pinch of turmeric powder (which is orange colour) to make a face mask. The turmeric is good for acne breakouts and also gives your face a nice glow. Indian women use this as part of a pre-wedding ritual. The honey and milk moisturises your face and gets rid of dead skin cells. For those with sensitive skins, be sure to test the turmeric first just in case you get an allergic reaction to it. I leave this on for around 15 mins then wash it off.
Great website btw, very informative.keep it up!
Hi Allie, I’ve heard so many great things about tumeric and the skin. I used to buy raw tumeric and grate some into my cooking. As for using it on your face, do you have olive skin? Because my skin is so pale I’m worried it’ll go slightly yellow!
I have Asian skin which is light-medium colour. Yeh just don’t use too much turmeric as your face (like spoonsfuls) can temporarily turn orange (i made this mistake in the past, not pretty, looked like i been tangoed!) The trick is to use a pinch of it, this works for me and never leaves me orange, just glowing. I also use it in cooking, its great in curries
Hi Fran,
I use pure acacia honey as a mask. (I am from the Netherlands.) On google I found some interesting things about the Manuka honey you mentioned. If I can buy it here I will try it the next time on my skin.
I don’t mind the stickiness. I think it is pretty easy to get in on your skin and with some water it is easy to remove it as well. The disadvantage of using it pure is that the honey will drip from the skin. When I don’t want it to drip, I add some calendula cream. Then it is also less sticky. But I am not eager to add something because I am afraid it will clog my pores.
Leave a Response