Manuka honey

[Cloud44]

Does anyone take this regularly? Is it as good as the reviews say it’s meant to be?

Honey is always going to be bad for you, it is worse than refined sugar, because of the large amount of fructose in it, rather than sucrose, which the body metabolises so much more efficiently

It is an occasional treat, not a regular food stuff

I've never tried it. I would be interested in trying it but I doubt I ever will because it is just so expensive. I would be worried it was as good as it is meant to be because it would be a costly habit to get into.

I give DDs a teaspoon of active honey every morning, it might be a coincidence but they rarely get coughs and colds (one primary and one secondary). As long as the lack of colds continues we will keep doing it. I don’t as I’m not so keen on honey and quite frankly would rather the calories for something else, but I do take it if I’m sick, I find it really settles an upset stomach. There might be no proof but this is what works for us.
Edited to add, I say active not manuka as I’ve done research and I can’t see a significant difference - we take black bee honey, I like that we are supporting small bee keepers too.

But it is also good for you due to all the antioxidants etc in it

antioxidents are available without fructose! in almost any other food with antioxidents

I like the rich caramelly consistency of manuka, but I do wonder if it's worth the £15 price tag for the higher quality ones. Not convinced by the health "benefits" compared to the cost.

If you use your diet to keep healthy, then, it's a useful addition, particularly over winter. It is routinely used as part of burn treatment, in many countries. The science around it came more into being when its usefulness during cancer treatments, especially for children was explored. Look into Co q10, I get mine from asda.

My oncologist warned me against the hype around manuka honey

I heard read that it’s all a load of rubbish. But I cannot remember why!

A cup of black tea has far more antioxidants than any honey and has no sugars

I like the caramelly taste of Manuka honey, so if I have honey that's the one I choose. Major health benefits of eating it seem unlikely. It's very expensive so I buy it when it's on offer.

I put it in the same bracket as that weird grass people drank years ago, sure it's always going to be around as a food item but the idea of it is a fad

I really like it as honey and buy it rather than “normal” honey for occasional toast or porridge, but I’m not convinced it has any amazing health-benefitting properties that aren’t in plenty of other cheaper and less sugary foods. I suspect there’s a lot of placebo effect with people who think it boosts their immune system or whatever - the same as with people who swear by a spoonful a day of local honey which supposedly acts as an antihistamine if you have fever but for which there’s no actual supporting evidence.

Which is quite right, but unlike some food claims, I was just pointing out that this is a food stuff that has been studied. We should eat for health, including pulses, beans, spices etc. The effects take time though.

I like it in a hot whiskey during the winter. The ultimate health drink.

I do love a bit of Manuka honey in the morning, I've become addicted to the Melora squeezy because they taste great on porridge and they are cheap incomparison to others. I also give my little girl 300MGO (which the company said is the right strength for sore throats), she is always coming home from school with coughs. Does it help, well she's not sick that often and my asthma isn't as bad as it used to be, not sure if its in my head or the Manuka, but I do love it.