Do Humans Really Need Honey? Rethinking Our Sweet Habit

For millennia, people have loved honey as a natural way to add sweetness to their lives. With its multitude of flavors, an incredible story of escapades throughout human history, and perceived health benefits, honey is a pantry staple the world over. And yet, if we interrogate honey as we do any other ingredient, the question arises: Is it right for us to consume it?

The Human Relationship with Honey: Tradition or Necessity?

In the past, honey was an uncommon treat, an energy-dense food that played numerous roles in medicine, rituals, and cooking. But now, we have a global market full of sweeteners made from plants—maple syrup, agave nectar, molasses, and almost innumerable fruit sugars—that could just as well play those same roles. And living in a world that's awash with such sweeteners makes it all the more special when we do find ourselves using and enjoying honey.

What Honey Means to Bees

Not just a treat for bees, honey is their lifeline. It is their stored energy for survival during the long winters when flowers are scarce. When we harvest honey, especially in industrial or careless practices, we take away their winter food supply. Beekeepers often replace honey with sugar syrups, which lack the nutritional complexity and the antimicrobial properties of real honey.

This brings up matters of ethics.

Is it fair to take away from bees their natural food?

Does harvesting honey add to the stress already affecting bee populations that are threatened by habitat loss, pesticides, and disease? Is it in any way a contributory factor to the steep decline in the number of bees?

The Case for a Honey-Free Human Diet

Honey is not a requirement for human survival. All essential nutrients and energy can be obtained from a well-planned vegan diet that includes plant-based foods. The reason why honey is not included in such diets, then, is not just for human health but also for the welfare of the animals with whom we share this planet and for ecological sustainability.

Selecting substitutes:

– Make a selection from the many options available.

– Go for what appears the best among them.

– Help the others by making it look easy.

Syrups extracted from plants, like maple and agave, provide sweet sustenance without harming honeybees. Neither does date syrup, nor any of the sap it. As for the welfare of bees, using alternatives to honey ensures bees are kept safe.

Substituting fruit purees or natural sweeteners in recipes allows a decrease in sugar consumption without sacrificing taste.

Beyond Honey: Supporting Bees Without Taking Their Food

Ways to support bees without taking their honey. 1. Don't use poisons, herbicides, or pesticides. 2. Plant colorful flowers with a variety of shapes and sizes. 3. Avoid monoculture; plant in guilds and use succession planting. 4. Keep your dog from pouncing on bee boxes in bee-friendly neighborhoods.

Sow indigenous wildflowers and make your yard into a pollinator paradise.

Steer clear of bee-unfriendly pesticides and herbicides.

Back ethical, small-scale beekeepers who put the health of bees before all else. Prioritize supporting those beekeepers.

Push for measures that ensure the safety of habitats for wild bees and the diversity of these species.

Conclusion: A Sweet Choice

There are numerous alternatives to honey that can be used to sweeten our lives, almost all of which are plant-based. This gives us a great deal of choice, and none of these options require us to exploit bees or shortchange them in any way.

Honey is a treasure—not for our hive, but for the table.