The answer depends, in part, on whether you're actually getting true honey. Like olive oil, honey's become a magnet for business people who want to cheapen it by watering it down, mixing it with sugar, removing the pollen to make it clearer, and making chemical substitutions for the actual food. Assuming you can find the real thing (you can test your honey for sugar adulteration yourself), it's still a simple carbohydrate, made of glucose and fructose. The body will seize on any glucose you eat and use it for fuel in preference to fats, but a small amount should be OK for a normal/healed metabolism. A healthy liver can metabolize a small amount of fructose.

This topic's been addressed before, and you might want to read the web site that's linked on that page.

If you're still early in your paleo journey, I suggest playing it safe and avoiding honey or sugar until you have evidence that your body's recovered from the Standard American Diet.

i don't eat honey because it brings out a binging/addictive quality in me. i used to only eat fruit covered in various syrups like maple, agave, brown rice, honey, yacon. now i just enjoy fruit as it is. i don't use any syrups or honey in my baking since i find fruit is so sweet without it.

if you find that you can just eat it sparingly, then i don't see a problem with it.

Well as to your questions....honey is a limited indulgence, both in my way of eating and in a HG sense. I definitely prefer it over sugar in my coffee.

As to your questions on communities of peoples and honey....are bees indigenous to all zones of human tribes? You can live just fine without any of it obviously, but I'm not going to be the one to tell you that you "have" to.

The only kind I buy is local raw and unfiltered.

A cool thing about removing the processed sugars from your diet is how good natural sugars become and how little it takes to get great taste. Examples: Watermelon tastes just like candy to me now.

In regards to honey, raw honey untouched by processing and other unsavory practices is the best way to go. I use it as an occasional treat and make glazes for various dishes from it (chicken, etc.). For football tomorrow, I'll be making Hot Honey Glazed Baked Wings, which are always a hit. What's more Paleo than Beer, Wings, and Football? (I'm still working on the Paleo beer, not making any progress, but open to suggestions, at least there's bacon).

Enjoy your honey in moderation, if it's a trigger or gateway food, keep it out of the house. There are certain cultures (specific names escape me) that absolutely REVERE honey and treat it as such.

Matt
PhysiqueRescue.com

We have a long evolutionary history with honey. Unfortunately it was acquired rarely so do not consider it a daily or even weekly food. Modern filtered or pasteurized honey is just a fructose cocktail so stay away from that and concentrate on raw honey. Raw honey is still loaded with fructose (and other sugars) and this is not good. So what is good? Locally sourced is loaded with pollen and other substances that will stimulate your immune system in a good way. Bottom line, occasional indulgence is fine. If you make this a daily occurance you may experience leptin resistance, tooth decay, and all the other bad stuff that comes from carbohydrate consumption.

I just had a cup of it post-workout today. One great thing we can get in Ohio, raw honey. My farmer's market this morning had 5 different raw honey stands.

I like the raw buckwheat version. An occasional post workout reward for me is a banana mashed with a tbsp of honey and a gloob of almond butter.

If you are really obsessed you need it so bad and want it to the point where it is your main concern, just do it. Buy the best honey you can afford and apply it till its gone, then move on. Obsession satisfied. Revisit when ready.

I put it in the same category as added fats or cooking oils. In fact I'd probably put it before both of them as not only is it more 'paleo' but probably even more nutritious. Should you pour it over everything you eat like people do with butter and coconut oil? Probably not such a good idea.

Just remember not to bake with raw honey. I mean, you can, but you're basically pasteurizing it. Ruins all the good stuff! :)