Honey

Honey is almost pure sugar with some minerals, and Ray Peat considered it a good food that possesses all the virtues of ordinary sucrose while offering special antiseptic benefits derived from the materials bees collect from flowers. 3 He noted that the balance of fructose and glucose in honey is approximately the same as in sucrose, making its fundamental metabolic effects similar to white table sugar. 6 Peat emphasized that honey and orange juice are very good sugar sources, and he specifically recommended honey for its anti-inflammatory properties, explaining that sugar reduces stress, lowers stress hormones, and reduces inflammatory cytokines. 2

A critical distinction Peat drew was between raw or minimally processed honey and honey that has been subjected to high heat. He warned that heating sugar in the presence of amino acids creates a brown toxic material which is allergenic, and stated that honey is fine if it hasn't been heated above pasteurization temperature. 9 This concern extends to the Maillard reaction products formed during processing; Peat explained that the browning of food tends to increase its allergenicity, and that very hot, oxygen-exposed glucose can create allergens. 2 Danny Roddy later echoed this caution, noting that the darker the honey, the more allergens it potentially has, which informed his preference for using honey as a convenient travel sugar source. 10

Peat highlighted honey's unique antiseptic materials and its historical use in wound healing, citing examples where major chest surgery patients had their wounds filled with sugar and recovered with fewer scars than if antibiotics had been used. 2 Anecdotal evidence from callers reinforced this, with one individual describing how applying raw honey to a facial wound prior to scab formation resulted in complete tissue healing with no scar. 10 Peat also recounted instances where honey was administered orally to animals in shock, reviving them within minutes, which he attributed to the rapid energy supply from sugar suppressing inflammatory processes that would otherwise cause circulatory collapse. 11

Regarding maple syrup, Peat acknowledged its high potassium and magnesium content, noting that these minerals help the sugar work effectively, and that combining it with butter can slow gastric emptying for sustained energy. 2 However, he consistently cautioned that maple syrup is produced by prolonged boiling, which generates allergenic and inflammatory compounds through the reaction between amino acids and glucose. 2 He advised that if one chooses maple syrup, a lighter grade is preferable because it is less processed and contains fewer of these heat-generated toxins, contrasting it with the very safe, amber-colored juice obtained directly from raw cane without cooking. 7