The Benefits and Buzz Around Bee Pollen
I have recently discovered Bee pollen which can be purchased and eaten as a food supplement. Although I knew of bee pollen before, I never considered that you could add it into your diet to due to its rich nutritional profile and acclaimed health benefits.
Since I have already done a blog post on honey, I wanted to take a look into bee pollen and see what it has to offer for our health. I hope that just like me, you are able to learn many new things on todays new and exciting topic of bee pollen. 🐝
Wishing you happy reading ahead!
ABOUT BEE POLLEN
Bee pollen is a mix of saliva, nectar and plant pollen which happens to collect on the hind legs of workers bees. Th bees then bring back this pollen on their legs into the hive, which is then packed into honeycomb cells, after which it undergoes a fermentation process.
The way in which the pollen is collected for human use is by bee keepers placing a thin mesh at the entrance of the hive which captures a small amount of the pollen that the bees bring in.
The nutritional profile of bee pollen varies as pollen can be collected from a variety of different plants, but overall, bee pollen contains about 20% protein, about 10% of which is essential amino acids. Other than protein, bee pollen also contains complex carbohydrates, small amounts of lipids, simple sugars, vitamins and various other phytochemicals.
A single table spoon serving of bee pollen contains approximately:
40 calories
7g carbohydrates
4g sugars
1g fibre
2g protein
Almost no fat
WHAT IS BEE POLLEN GOOD FOR?
Protects Against Chronic Diseases
Bee pollen is extremely rich in a variety of antioxidants which come from its impressive phytochemical profile. Antioxidants are useful for combating and neutralizing free radicals which otherwise damage our cells and tissues. Through neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants from bee pollen have shown to help prevent type II diabetes, which today is one of the leading chronic conditions globally.
The strength of the effect that bee pollen has on combating chronic diseases is based on which plants the pollen comes from, with certain pollen types being more effective than others.
Keeps a Healthy Cardiovascular System
Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that bee pollen is able to lower blood lipid levels and LDL cholesterol, which in the long run can protect against heart disease.
Studies have shown that people who suffer from nearsightedness caused by clogged arteries, have experienced an increase in their field of vision after having taken bee pollen supplements which helped unclog their arteries.
The way in which this works is proposed that bee pollen contains certain compounds which prevent the lipids in your blood from oxidizing together, effectively meaning that it prevents the formation of clots that otherwise can clog up blood vessels and cause poor blood flow to certain parts of our body.
Boosting Liver Function
Bee pollen has also been shown to promote liver healing and positively impacting the functioning of our liver, which has the main purpose of detoxifying and filtering all the blood flowing in our body. Some studies have even indicated that bee pollen may be powerful enough to help safeguard against damage resulting from toxic substances and drug over doses.
Powerful Anti-inflammatory Properties
Honey products such as bee pollen have in general been known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties, which can be medically used to reduce inflammation and swelling in the body. Bee pollen, thanks to its rich antioxidant profile, is so effective at this, that its strength is comparable to actual anti-inflammatory drugs.
Additionally, Just like honey, bee pollen too can be used to aid with wound healing, especially wounds resulting from burns
Boosts Your Immunity
One of the main reasons as to why I started eating bee pollen is because I have heard that it can greatly improve our immunity and reduce the severity of any allergies we experience. Scientists have discovered that bee pollen does this by reducing the activation of mast cells in our body which are specialized cells which enable our body to trigger an allergic reaction - Effectively meaning that our body is less prone to overreacting to allergies.
Additionally, bee pollen has strong anti microbial properties, meaning that it is great for killing harmful bacteria and other undesirable micro organisms.
Could Have Anticancer Properties
Some studies have indicated that bee pollen may contain certain compounds which help to fight the growth of cancer cells and prevent the spread of tumors, by stimulating apoptosis (programed cell death) in certain cells of prostate, colon and leukemic cancers
Improved Absorption of Nutrients
This is a rather unique benefit, but experiments done on rats have shown that rats who were supplemented with bee pollen absorbed around 65% more iron than those without bee pollen. This increase in iron absorption is attributed to the impressive amino acid composition of bee pollen. Within other experiments, bee pollen also improved the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the diet of rats.
Additionally, other studies have indicated that supplementing with bee pollen can improve muscle growth, promote overall longevity and speed up metabolism, however the majority of this evidence is currently coming from animal studies.
HOW TO CONSUME IT?
Bee pollen can be consumed in a variety of ways and foods, including as a topping onto dishes (breads, yogurts, deserts, salads, soups etc.) or it can even be blended into smoothies or even just eaten by itself.
It is recommended that adults eat about 30g (a heaping tablespoon) of bee pollen per day while for children, that dose should be halved to 15g per day.
If you do find that you are experiencing any adverse effects or allergic reactions from consuming bee pollen, do stop and avoid using it in the future, but for people who have no pollen based allergies, consuming bee pollen is considered safe and a healthy boost to a varied and balanced diet.
I hope that you were able to learn something new about todays topic because I certainly did.
If you haven't tried bee pollen yet and as long as you are not allergic to it, give it a try and see wether you enjoy using and consuming it.
Thanks for taking your time to read this.
Honey - Nature’s Golden Gift
I have recently developed a very strong interest in honey and its acclaimed health and beauty benefits along with its variety of uses. I wanted to do some research into honey and why it is so potent with benefits in the first place and how can we diversify its uses in our life.
I believe we can all benefit from eating some honey, which is why I wanted to include various information on honey, starting from the basics - How its made.
I hope you enjoy this article on the topic of honey, which is part of a series I am doing on superfoods where I focus on a particular food or ingredient and discuss its health implications and other benefits it offers.
Happy reading <3
HOW IS HONEY MADE?
Almost of us know, honey is produced by honey bees which travel from flower to flower collecting sweet nectar from them with their long tube shaped tongue. Afterwards the nectar is stored inside their extra stomach during when it mixes with necessary enzymes which transform the nectars composition and pH that makes it more suitable fo long term storage.
Upon returning to the bee hive, the nectar is passed from one bee to another after which the nectar is finally deposited into a honeycomb for storage.
During this stage, the nectar is still more of a liquid than normal honey is, so in order to get additional water out of the nectar, the bees fan it with the flapping of their wings which causes water to start evaporating from it.
Once most of the water has been removed, the nectar is much thicker now and the bees can finally seal the honey comb by using a substance secreted from their abdomen, which eventually hardens into what we know as beeswax.
In this way honey can be stored as a food source for bees for months and even years. Other bee product include bee pollen, bee venom and royal jelly, which are not to be confused with honey
NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
In terms of what honey is made of, it is mainly sugars (fructose and glucose) and water.
Apart form that, honey is also known to contain several different kinds of vitamins (B vitamins) and minerals (Sodium, potassium and magnesium).
Alongside that you can also find amino acids, antibiotic rich complexes, antioxidants and other micronutrients in smaller amounts.
PROPERTIES OF HONEY
Antioxidant:
This property is due to honey containing compounds called inhibins which together with glucose oxidase found in honey, give it its antioxidant effects that fight against free radicals. Int this way honey can have anti-aging effects.
Antibacterial
Raw honey is able to fight off bacteria due to the following two properties. First, honey is hydroscopic meaning that is attracts water which means that when it comes in contact with bacteria it attracts all of the water and dehydrates the bacteria. Secondly, honey is slightly acidic, making it unsuitable for some bacteria to survive.
Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory
Honey has been used to centuries to heal infected wounds and small burns on the skin, by topical (skin) application
Hydrating
This can help with moisturizing our skin, body and hair, as is often the case with beauty products that contain honey.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HONEY
Effective treatment for colds:
Although colds itself are causes by viral infections, honey itself will not be able to cure the actual cold, however it can certainly help with treating some of the symptoms of a sore throat, coughs and any stuffiness that comes with having a cold.
The way in which honey functions in helping to soothe a sore throat is by coating our mucous membranes with a thick and sticky covering which prevents dryness.
Mixing honey with lemon juice or cinnamon, or just putting honey into your tea can also help with mitigating the negative symptoms.
Stronger immunity
Honey is known to strengthen your immune system because of its high antioxidant amount, with which it is able to reduce oxidative stress in our bodies (a condition that results when your antioxidant levels are low) by neutralizing free radicals, which are species that are unstable and accept electrons from antioxidant species to become stable again.
In this way we prevent too high levels of oxidative stress to occur which overtime damage out cells and DNA.
As a side note, the darker the color of the honey, the higher the antioxidant amount.
Apart from that, consumption of honey also stimulates the production of white blood cells (specifically T-Lymphocytes and B-Lymphocytes) that helps strength our immune response
You can read more about how to strengthen your immune system here
Faster wound healing
Raw honey is known to contain small amounts of the enzyme glucose oxidase which under the right circumstances is able to convert into hydrogen peroxide which is a disinfectant. In order for glucose oxidase to be converted into hydrogen peroxide, water and sodium need to be present, which are naturally found in our bodily fluids.
So when we apply honey onto a wound, the glucose oxidase is converted into hydrogen peroxide which disinfects the wound, as long as water and sodium are present in the surroundings
Improved digestion:
There is more a more research coming out that is showing that honey has a positive affect on our digestion and in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
A possible explanation for this is that honey may act as a prebiotic (not probiotic), where prebiotics are plant fibres that nourish the growth of good bacteria in our gut. In this way, the more diverse our gut flora is, the better our digestion and wellbeing.
If you are interested, you can find more information about your gut health in this article
Helps with better sleep:
There is some evidence that suggests that eating a spoon of honey before bed can actually calm you down more and improve your sleep quality.
One explanation is that honey helps your body with releasing the sleep hormone melatonin. Another explanation is that our brain needs a steady supply of glycogen (made of glucose molecules) as fuel, where glycogen is produced by our liver when we have some excess glucose in our blood stream. In this way, a spoon of honey can stimulate our liver into synthesizing glycogen and making sure we sleep in one sold piece during the night.
Brain benefits
There has been some evidence suggesting that honey could act as a antidepressant while also offering anti anxiety affects.
Furthermore, some studies showed a link between honey consumption and improvement of memory disorders, especially in menopausal women.
USES OF HONEY
Here is a list of some of the diseases that honey can help with curing:
Eye diseases
Throat infections
Bronchial asthma
Tuberculosis
Dizziness
Fatigue
Hepatitis
Constipation
Eczema
Wound healing
On the other hand, honey has started to be incorporated more and more commonly into cosmetic products such as skincare and hair care products, where honey provides essential nutrients, moisture and calming properties to the skin.
Honey is also being researched fro its potential effects of slowing down aging through its high antioxidant content, which is once again interesting for cosmetics brands.
PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF HONEY
Don't store in the fridge
Honey does not go bad
Look for natural and “raw” honeys and stores
It is natural for honey to crystalize over time
Overall, a spoon or so of raw honey per day can be an amazing addition to your diet and for your general health. We have discussed everything from the initial stages of how honey is made and all the way to its amazing health prospering properties and the benefits it can gift us with.
I hope this inspired you to include a little bit more of this natures golden gift into your overall diet and give your life a little bit of extra sweetness.
Thanks for reading.