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.
