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Evaluating Bee Pollen Energy Claims

By Lila Barry


Bee pollen energy claims are not accepted everywhere, although it is hard to see why not. Packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and food value, this product of the avian hive has been used since ancient times for nutritive and therapeutic reasons. It even has been used by Olympic athletes as part of their readiness programs. Both folk lore and practical experience validate the ancient belief in the goodness of this dense nutritional substance.

Scientific tests have confirmed that bee pollen is over a third protein, is rich in all the known B vitamins, and contains other vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes and complex carbohydrates. It is one of the most nutritious foods known to man. It is composed of pollen from many flowers that is collected by bees, mixed with saliva and nectar, and stored in the hive for food for the rapidly growing larvae.

Bee pollen is composed of the reproductive dust that bees become covered with as they go from flower to flower collecting nectar. The bees mix it with their own saliva and nectar and store it in the hive as food for their larvae. In the same way that eggs are packed with every nutrient that is needed by the chicks developing inside, bee pollen is a dense nutritional food perfect for the requirements of rapid growth and development.

Beekeepers have a way of collecting bee pollen from hives without taking so much that it endangers the bees. Special collectors brush pollen off the bees as they enter the hive. Old-timers used to consume the 'dirty honey' at the bottom of the hive. Although it was not popular with customers who wanted a clear amber product, the thrifty beekeeper would use it for his own table. The debris in the honey was not bee waste but pollen, and the despised product was the most nutritious of all.

Like with many other nutritional products, some consumers might reap great benefits from taking this natural food. People with a high need for B vitamins or whose daily diet is poor in nutrients might feel a real difference. Someone with a more balanced and complete diet might not notice a significant surge of energy or an increased sense of well-being. Both individuals, however, will be eating a nutritionally-packed, natural substance that is one of nature's 'perfect foods'.

Especially those under stress - whether of great physical exertion like athletes, a serious illness like cancer, or a heavy mental load - need a way to get all the vital nutrients that a natural, living food provides. It is important to get a product that has not been denatured by high heat or chemical processing. Even mechanical preparation for market can be detrimental.

You want to find a product that retains the whole range of food value. Just as heated and filtered honey will no longer sustain a bee, improperly processed bee pollen might have lost its food value. Some processing is necessary, but try to find a product that has been tested and shown to be still viable and pure.

With such a wide range of nutrients available in the substance, bee pollen energy makes complete sense. Anyone looking for dense nutrition while dieting, battling illness, or keeping up a hectic modern lifestyle should try a reputable brand of this super food.




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