BUZZ Buzzzz Buzzz buzzz... anyone else notice how it sounds like giant bees are in attendance at every World Cup game?? My house has recently been inundated in the bee-buzz-like bullhorns of international soccer as Ed has suddenly become obsessed with seeing every game in the series. I like them too so I have no complaints - and I swear this wasn't meant to be a lame segue into today's post, merely a vignette into my nice day at home with Ed, but it inevitably is a nice introduction to my nutrition topic du jour, so I'm just gonna roll with it.
Bee pollen! ..What the hell?.. That's what I said anyway, when the fourth customer in two days had bee pollen questions for me in my store. By Shopper #4 I knew where our bee pollen supplement selection was located, but not a whole hell of a lot about it and why Shoppers #1-4 were willing to spend $8 on it. Then I kept coming across it as a supplement listed in many a meal plan on TheKitchenTable. Interest officially piqued, I needed to see what was up. So the other night, blissfully free of chemistry homework and gymtime over with, I attacked the internet for info on this hippie-hype-sounding "nutrient."
As it turns out, I spent eight of my very own dollars on a jar of pollen granules one week ago, and have officially begun my 'Pollen Potential Testing Period'..
Claim #1: Gradually increasing dietary intake (up to one teaspoon daily) of locally harvested bee pollen is supposed to build up your tolerance to airborne allergens. I don't have allergies, but this idea is familiar from another field.. it's reminiscent of systematic desensitization in phobia treatment.. You know, the dude afraid of spiders gets over his fear by first looking at pictures of spiders, then looking at spider footage on TV, then being in a room with a spider, then touching a spider, until he is comfortable enough with them to not have the phobia any longer. However, with food and real physiological allergies, this is your health and body system you are playing around with. And for the record, they mean allergies to flowers and plants, NOT to bee stings!!! You are NOT advised to take bee pollen if you have a bee allergy. (I know, you want to say 'duh', but I wouldn't be surprised to read some story of someone having gotten seriously sick/hurt/dead at some point by misunderstanding this.)
Claim #2: Bee pollen is a natural energizer and weight loss supplement. This claim stands on the fact that bee pollen contains decent concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. (These guys are huge bee pollen cheerleaders - though I am instantly not a giant fan because they throw the word 'superfood' right there in the first sentence on the main page.. *eye roll*) Bee pollen also contains lycopene, selenium, and beta carotene, all of which are key nutrients you want to intake daily. It also contains a good concentration of amino acids, including glutamic acid, which is a big kahuna in proper brain function. The idea is these nutrient concentrations are high because pollen is used in flower reproduction and must be available to support a potential new seedling. According to the afore-linked website (and the general word from others I found) is that bee pollen is composed of approximately 55% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 3% vitamins and minerals, 2% fatty acids, and 5% other substances. About 1 tsp has 10 calories.
Claim #3: Bee pollen lowers bad cholesterol. This seems to be loosely related to its phytonutrient content.
Claim #4: Bee pollen aids sexual health and PMS relief. This claim is based on the fact that bee pollen contains a gonadotropic hormone very similar to the human pituitary hormone gonadotropin, which plays a role in sexual performance. (Note: just because these hormones are similar doesn't mean that one can replace the other.. I am leary of this one.)
Claim #5: Bee pollen improves the appearance of skin and slows the aging process. Again, fingers point to the phytonutrient content.
Claim #6: Bee pollen aids in digestion. Ditto to phytonutrients, and their general aid in helping normalize your GI tract so your body can absorb more nutrients from any food.
Claim #7: Bee pollen is a natural antibiotic. This one is a little tricky to explain/believe; if you're interested in this aspect I would delve into the research yourself. Caution: For the love of honey please check with your doctor before ditching any meds and going all homeopathic on me.
Now, if it sounds good and you're willing to give this stuff a whirl, and you've checked that it doesn't interact with anything else you're taking, and you have no bee-related allergies, here's the deal on bee pollen shopping:
1. Look for freeze-dried bee pollen granules as opposed to heat-dried versions or pills. When pollen is freeze-dried into granules, nutrients and enzymes are not damaged by heat, nor are they oxidized and therefore degraded. (Some nutrients interact with air and turn rancid and useless.) This isn't a supplement that you want to choose randomly - beeeee picky!
2. If you're looking to bee pollen for the claimed allergy assistance, look for multi-colored, locally harvested bee pollen granules. The multiple colors usually means that it is mutli-floral and you will be increasing your defenses against more than one type of plant. Pollen that is harvested locally helps to ensure that you are building defenses agianst plants that grow where you live. Why spend $8 to build up immunity against plants that tend to grow across the county and not in your town? Dumb.
3. Bee propolis and royal jelly are not the same as bee pollen. If you want to try those, be my guest, but this post is on bee pollen granules.
Another word: bee pollen tastes a little funky. It's vaguely sweet, but with a sort of musty, musky taste. Most commonly, it is reccomended to add it to your warm oatmeal together with your sweetener of choice, or to mix it into a post-workout shake. That way, you won't get the full whammy of an odd taste and you will be more likely to stick with your new supplement to see if it really works for you.
Honestly, I very possibly have noticed a boost in energy since I've started taking this stuff. I say this ever-so-tentatively because I hate to give any supplement full credibility when I'm not 100% sure. But, as I have promised, I will always report honestly, and my opinion is, so far, a thumbs up. I tend to be slightly grumpy-groggy until around 11 am each workday, and for seemingly no other reason (workouts haven't changed in intensity, other dietary intake about the same, sleep patterns about the same, no one big stressor before or after intake began) than the change of starting to take the pollen granules, I was feeling pretty darn perky by about 9 am each day. Please acknowledge along with me that one week is not long enough to determine any food/supplement's value. But, on the other hand, I didn't have any weird side effects like nausea or headaches, and my face didn't swell up like Will Smith's in Hitch.
I'll devotedly stick with it for one month or one bottle, whichever comes first, and then formulate my opinion on whether I will continue to take it. My purpose today was to give you some background on this supplement in case, like me, you're wondering what the hell is up with bee pollen, and why Shopper #4 knows about it when I don't. I officially have the skinny on the Bee-P, and so do you.
Buzz buzz buzzzzzzzz.
Bee pollen! ..What the hell?.. That's what I said anyway, when the fourth customer in two days had bee pollen questions for me in my store. By Shopper #4 I knew where our bee pollen supplement selection was located, but not a whole hell of a lot about it and why Shoppers #1-4 were willing to spend $8 on it. Then I kept coming across it as a supplement listed in many a meal plan on TheKitchenTable. Interest officially piqued, I needed to see what was up. So the other night, blissfully free of chemistry homework and gymtime over with, I attacked the internet for info on this hippie-hype-sounding "nutrient."
As it turns out, I spent eight of my very own dollars on a jar of pollen granules one week ago, and have officially begun my 'Pollen Potential Testing Period'..
The buzz on Bee Pollen (yup, I intend to wear that one out while I can) is that it's supposed to serve a number of different functions. I think we know by my accidental rant that I get aggravated by 'miracle food' claims, but I'm an open-minded kinda woman, and I read enough to find it worth my while. Bee pollen is the little grains of flower pollen that collect on bees' legs as they move from flower to flower. While it's on their legs, they secrete an enzyme into it and it is then called 'bee pollen.' They collect it right off the legs of bees and cleanse it to create supplements. Here are some of the common claims or bee pollen fans and manufacturers - some I will further explain a little bit; some are more or less self-explantory based on other given info:
Claim #2: Bee pollen is a natural energizer and weight loss supplement. This claim stands on the fact that bee pollen contains decent concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. (These guys are huge bee pollen cheerleaders - though I am instantly not a giant fan because they throw the word 'superfood' right there in the first sentence on the main page.. *eye roll*) Bee pollen also contains lycopene, selenium, and beta carotene, all of which are key nutrients you want to intake daily. It also contains a good concentration of amino acids, including glutamic acid, which is a big kahuna in proper brain function. The idea is these nutrient concentrations are high because pollen is used in flower reproduction and must be available to support a potential new seedling. According to the afore-linked website (and the general word from others I found) is that bee pollen is composed of approximately 55% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 3% vitamins and minerals, 2% fatty acids, and 5% other substances. About 1 tsp has 10 calories.
Claim #3: Bee pollen lowers bad cholesterol. This seems to be loosely related to its phytonutrient content.
Claim #4: Bee pollen aids sexual health and PMS relief. This claim is based on the fact that bee pollen contains a gonadotropic hormone very similar to the human pituitary hormone gonadotropin, which plays a role in sexual performance. (Note: just because these hormones are similar doesn't mean that one can replace the other.. I am leary of this one.)
Claim #5: Bee pollen improves the appearance of skin and slows the aging process. Again, fingers point to the phytonutrient content.
Claim #6: Bee pollen aids in digestion. Ditto to phytonutrients, and their general aid in helping normalize your GI tract so your body can absorb more nutrients from any food.
Claim #7: Bee pollen is a natural antibiotic. This one is a little tricky to explain/believe; if you're interested in this aspect I would delve into the research yourself. Caution: For the love of honey please check with your doctor before ditching any meds and going all homeopathic on me.
Now, if it sounds good and you're willing to give this stuff a whirl, and you've checked that it doesn't interact with anything else you're taking, and you have no bee-related allergies, here's the deal on bee pollen shopping:
1. Look for freeze-dried bee pollen granules as opposed to heat-dried versions or pills. When pollen is freeze-dried into granules, nutrients and enzymes are not damaged by heat, nor are they oxidized and therefore degraded. (Some nutrients interact with air and turn rancid and useless.) This isn't a supplement that you want to choose randomly - beeeee picky!
2. If you're looking to bee pollen for the claimed allergy assistance, look for multi-colored, locally harvested bee pollen granules. The multiple colors usually means that it is mutli-floral and you will be increasing your defenses against more than one type of plant. Pollen that is harvested locally helps to ensure that you are building defenses agianst plants that grow where you live. Why spend $8 to build up immunity against plants that tend to grow across the county and not in your town? Dumb.
3. Bee propolis and royal jelly are not the same as bee pollen. If you want to try those, be my guest, but this post is on bee pollen granules.
Another word: bee pollen tastes a little funky. It's vaguely sweet, but with a sort of musty, musky taste. Most commonly, it is reccomended to add it to your warm oatmeal together with your sweetener of choice, or to mix it into a post-workout shake. That way, you won't get the full whammy of an odd taste and you will be more likely to stick with your new supplement to see if it really works for you.
Honestly, I very possibly have noticed a boost in energy since I've started taking this stuff. I say this ever-so-tentatively because I hate to give any supplement full credibility when I'm not 100% sure. But, as I have promised, I will always report honestly, and my opinion is, so far, a thumbs up. I tend to be slightly grumpy-groggy until around 11 am each workday, and for seemingly no other reason (workouts haven't changed in intensity, other dietary intake about the same, sleep patterns about the same, no one big stressor before or after intake began) than the change of starting to take the pollen granules, I was feeling pretty darn perky by about 9 am each day. Please acknowledge along with me that one week is not long enough to determine any food/supplement's value. But, on the other hand, I didn't have any weird side effects like nausea or headaches, and my face didn't swell up like Will Smith's in Hitch.
I'll devotedly stick with it for one month or one bottle, whichever comes first, and then formulate my opinion on whether I will continue to take it. My purpose today was to give you some background on this supplement in case, like me, you're wondering what the hell is up with bee pollen, and why Shopper #4 knows about it when I don't. I officially have the skinny on the Bee-P, and so do you.
Buzz buzz buzzzzzzzz.
