Almost four weeks ago, we celebrated the new year - 2019. I am not the biggest fan of the New Year’s Eve. I cannot help but feel a lot of pressure to have the most exciting and glamorous evening. This year, we were sick. As much as I hate being sick, in a way, it freed me to enjoy a low-key New Year’s Eve. We went and spent the holiday in my fiancé’s family village and we worked most of the day fertilizing and caring for their olive orchard. We pushed ourselves a little too much and that night our health suffered.
To nurse us back to health, my soon-to-be mother-in-law lovingly forced us to take a spoonful of bee pollen. It is important to note that my fiancé’s family are bee keepers, in fact their last name (Arıbeyi) means 'The Lord of the Bees.’ Rightfully so, they basically worship bees and the many products bees produce. So, she handed me a spoonful of bee pollen and I dutifully did what she said.
When I returned to the city, I decided to dig a little deeper about the “apparent” health benefits - I was shocked! I was delighted to learn that bee pollen can - "relieve inflammation, work as an antioxidant, boost liver health, strengthen the immune system, work as a dietary supplement, ease symptoms of menopause, reduce stress, speed up healing” and more. Since then, I have been taking a teaspoonful of bee pollen everyday for one month. I am still monitoring the effect of the pollen but the placebo effect sure is powerful, hah!
I also learned more about how humans harvest bee pollen. When a bee leaves the hive and lands on a flower, they make little balls which are mixture of nectar, pollen and bee saliva. These little balls are transported to the hive and then stored in the honeycomb to ferment. After fermentation, the "bee bread” is used to feed the hive. Beekeepers can respectfully gather this pollen in a collection bin without depleting all their resources or harming the bees.
Maybe I am a little behind on the times and you've known this for years, however I am so glad to learn more about benefits of consuming bee pollen. Yet again, I am amazed by the power of bees.
*If you have pollen allergies, do not eat bee pollen
** If you are pregnant do not eat pollen without talking to your doctor
***To read more about bee pollen, visit here.