Superfoods: Bee Products

Thank you for continuing in the Superfoods Series with me. So as you can see we are talking about the bee! They are so wonderful! Don't understimate the power of the bee! Seriously though foods like raw honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis are amazing! These are all different products our friends the bees make.

Raw Honey
It is probably the most familiar. Many of you probably already have it in the house, and with good reason. All raw honey, if truly raw, is a winner! First of all its delicious, never discount healthy foods that taste good right out of the gate. Second of all consuming raw, local honey has amazing immune boosting benefits. Its a natural anitbacterial. So its great for defeating infections. Anyone with seasonal allergies should include raw, local honey in their food regimen regularly, even daily. I mention the word local due to the fact that honey harvested by bees in your individual areas has the pollen from your area that gives you so much trouble. Consider it a safe vaccination. Buy it in glass, if possible. Plastic will leak toxins. If you have acne or breakouts, do a honey mask 1-2 times a week. Just put a little in your hand, rub it on your face, leave on for 10-15 minutes or until dripping, and then wash off gently with lukewarm water and a wash cloth.

Royal Jelly
So this is neat stuff. It's actually a combo of pollen plus honey from an exclusive group of what are called nurse bees. This is traditionally food reserved for the queen. It is an energizing food, far safer and more beneficial than a cup of coffee. It's loaded with minerals and some B vitamins, that's why it's so energizing. It's usually mixed with raw honey when you purchase it. A teaspoon a day is beneficial. It is helpful to those with memory issues. It can also assist hormonal troubles in both men and women.

Bee Pollen
I cannot express to you how crazy I am about this bee product. You can buy bee pollen in capsules, but I prefer it in the raw granule form. The granules are soft in texture. I love to just eat them. So the good stuff in them are antioxidants, those are the vitamins that fight cancer. It is said to be good for fertility. I take them for the enzymes and the B vitamins. They give a super healthy energy boost. Sometimes I'll just pour some in my hand and pop them in the mouth. They have a unique flavor, I guess it's honey-esque. I throw some in my smoothies. My favorite way to eat them though is with sliced Granny Smith apples and raw almond butter in a bowl. I'll scoop some raw almond butter on one side of the bowl, put the apple slices on the other side, sprinkle bee pollen granules on top of the almond butter, and then scoop them up with the slices. That is my FAVORITE snack! One thing is you never want to heat them. You'll kill the good stuff.

Propolis
So the way God created bees is so cool. They are extremely fascinating creatures. Propolis is actually supposed to be used as a type of protection for the bees. Bees actually gather the propolis from trees. It's a sticky glue like substance. So they use it to seal up the cracks of the hive to prevent intruders from invading...pretty sneaky of them huh :) The cool part for us is it kind of does the same thing in our bodies. It helps keep out invaders, like unhealthy bacteria from deciding to take up residence. It's a superhero immune booster with B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals, and vitamin A.

Hopefully, if you didn't know much about bee products or didn't know anything that I peaked your interest. Local bee products produced by responsible bee keepers in your area is always best for immune support. Check out your local small business health food store or farmers market and see what they have available.