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Australian Bee Pollen for Superfood Smoothies
By: admin On: 21 September 2021
A perfect topping for you Acai Bowl or granola bowl. How to use Australian Bee Pollen as an enhancement to meals for high nutritional value
A potent, raw, superfood, Australian bee pollen is packed full of nutrients that provide a welcome boost for our wellbeing.
What is bee pollen?
Bee pollen is the pollen from flowers, mixed with small amounts of nectar, honey, wax, and bee secretions. Stored in the hive, it provides vital food for the bees, giving them essential protein and fats.
How bees collect pollen
A bee can carry over half its bodyweight in pollen, stored in a pollen basket on each of their back legs. As pollen collects on its body, the bee brushes it into the baskets for transportation back to the hive. An entire colony of bees can collect up to 50kg pollen in a season. Along the way, they pollinate our flowers and crops. Only female honey bees have pollen baskets on their legs for collecting pollen.
The bees bring the pollen back to hive and pass it to the worker bees. They pack it into storage chambers in the hive, mixing it with nectar and bee secretions. In this way the tiny grains of pollen are broken down to make the nutrients more readily available.
How bees make honey from pollen
Bees make honey from nectar, not pollen, yet both nectar and pollen are vital to the survival of the colony. Most bees collect either pollen or nectar. The nectar is sucked into a separate stomach specifically designed for this purpose. If the bee needs to feed, a little of the nectar is released into the actual stomach. Back at the hive, the bees gather to process the nectar, chewing it and passing it from bee to bee. This, along with enzymes in the saliva, reduces the moisture content. Like making syrup. The reduced nectar is packed into cells in the hive and then fanned with wing activity until the total moisture content is just under 20%. The nectar has become honey. Each wax cell in the honeycomb is now sealed off with more wax.
Honey provides a winter food source for the bees. It provides carbohydrates alongside the fats and protein provided by the bee pollen.
What does bee pollen taste like?
Owing to the diversity of the flora from which the bees collect pollen and nectar, the taste of Australian bee pollen can vary not only between batches, but also between granules. Overall, bee pollen has a fruity, floral flavour with a slightly grainy texture. Like a soft crunch. It is subtly sweet and vaguely reminiscent of honey.
The benefits of bee pollen in smoothies
Bee pollen is the ideal addition for your healthy smoothies, adding a little texture as well as a nutrient superboost. In some countries it is actually recognised as a medicine and it is claimed to contain over 250 active substances.
Whilst research evidence on all the benefits of bee pollen is mixed, it cannot be denied that it is full of nutrients and is a rich source of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The nutritional content varies widely as it depends on the nutritional content of the flora from which the pollen is collected. Bee pollen from beekeepers that produce raw wild honey, free from pesticides, is more likely to come from a wide and diverse range of flora.
Full of antioxidants, bee pollen has also shown to be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol. Many people take bee pollen to counteract allergies such as hayfever, and it may be useful in easing menopausal symptoms.
Organic bee pollen
Bee pollen is a by-product of the honey industry, so falls under the same legislation as honey. The Australian rules for organic honey certification state that the hives must be within no less than a 5km radius of sources of pollution such as conventional orchards and crops, or towns. Regulations also apply to hive construction and maintenance.
All of our Australian bee pollen comes from beekeepers that make raw wild honey. Their hives are in the bush, at least 6km away from crops treated with pesticides. This makes it not only pesticide free, but with all the benefits of a wild and varied flora.
Is bee pollen vegan?
A vegan lifestyle is about more than just choosing not to eat meat or dairy. Although that is fine too. According to PETA 'living vegan means embracing every opportunity to reduce the suffering of all animals, regardless of their species'.
So no, honey and bee pollen cannot be considered strictly vegan. Whether or not you choose to include it in your diet is entirely up to you.
Honey, royal jelly and beeswax are all secreted by bees so are not actually vegan in any sense of the word. Anymore so than dairy milk, for example. Bee pollen is collected, not secreted, yet it does contain small amounts of beeswax and even honey.
How to take bee pollen granules?
You can add bee pollen to smoothies, acai bowls and granola bowls. Sprinkle them onto your breakfast shakes, or scatter over yoghurt and fruit. They look pretty over ice cream, or even desserts with a few edible flowers. Although you can add them anywhere for their nutritional benefit, to really experience the flavour think about subtle flavours that will set off the floral tones. Like a simple banana smoothie or vanilla protein shake for example. They go great with chocolate too. There are several ways to make your banana smoothie more interesting.
A touch of golden decadence, bee pollen will add a slight crunch and floral undertones. Texture and taste, plus the added bonus of being totally insta-friendly too. Win win.
Some people can be sensitive to bee pollen. Others, such as those on blood thinning medications or pregnant women, should not be taking it at all. If in any doubt, please always consult with your healthcare professional. If you feel that you may be sensitive to bee pollen, because you have allergies for examples, build up your dose a few grains at a time.
Most people will tolerate a tablespoon of bee pollen daily.
How to store bee pollen
We recommended that you store your bee pollen in the freezer, taking out what you need on a per-use basis. At the very least keep it air-tight and/or in the fridge for optimum freshness and crunch.
You can buy Australian bee pollen online right here at Opera Foods. It is just one of our many healthy smoothie ingredients. You can save money when you buy bee pollen granules in bulk.