Bee Pollen Health Benefits for......Mother Nature?

I've written extensively about bee pollen health benefits in the past. I've written about the historical uses of bee pollen as well as the personal opinions of the many doctors from around the world who use this wonder food in their practices.

And even though I'm a tad biased, I find it incomprehensible that anyone could doubt the efficacy of regularly using a good quality raw bee pollen in obtaining a higher level of health and longevity.

But if there is one thing I've learned over the past decade working in the holistic health field, it's that people often have very different opinions on this concept of 'health.' And often times they hold these opinions despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary of what they believe.

But that's okay. I'm happy to give people my information for free. What they do with it is up to them.

Back to this concept of 'health.' I often get asked things like "what do you take?" and "what should I take to get healthy?" or "what should I do to get healthy?"

And the unfortunate truth is that I can't explain my idea of perfect health to you in a few words. Health is a very broad concept. Besides, my idea of 'health' is unique to me. You might not like my definition and what is takes on a daily basis to obtain it.

For example, my definition of 'total health' includes, among other things, building and maintaining a strong environmental consciousness.

Reality is that as my natural health journey has progressed over the last few years, I've become more and more aware of how interconnected natural health and the environment really are.

I truly believe that if you want to pursue holistic health to it's fullest, you need to understand the impact the foods you consume have on our environment including how they are grown, where they are grown and the energy and resources it took to grow them AND then get them to your table.

As you'll read, bee pollen makes a lot of sense as a complete, environmentally conscious superfood.

So here is why you're 'green' when you choose to consume raw bee pollen and products of the hive like raw honey as part of your daily nutrition.

Why Bee Pollen Benefits Mother Nature

I'm not a vegetarian. I used to be but as I experimented with different diet types I found out that I can be vegetarian some of the time but feel much healthier when I eat some animal protein.

Now, I'm not here to argue the benefits of being a vegetarian versus being a meat eater. It has been my experience that some people are designed to eat meat and some people aren't. Simple as that. I've seen people who aren't made to be a vegetarian try to be one and it wasn't pretty. They literally began to melt away right before my eyes. They started eating meat again and felt like a new person.

And the same goes for some meat eaters I've seen convert to vegetarianism. It worked wonderfully for them and still does to this day.

But I'm not writing this article to convince vegetarians or meat eaters to eat more bee pollen just because it is good for them.

I'm writing it because not only is it good for them, but because it is great for mother nature. And when you really think about it, the foods that tend to be most beneficial for humans also tend to be produced in the most renewable, green, and eco-friendly ways.

The energy requirements of food?

First, the cow is born. Then it must be grain fed most of it's life. Before it is slaughtered, it's fattened up with even more grain. Would it be accurate to say that a cow eats hundreds of pounds of grain in it's life before it makes it's way onto your plate? I'm sure I'm not that far off.

In the meantime, this cow is producing large quantities of methane gas and releasing them into our atmosphere.

Ready for slaughter, the cow then has to be trucked to the slaughterhouse and post-death, trucked or flown all over the continent before it makes it's way into your local supermarket.

I don't know the actual energy and resources devoted to getting that cow onto your plate, but they are staggering when considering the amount of fossil fuels used up as well as the grains consumed just to produce the meat.

Meat is protein, I know. And we need protein to maintain optimal health. And therefore, shouldn't we be willing to 'pay a higher price' to produce protein?

I guess it depends who you talk to - I'm sure the beef industry will tell you yes, it's worth the price.

But is it? Bee pollen happens to be a very high protein food. What resources are used by bees to create bee pollen?

Ummmmm....none. (unless you consider the pollen nectar from flowers a resource)

Furthermore, the sheer density of nutrients found in bee pollen would allow one to consume fewer calories while remaining healthy. You'll maintain a much lower body weight without starving yourself or doing hours of cardio.

By the way, calorie restriction happens to be the only thing proven without question to extend life span in everything from insects to mice to humans. (when I say 'calorie restriction', I mean eating less high saturated fat and high sugar foods and eating more low calorie, high nutrient foods like vegetables)

Eat local?

As your local bee pollen and honey provider grew, you'd lessen the need to truck or fly energy draining animal products in from all over the country.

You'd lessen the carbon foot print of getting your food from field to table. You'd grow your local economy and support local farmers instead of the corporate food factories that are prevalent today that produce food (if you can call it that) with profits in mind and not your health!

By buying local and supporting the bee industry, you'd also be helping to save the planet in another very big way.

Did you know that without bees pollinating farmer's crops, the human race would disappear within four years? (that's according to Einstein)

Kind of scary....

Eat bee pollen and clean the air?

Wow. So not only do cows use up large amounts of fossil fuels in being fed and transported, they're filling the atmosphere with methane.

Bee Pollen actually acts like an air filter. It's an air cleanness indicator because it can absorb air pollution and environmental chemicals.

So if you want save yourself some money, contribute to a cleaner, greener planet and live a longer, healthier life, try replacing some of the meat your eating with 35 - 50 grams per day of a good quality, raw bee pollen.