Bee pollen, yay or nay?

[RawZi]

    I personally don't like bee pollen.  It makes my period early and heavy, and it takes me months to detox it.  What I tried was from several hundred miles away, but very good source. 

    Have you guys tried pollen?  Was it from bees or just flowers?  Was it local?  Was it good or bad for you?  Is it very unpaleo?

[majormark]

First of all: Do you have a small monitor/resolution? I don't see the point in the huge font otherwise.

I ate about a table spoon of bee pollen a day for about a month with the morning meals and actually liked the taste. Didn't notice anything unusual except some mild stomach ache when I did not eat anything else with it.

[TylerDurden]

I used to eat a lot of bee pollen in the past. It was supposed to come from a high-quality organic source. That said, I would feel such an instant rush of energy and a massive feeling of heat afterwards, that I didn't think it was any good. But I might be wrong. I , however, had good experiences with genuinely raw royal jelly.

[Ioanna]

I tried bee pollen from a local bee keeper that was supposed to be excellent quality. I used to love their raw honey!  Anyway, I like the taste, but even a tablespoon sends me quickly to the bathroom. I've tried it a few times with the same result, so I don't eat it. 

[RawZi]

That said, I would feel such an instant rush of energy and a massive feeling of heat afterwards, that I didn't think it was any good. But I might be wrong. I , however, had good experiences with genuinely raw royal jelly.

    I wish I got energy from it, heat or something I could gauge.  I used it every day for a few weeks.  On rare occasion I soak it and blend it, but still never have felt a benefit.  I find it disturbing that when I use it I get seemingly hypothyroid effects.  I don't need that, it's bad for my health. 

    I've tried royal jelly too.  The first time I threw up water afterward.  I hadn't drank water.  I didn't feel bad though nor any improvement.  The dose was probably too big though.  I've tried royal jelly a bunch of times since, but never notice anything good coming from it, nor bad.

[Guittarman03]

I'd almost consider bee pollen tantamount to vitamins.  They just have such an incredibly dense nutrient quality.  You wouldn't take vitamins alone would you?  No you're supposed to eat them with food (not that anyone here should be taking vitamins).

My gf used to have mild-medium allergy problems.  I finally convinced her to try just a little capsul full every morning (made from the empty capsuls you can buy at a health store).  In days she was feeling better, after a week all symptoms were gone.  She continued on for a week, and has rarely had any issues since.

I once tried to see how my body responded to a whole meal of bee pollen.  I wouldn't recommend it.  I got about 3 ounces in before I had all sorts of terrible stomach pain.

If you experience allergies, or feel you might benefit from some of the nutrients, then eat with some food.  

[raw]

eating bee pollen is not a good experience for me (i get black marks around my eyes). but dr. bass claims that feeding bee pollen in a family, it improves the health of future generations. my orthodox Jewish friend, consumes this regularly and she loves this and so does her children (they eat mostly organic cooked meat). they claim that  bee pollen is very beneficial for their bodies.   

[Michael]

I've never liked the taste myself either but did used to put a tablespoon or two in smoothies as it's supposedly a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and enzymes.  My source is a local beekeeper from which I also source honey and royal jelly.  Their bees are never fed sugar or sugar-syrup and are located in areas of organic land away from pesticides.  The products of their hives are never heated (at all) or filtered.

I don't use any bee products myself anymore but my partner uses bee pollen and honey from this source daily.  She has done so throughout the pregnancy and breast-feeding of our 6 month old son.  Of course, it's impossible to gauge any effects this had but both her and my son have been incredibly healthy since conception.  She also enjoys the taste and claims that she missed it when we run out.

Previously, it also helped cure her of terrible seasonal hayfever.

I'm not sure it's a paleo food, in the paleo re-enactment sense, but if tolerated it may be a useful adjunct to a healthy paleodiet.  However, it probably serves more purpose for people not eating such a good diet (such as my partner who eats cooked food and still consumes grains & dairy).

[van]

pollen imo should be in the form that the bees use, fermented in the comb.  the fermentation breaks down the outer husk of the pollen grain.  There at least use to be a swiss company called cerniten or something, that went to great lengths to extract the inside of the pollen seed so as to aid in human assimilation.  Their research at least seemed impressive.    Years ago, many years,  I tried living on pollen,  you know, another one of those mental ideas that seem so great at the time....

[Michael]

pollen imo should be in the form that the bees use, fermented in the comb.  the fermentation breaks down the outer husk of the pollen grain.  There at least use to be a swiss company called cerniten or something, that went to great lengths to extract the inside of the pollen seed so as to aid in human assimilation.  Their research at least seemed impressive.

My partner grinds it into a powder before eating it with yoghurt and honey.  I'd imagine this would make the nutrients more available for assimilation van but I'd be interested in any information you have on the swiss company you mentioned.

Years ago, many years,  I tried living on pollen,  you know, another one of those mental ideas that seem so great at the time....

ha ha    I know only too well!  What was the result of your trial?

[van]

  I haven't seen the company mentioned in years.  You might google it if interested.    Like all diets it went well at first, then,  well I can't really remember, but I probably hit the wall,  I think it made me really hyper. I would mix the pollen with honey into a peanut butter consistency.  God it was good,  I think I was eating up to almost a cup at a sitting.  Oh well. 
   If you know any bee farmers, you can ask them to save you a frame of pollen, and if it comes with brood and or honey, that's nice too.  You'll have to wait till next summer I imagine.