Bee Pollen: Energy From the Hive

Do you need 5 Hour Energy, a Red Bull or Star Bucks coffee to get through the day?  Perhaps you're just looking for a safe, natural energy boost from a nutrient dense superfood. Either way,  bee pollen has the buzz to give your energy a boost.

by Angela Van Alten, Nutritionist and Beekeeper's Daughter

There are an abundance of bee pollen energy supplements on the market today. Many of them are marketed on the internet as 'amazing energy boosters' in the likes of Red Bull energy drinks or the many other sugar laden, caffeine spiked colas that are on the market today.

If you're looking for information on natural, sustainable energy production that doesn't 'drop' you after an hour or two, then read on.

Unfortunately, there are some bee pollen producers out there attempting to capitalize on the energy drink craze by promoting their bee pollen mixtures in the same light as these energy colas. This is truly misleading. While bee pollen will give you energy, it does not work the same way as a Monster Energy drink or a triple espresso.

The Different Types of Energy

There are two types of energy that you exist on each and every day.  After you eat a meal your body extracts the protein, carbohydrates and fats from your meal and depending on your activity level, either deposits it as fat or uses it for your immediate energy needs.

Your stored energy (fat) can be accessed to keep your organs working throughout the day and while you sleep.  This is the first type of energy.

The type of energy that marketers at Red Bull refer to is what I call stimulant based temporary energy.  It is borrowed energy from the energy bank - your adrenal glands.

What Happens When You Consume a Stimulant

The energy drink companies make no bones about the fact that their drinks contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar.

When caffeine enters your bloodstream, it rapidly stimulates your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands are what produce 'adrenaline.' Adrenaline is the amazingly powerful chemical we were given for 'fight or flight.'

All of us have likely experienced 'the crash' at one point in our lives after drinking an energy drink or enjoying a Grande coffee from Starbucks.  What is this?

This is the 'lag' we experience after stimulating our adrenal glands. It is caused by the fatigue your adrenal glands experience after being artificially stimulated by a drug such as caffeine.  Forcing your body to undergo this form of stress once in a while usually doesn't cause a major problem for people eating a truly nutritious diet and getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night.

In my nutritional consulting experience, I've found people who support the adrenals with supplements handle this even better.  (You can read my adrenal support recommendations here)   This is for those of you who have beaten up your adrenals or who want to prevent adrenal exhaustion.

What Happens When you Drink Coffee Everyday

Chronic, daily consumers of both large amounts of coffee and energy drinks run the risk of many health issues.

The most notable issue they'll face is adrenal fatigue and eventually total adrenal exhaustion.  This is the groggy, dead to the world feeling you experience when your alarm clock goes off.  This is also that craving you experience every morning for some kind of stimulant to get you going.

Its also the mid day fade you experience at work. You absolutely need a coffee to keep you going.  While there are many more symptoms of adrenal fatigue I could list, these are the two most common.

Bee pollen energy is totally different and shouldn't be confused with the stimulant based, 'adrenaline' energy I explained above.  And shame on the bee pollen producers who are marketing their products with claims that 'bee pollen will give you an energy buzz.'   Quite simply, it doesn't.  Bee pollen energy simply doesn't work like that.  So don't fall for the misleading claims out there.

The Truth About Bee Pollen and Energy

Bee pollen energy is different. It doesn't 'hit' you in fifteen minutes and drop you an hour later.  It is a natural energy that is long lasting and health promoting. You will experience greater vitality and energy due to the amazing nutritional profile of bee pollen. 

The fact is, bee pollen is nutritionally as complete as any food on the planet. If you live in the western hemisphere, you likely eat a processed diet lacking in some or all of the essential nutrients for life.  And I can guarantee that you are exposed to thousands of chemicals and substances everyday that our genetic code wasn't designed to handle.

By consuming bee pollen regularly, you will be ingesting these lacking nutrients and thereby increasing your health and vitality.  This may be a slow process for you - eliminating nutrient deficiencies can take a long time.  Or you may feel an increase in vitality and energy within days. 

I can promise you this - by consuming bee pollen daily, you will absolutely over time increase your health, vitality and energy.  This may seem like a strong statement.  But its not.  Does Vitamin C consumption prevent scurvy? Yes. Does Folic Acid intake prevent neural tube defects? Yes.

So why then would consuming all all 8 Essentials Amino Acids and 2 Non-Essentials Amino Acids, 13 essential vitamins and 10 minerals everyday not improve health and vitality? (that happens to be the basic nutritional profile of bee pollen by the way)

It won't come in the way of a buzz, but give it time. Let nature fix and eliminate your unique nutritional deficiencies.

Let your energy come from bee pollen energy!