Bee pollen, also called bee bread, is a small granule of pollen (mixed with other ingredients such as nectar and bee saliva) created by worker bees to help feed the hive. The exact chemical composition of these granules depends on the types of plants from which the worker bees gather the pollen, but they always consists of large quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and nutrients. For this reason, bee pollen has been harvested by people for…
Pumpkin seeds, popularly known by their Spanish name, “pepita,” are edible, white seeds that have a greenish inside. They are often pressed for their oil, although they can also be consumed as a snack either when raw or lightly roasted. They can also be used in various meat dishes, salads, and even pastas. Like many vegetable seeds, pumpkin seeds are renowned for their health benefits. Indeed, the nutritional value of these seeds far exceeds their…
Chia is a species of flowering plant that bears oval-shaped, multicolored seeds. These seeds, which have a neutral taste and crunchy texture, have been cultivated for centuries as a survival food in their native Mexico and Guatemala. Chia seeds had only just begun to enjoy recognition in the United States, however, when the eccentric Californian gadget company, Joseph Enterprises, began to market them in the 1980s as “Chia Pets,” which are terracotta figurines that sprouted…
Sunflower seeds are the fruits of the beautiful sunflower plant, which is native to North America and is characterized by its impressive height and light yellow petals. These seeds possess a firm texture and a mildly nutty taste, and were a significant source of food for the American Indians. Sunflower seeds remain a popular food in contemporary America, too, although they’re more likely to be consumed raw as a snack than incorporated into cooked meals….
It is not difficult to find research proving that regular white flour is bad for us. Consuming foods made from this popular flour, which has been processed, bleached and stripped of all its essential nutrients, has been linked to cancer, brain fog, acne, constipation, and many other medical conditions. Moreover, due to its extraordinarily high glycemic load, white flour has significantly contributed toward the Western epidemic of diabetes and obesity. Fortunately, there are a growing…
