If you have been taking bee pollen supplements for some time already, or if you are currently thinking of starting, there is a strong possibility you will have seen mention of New Zealand bee pollen? It is also likely that you will have come across a few remarkable claims regarding pollen coming from New Zealand. While some claims are certainly valid, others are dubious at best.
No Two Pollen Supplements Are the Same!
I have lost track of how many people have asked me how pollen from New Zealand can be better than pollen from Britain, America, or any other country for that matter.
The best way for me to answer this would be to say that all pollen is different. If I were to keep a colony of bees in my garden, the pollen I harvest today will not be nutritionally identical to the pollen I harvest tomorrow. In fact, bee pollen nutritional values can change during the course of a single day.
There are really so many factors which come into play. These include things like the local vicinity, soil quality, seasonal changes, and of course the types of plants being frequented by the bees. This does not mean some pollen contains vitamin A while other pollen does not, but instead, it means that one batch of pollen may have a vitamin A content of 10% while another batch may have 15% or more.
Say No to Industrial Bee Pollen
When did they start making honey in factories? They don’t, or at least I hope they don’t. Industrial bee pollen is a term I use when I refer to pollen, or any other honey bee products that have been harvested from bee hives which are kept in close proximity to industrialized areas. Believe it or not, but most of the pollen used in supplements comes from such areas simply because it costs the supplement manufacturers less.
Airborne toxins can be carried hundreds of miles, so even if the pollen comes from an outlying area which is relatively far from any industrial sites, it can, and most probably will be contaminated. In fact, this is one of the leading reasons why many people are opting for New Zealand made pollen supplements, or supplements containing bee pollen that comes from there.
Most of New Zealand’s bee pollen comes from hives which are located in an extremely remote region which is miles and miles away from any industries. The only wind the hives are exposed to come from the South West directly off the Southern Ocean, and beyond the Southern Ocean lays the Antarctica. Pollen from this region is largely considered to be the purest in the world.
As I have mentioned earlier, importing pollen is often cost prohibitive, and there are very few manufacturers that are willing to follow this route. Generally speaking, if you want supplements containing pollen from New Zealand, it is best to buy them yourself from a New Zealand based manufacturer. Some of the manufacturers over there offer very competitive shipping rates, and in fact, some will even scrap shipping charges altogether if you purchase in bulk.
