Cocoa: the perfect balance of health & indulgence
🍫🌰"Dark chocolate is one of the few foods that taste awesome while providing significant health benefits"🌰🍫 -Healthline. Copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium...those are just some of the compounds found in cocoa. Plus it's one of the richest sources of antioxidants, these include polyphenols, flavanols and catechins, amongst others. There is considerable evidence that dark chocolate (note that means products with at least 70% of cocoa content) may provide powerful health benefits, being especially protective against heart disease, improving brain function and lower blood pressure (Healthline). We love chocolate for its mood enhancing abilities-afterall who doesnt feel happier after having some, especially when the autumn colder wet days are here? Our pralines are a great chocolate snack to have at this time of the year- a combination of five quality bee products aimed to support your immune system and body strength, covered in artisan dark chocolate.
Learn to be Flexible in life from...the Bee!
It is often said that great achievers, entrepreneurs and famous leaders show great cognitive flexibility- which is 'the ability to adapt the cognitive processing strategies to face new and unexpected conditions in the environment' according to Cañas (et al. 2003). So its basically the art of being able to find solutions to sudden changes in life.
Studies have shown that some animals such as the bee are far more skilled at it then humans are. They seem to be able to adapt to the changing environment and make the best decision in a given moment or change their mind accordingly in order to fulfill on the goal which is selecting the most valuable source of nectar for their hive. No wonder the beehive is such an incredibly efficient honey "factory". Yet again theres so much we can learn from these little insects!
Becoming a mother -for me- was probably the most radical and effective way of learning how to be flexible and adaptable in life. If you want to deliver as a parent and at the same time achieve other goals such as running a business, doing a degree or continuing a hobby- finding creative ways of using your time efficiently and not being stopped by the new circumstances becomes an essential skill. I also realised that my children can be a part of what I do and it doesnt necessarily mean I have to choose one or the other. It's about making things work and often thinking outside of the box. Taking my 2 week year old child with me to a product photoshoot recently has been a little challenging but also a wonderful experience as he could nap amongst the beehives in the wild.
What are other ways in which you can apply flexibility in your life? Would love to know from you.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/wild-connections/201912/3-ways-improve-your-cognitive-flexibility
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(17)31017-5.pdf
BLB recipe: peanut butter banoffee praline oats
Doesn't this sound like the best dessert ever? 😍😋and yet it makes a nutritious superfood breakfast💪🏻🌱🍛 This incredibly talented & creative blogger @abowlofyum came up with a wonderful recipe using our wellness praline. We love the idea of combining peanut butter with banana and chocolate+ bee products. It gives such a rich flavour and provides us with a whole range of nutrients in one meal. See her latest post for full recipe (@abowlofyum) and make sure you check out her other recipes as she really does prove the point that there's no limits when it comes to finding new delicious and healthy breakfast bowls! #healingfoods #wellbeing #wellness #healthylifestyle #treatyourhealth #healthyrecipes #nutritioncoach #healthylondon #healthychildren #wellnessmama #beeproducts #honey #royaljelly #pollen #propolis #healthychocolate #nutritionaltherapy
Raw Honey: the perfect healthy addition to your salad!
Summer is our favourite time to experiment with salads and raw honey can be a great way to give it a rich delicious taste. We love to combine it in a dressing made of quality balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a couple of spoons of any fresh juice which together give a strong deep flavour. The dressing tastes amazing in this beetroot & spinach salad which is so simple and a real powerhouse of vitamins & minerals! Here we used cooked fresh beetroot, baby spinach, feta cheese & toasted pumpkin seeds. Great as a meal or side dish. Yum!
Introducing: Royal Jelly
This is another remarkable ingredient in our 🌰pralines🌰: 🐝royal jelly!🍯
This elixir is an exclusive nourishment for bee queen for a reason.
"It is a multi-talented nutrient. it's a sticky, milky secretion and works wonders for promoting overall health and vitality." says Ayurveda expert. Dr. B.N Sinha.
Said to have many health benefits including effective immune system stimulation, regulating metabolism (cholesterol levels), fighting tiredness, hormonal imbalances, promoting good sleep and supporting brain function.
It contains high amounts of vitamins and minerals like calcium and phosphorous, potassium, iron.
There are numerous medical studies that demonstrate royal jellies therapeutic benefits including papers published by Science Direct, Medical News Today, US National Library of Medicine. Sadly due to legal limitations set by the EU we are not allowed to publish these health claims however all these papers are official and accessible so feel free to 'Google' them. We hope this changes in the near future as no doubt there is too much evidence out there to not acknowledge the amazing properties royal jelly has as well as other bee products!
Hopefully if you have some interest in healthy foods you would have come across some interesting information on this wonderful gift from 🌱nature!🐝
References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5549483/ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324152 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501316300830 https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/5-fantastic-royal-jelly-benefits-a-magical-ingredient-created-by-bees-1682880 https://www.cocooncenter.co.uk/journal/all-you-need-to-know-about-royal-jelly-s-natural-goodness.html
Bee Pollen: a superfood with all the essential components of life
...and that's why our wellness pralines are filled with 🐝bee pollen!🌼🥰🌻Did you know it contains nearly all the nutrients required by humans which makes it one of nature's most complete 🧘🏻♀️nourishing foods?🤸🏻♀️ Loaded with nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, lipids and over 250 active substances⚡☄ Though it seems to recently gained popularity as the 'new superfood' it has been used for medicinal purposes way back in ancient Greece, Rome and the Chinese Medicine.... Today in some countries such as Germany, the Ministry of Health recognizes bee pollen as a medicine👨⚕️🤲🏻 Bee pollen is made approx.40% of protein. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by the body. Such highly assimilable protein can contribute significantly to one's protein needs. There are numerous medical studies that demonstrate bee pollen's therapeutic benefits including papers published by the US National Library of Medicine, Science Direct, MDPI (open access scientific journals), and many others. Due to legal limitations set by the EU we are not allowed to publish these health claims however all these papers are official and accessible so feel free to 'Google' them. We hope this changes in the near future as no doubt there is too much evidence out there to not acknowledge the amazing properties bee pollen has as well as other bee products! Hopefully if you have some interest in healthy foods you would have come across some interesting information on this wonderful gift from 🌱nature!🐝 #beeproducts #beepollen #healingfoods #wellness #powerofnature #healthylifestyle #treatyourhealth #nutritioncoach #healthylondon #healthychildren #health #bees #nutritionaltherapy References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377380/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/bee-pollen https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/9/12/819/htm
“Natural products are in demand today more than ever before”- conversation with Dr. Stângaciu.
Meet the brains behind the unique recipe for our wellness pralines - Doctor Stefan Stângaciu- a medical doctor who dedicated most of his life to studying the medicinal use of bee products and has presented scientific and practical papers on this subject at more than one hundred conferences in over 50 countries. Some of his titles include: Honorary President of the German Apitherapy Society, President of the Romanian Apitherapy Society, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Apitherapy, amongst others.
He believes that the solution to combating all diseases and suffering is “ through combining the best of the Eastern medical systems with the best of the Western ones”, they do not need to compete but, rather, they can complement each other.
Dr. Stângaciu is considered a ‘Guru’ in the world of Apitherapy - a therapeutic system that is based on the use of bee products. Although 20 years ago the pharmaceutical industry used to say that methods like apitherapy (as well as acupuncture, homeopathy, ayurveda, etc.) are “not scientifical enough”, today it’s becoming very hard for them to defend this position as there is plenty of scientific evidence that shows the contrary. It is acknowledged by some official bodies such as FAO who defines apitherapy as “a medical concept, based on scientific foundations”; however, sadly, the legislation in many countries including the UK and EU support the pharmaceutical field’s views and currently no health claims around bee products and most natural products are allowed.
But the facts speak for themselves: today countries like Germany and China invest millions of dollars in scientific studies on natural products including bee products. The NHS in the UK (as well as other countries) use large amounts of honey -called medical honey- to treat wounds; Japan is currently purchasing tons of propolis to use in the medical field…to name just a few.
Also, “today’s medicine is preventative medicine” adds Dr. Stângaciu. This gives natural products -especially those from the beehive- an opportunity to gain the respect they deserve.
According to Research and Markets forecast, the Global Apiculture Market will reach the size of US$10.074 billion by 2023, increasing from US$8.378 billion in 2017. The main ‘players’ in this field with a number of well-known scientists and practitioners in Apitherapy are: Germany, Romania, Cuba, Russia, China, Japan, Lithuania, Taiwan, Korea, Ukraine, Poland, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, USA and Canada.
It is no surprise that people all over the world have turned towards the use of natural/ecological/ biological foods, products and therapies for a reason. It is simply not sustainable to live the way many of us do nowadays: in crowded, polluted buzzing cities, consuming heavily processed foods, working in offices for long hours, under pressure and stress and not getting any fresh air for a whole week. Then, when feeling sick, we take paracetamol to kill the pain or numb a developing cold ASAP as we just need to ‘keep going’. At some point, something has got to give. Our bodies aren’t machines and we all know that. That is why so often these days we hear stories of people who have left the corporate sector and started a hippy life travelling the world or moved to the countryside and started their own local business. We are naturally inclined towards nature whether we realize it or not. The same applies to health and healing- too many people have personally experienced how natural medicine and practices have had a very positive and often surprising impact on their health and wellbeing.
Dr Stângaciu’s lifelong study of the bees and bee products led him to the conclusion that the most powerful and effective way to use all the goodness the bee hive offers to mankind is through combining its’ most precious products into one. Considering there is a whole list of health benefits which are believed to be associated with each bee product individually -including immune health support, an energy boost, body strengthening, balancing the physiological effects of stress- consuming all of them at once allows the cells of our body to receive an incredibly rich variety of substances which may lead to a very effective healing effect. Additionally to this, Dr. Stângaciu was always a big fan of chocolate which he loves for its taste but equally for its health benefits. “Most of us love chocolate as it is a rich source of magnesium and our bodies naturally crave for this mineral as there aren’t many sources of it in our food. Magnesium is essential to proper brain and heart function; there are over 300 enzymes in our body which need this mineral to work correctly” he says.
He thought combining the bee products with high quality cocoa will make a truly ‘perfect’ product. That is how the recipe for the wellness pralines (originally called api-pralines) has been created. A combination of royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis, raw honey and Apilarnil- all gathered from the remote areas of Romania- Transylvania, covered in high quality dark chocolate. It has the form of a chocolate praline which is a lovely treat to have at any time of the day especially when feeling run down, weak and/or stressed.
It is also a fantastic product to give to children over 12 months old as most of them love the taste and can benefit from having bee products in their diet which they wouldn’t consume otherwise.
Despite the fact that our world has become so industrialized and commercialized and having access to clean water, air and greenery has become a luxury in many parts of the world, it is encouraging to see various individuals and businesses taking initiative to make a difference and helping bring nature and its powers closer to us- whether it’s through creating a sustainable and ethical business, planting trees or promoting natural and healthy food- every bit counts. Ultimately, we need nature more than it needs us, don’t we?
References:
https://apitherapy.co/2020/03/03/state-of-the-art-of-apitherapy-past-and-present/
https://pcela.rs/interview_stefan.htm
http://www.fao.org/3/i0842e/i0842e14.pdf
https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/k4wmqn/10_billion?w=5
https://mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_uploads/guidelines/Wounddressing-guidanceforuse,V1.pdf
www.Apitherapy.com >>> Apitherapy Reference Data Base
Bee Like a Bee's first overseas bulk order has been made, yay!
A respected dietitian Iza Kucko (@iza_kucko) has integrated our wellness pralines into her clients healthy meal plans. She works with people who often work long hours and struggle with fatigue and tiredness and rely on 5-6 cups of coffee a day, coke and sugary snacks to keep them going.... She recommends to them our pralines as a natural energy booster and a sweet treat. Its exciting to be able to help individuals open up to new snacking alternatives and benefit from these small powerful choices. We strongly believe that the key to success with healthy eating is to make tiny consistent steps that become habits for life- such as having honey as a sweetener instead of white sugar, darker chocolate instead of milk/white chocolate etc. It doesn't mean you should stop having your favourite cookies or chocolate bar, but you can treat your health in better ways too and choose to do so sometimes... #healthysnacking #treatyourhealth #healthylifestyle #healingfoods #wellness #healthylondon #healthypoland #honey #propolis #royaljelly #pollen #healingfoods #healthychoices #energyboost #nutritioncoach #nutritionaltherapy #supplements
A simple way to make your favourite dish an immunity boosting meal
It's so easy to include bee products in your staple dishes and convert them into a superfood meal! These spelt pancakes are so simple and delicious- I filled mine with banana, cottage cheese and honey with propolis topped up with yogurt and blueberries- a real sweet treat and so nutritious. This combination is focused on supporting your immune system- due to a variery of flavonoids and polyphenols present in propolis and honey plus vitamin C and flavonoids in blueberries. You can add honey with propolis to any combination you enjoy- as it works as a lovely sweetener. Plus the taste of propolis mixed with honey isnt overpowering- often people avoid eating propolis because of its particular taste and smell. We dont sell our own honey with other bee products yet (hope to soon!) But @Tocahoney is a lovely brand to try. #bee #bees #propolis #honey # #immunityboost #healthylondon #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #hackneyfood #healingfoods #flu #immunesystem #supplements #wellness #healthyrecipes #healthychildren #treatyourhealth #healthysnacking #selfcare #nutritioncoach #nutritionaltherapy
My experience of being a mother and taking care of my mental health
Is becoming a mother and taking care of yourself possible? Becoming a mother is the biggest life changing event for any woman, and so it was for me. From one day to the next, life stops evolving around you and it is completely focused on another human being. From your everyday smallest choices such as when you wake up, how you plan your day, what and when you cook, to what car and house you buy or what friendships you make...all this is determined by these little humans' and their needs. And yes it's hard and exhausting...but also so rewarding and fulfilling, isn't it? However, when it comes to our mental wellbeing, according to various studies including NHS advice, doing something for yourself on regular basis - whether its relaxing or a hobby- is one of the key factors to ones mental wellbeing and happiness. As a mother of one and expecting a second, I have many times neglected this aspect. It's so easy to prioritize everything else but yourself. And yes its often impossible to get any "me time" as not everyone has a family around the corner to help out with children or a husband available to help around. But just by setting that intention and making it a priority to create time for yourself and your passions can make a big difference- you will then seek opportunities to have a slot of time for yourself, I have personally gone jogging at 10pm in the evening when little one was asleep or arranged childcare just so that I can have that hour of yoga class during the day (of course @yogaonthelane the most amazing yoga studio in London and probably in the world! They currently do wonderful online classes too). When there is an intention, I have no doubt that things become aligned with it.
See some useful tips on how to improve you wellbeing here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/top-tips-to-improve-your-mental-wellbeing/
Fellow Inspiration: The importance of having a routine in the lockdown
How to turn the current lockdown into an opportunity to rise in your productivity? Hannah,founder of a truly inspiring lifestyle brand @ezelleofficial gives great tips on how to create powerful new habits that can work for you in these challenging times and how remembering each day that time is precious and limited can shift our approach to how we spend each day.
Definitely worth a read! https://www.ezelle.co/blog/routine-in-lock-down
Also If you sign up to Ezelle's mailing list you will not only receive 15% off your first purchase of any item from their beautiful online store, but you will also get another 10% off their upcoming notebook collection! More info at the end of the blog article. Thanks for the advice Hannah we hope this will help us to get closer to "Bee-coming Like a Busy & Effective Bee"!
Ramadan: a cleansing of the mind, body & soul
For the last 2 weeks, 1.5 billion people around the world have been abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset, isn’t that amazing? Once a year, for a month, Ramadan is a unique opportunity for all Muslims to recharge their spiritual energy, purify their hearts and clear their minds as they rid their bodies from toxins. By not consuming any food, our body is able to concentrate on removing toxins, as we give the digestive system a rest as well as improve overall wellbeing. It is also encouraged to eat nutritious healthy food between the fasts in order to get the full benefits of the detoxification process. That’s why during this special month for some of us, here at Bee Like a Bee, we love to stock up on our healing pralines and enjoy them every day with friends and family. It’s such a great way to both enjoy delicious chocolate and support the healing processes in your body. Take advantage of our Ramadan offer and gift yourself or someone you care about with our healing pralines. Delivered straight to you door, for free. Ramadan Mubarak!
We've joined Amazon- the giant
If you love buying on Amazon then you can now add a bag of our healing pralines to your cart when shopping next. This is a perfect time to treat yourself and your family to a delicious and health supporting snack. Plus brought to your door before you know it!
BTW Anyone figured out how these guys at Amazon manages to deliver so quickly? We haven’t!
The Bee: A surprising role model for social change
If the bee was a human, it would be the most efficient, fit and altruistic person on the planet! Find out more about this super hero and why bee products are an amazing investment in your health in our article written for Ezelle- a beautiful and purpose driven lifestyle brand.
See here: https://www.ezelle.co/blog/the-bee-perfect-role-model
Thank you @ezelleofficial for your wonderful blog!
You CAN do something to protect yourself from Covid-19
“It is not the virus — coronavirus or otherwise — that harms individuals, but a person’s own faulty immune system “ -Dr. Ayyadurai- scientist MIT PhD. According to this world-renowned biologist,there is a very reasonable solution to the current problem the world is facing: strengthening people’s immunity system.
He explains that modern science shows clearly that it is the over reaction of our OWN weakened and dysfunctional immune system attacking tissues and cells of our own body that harms and kills, versus the virus. In healthy individuals, the immune system processes pathogens with a natural immune response that is mild and non-lethal; however, in those who are immune-compromised — elderly and those with pre-existing conditions—their own immune systems may overreact; and in the case of COVID-19, attacking lung epithelial cells and tissues leading to hospitalization and mortality.
Whatever our personal view is on current pandemic, it is definitely worth taking all possible means to strengthen your bodies natural defenses. Dr. Ayyadurai says having adequate amounts of vitamin D, A and C are essential to strengthening our natural defenses. There’s some good tips on this on CNN Health here: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/health/immunity-diet-food-coronavirus-drayer-wellness/index.html
Eating a healthful, balanced diet is just one way to support immune health.More ways to strengthen body’s defences have been covered in our previous post.
We are donating free immunity boost packs for those most in need
Is there someone in your family/ community who is vulnerable to current pandemic?We are donating 3 immunity boost packages to those who could really do with extra immunity support right now. Message us personally on instagram facebook or via this website and we will arrange delivery asap- anywhere in the UK and all free of charge, of course. We pray everyone survives these challenging times in good health, let's all try to do what we can to support those most in need of our attention.
A strong immune system- your ally in the coronavirus pandemic.
OK so we know the essential tips on this issue: wash your hands, avoid touching parts of the face, stay away from sick people, avoid gatherings...but what else can we do to stay safe?
Professor of immunology at the University of Manchester Sheena Cruickshank & President of the British Society for Immunology Prof Arne Akbar give advice on how to boost your immune system to avoid colds and coronavirus:
-Exercising-being physically active stimulates the blood flow which mobilises your white blood cells so they can do their surveillance jobs and seek and destroy in other parts of the body.
- Reducing stress- one of the many happy side-effects of exercise is that it reduces stress, which is another immune -boosting priority. There are of course other things you can do such as meditation, breathing exercises, prayer, aromatherapy, relaxing activities.
- Consume foods which boost the immune system- green vegetables, citruses, red peppers, etc. A very powerful choice is to opt for bee products: royal jelly, propolis, pollen as they have many biological properties including anti-bacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and immuno-stimulating activities. Only bee pollen itself contains at least 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or coenzymes, 14 fatty acids! Our healing pralines are an effective and delicious way to have all 5 best bee products and provide your body with a huge variety of compounds that will contribute to your health. You can find them on this website in the SHOP section
-Avoid boozing- various studies have shown heavy drinking depletes our immune cells -Sleep sleep sleep! -it's simple: a tired body is more susceptible to bugs
-Top up on vitamin D- a hot topic in immunology as Vit. D is used by our macrophages, and is something that people in most of Europe can get quite low on in the winter.
Stay well everyone!
Sweet is good for a good night's sleep!
My grandmother would never eat after 6pm as she would say it is bad for your body- is that theory really true? Many people still believe it but various experts seem to be saying otherwise now. Whilst researching on this I found an interesting fact: our brains consume approx. 20% of the body's energy and when we sleep at night it consumes roughly as much energy as it does during the day! It does some very important work as the neurons are constantly communicating and in "update mode". That's why having something something sweet (and wholesome) such as honey before bed is a great way to fuel it for the night. Helping you to sleep better and actually feel good the next day. This explains why various medicinal traditions such as the Chinese or Ancient Mexican would recommend to consume honey with water before bed. Honey also keeps your liver full enough to maintain the right level of glycogen production for the night. Whatsmore,it contains a nutrient called tryptophan, a hormone that turns into brain chemicals like serotonin and melatonin that help you relax. Personally I sometimes enjoy some dark chocolate in the evening- I'm convinced it makes me feel good for bedtime-but probably few spoons of honey (preferably with warm not hot water) is your best choice.
BMI scale wasn't created to measure your health!
L.Quetelet- a 19th-century astronomist who had no health knowledge background was doing statistics works on different populations with the aim to define what the "average man" looked like. He simply divided a person’s weight by the square of his height. This formula, known as body mass index (BMI), spread from insurers to health researchers and finally, in the 1980s, entered the clinical realm. By no means was this a tool to identify healthy/unhealthy weight but somehow it's still what your GP uses when doing a health check! This makes me realise how important it is to not fall into the traps set by the health/dieting industry which many times have no scientific evidence and can create more harm than benefit. Thank you @eating.recovery.coach for your last post on this. I strongly agree with the opinion of wise physicians who promote establishing a healthy relationship with food seeking ways of nurturing yourself and creating healthy food habits that will benefit you in the long run- physically and mentally. I also agree that every one of us is different and has various needs, what's crucial is to find what works for you and makes you healthy, only you truly know yourself and your body!
Parsley pesto- mum's remedy for colds & a versatile base for a delicious meal.
This pesto is so simple to make and packed with goodness!
It can be used in so many ways- as a bread spread, pasta sauce, great topping for fresh/ roasted vegetables or meat/fish...and much more!
What's best is that it's full of vitamins especially K, A, C and antioxidants due to condensed amounts of parsley. It also has antibacterial properties thanks to the garlic so it makes a perfect combination to have now during winter/early spring to boost your immune system. My mother would always make this for us whenever we would have a cold or flu at home(what kid would eat garlic or parsley on it's own?). Simply mix in a food processor the following:
1 bunch of fresh parsley
A large handful of walnuts or almonds (You can toast them on a dry pan to give extra taste)
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (or more if you have a cold)
Half a lemon
Half cup of grated parmigiano cheese or any aromatic hard cheese (optional).
Salt & Pepper
Mix all ingredients and have it with your favourite food.
Store in a closed container for up to 4 days.
Yum yum!
#healthylifestyle
#healthychildren
#healthyliving #healthysnacking #healthyfood
#healthylondon #healingfoods #immunityboost #treatyourhealth