A lot of natural health advocates are now actively promoting the use of bee pollen for kids because of the health benefits that this substance can potentially give. But as can be expected, many parents are quite hesitant to give the product a try because it’s relatively new and unfamiliar.
Healthy children are happy children
Furthermore, there have been some reports of bee pollen causing severe side effects in adults, which means that the risk would even be greater for children.
While that is true to an extent, there is also no reason why bee pollen for kids would be dangerous, as long as the parents exercise all the necessary precautions.
The Possibility of Allergic Reactions
Practically all reported cases where bee pollen was supposed to have caused negative reactions in people are due to allergies to bee pollen, bee venom, bee saliva, or some other substance that is found in the bee pollen product.
In other words, only the people who are allergic to an ingredient of the product are at risk of suffering from the negative side effects.
Now, it can still be dangerous to give bee pollen to kids if you are not aware of whether the child is allergic or not. What you can do in this case is to take it one small step at a time.
You can begin by giving the child one granule of bee pollen to eat. Usually, if a child is allergic to the product, the reactions will happen even with very small doses of the allergen. If nothing happens, you can give them two granules for the next day. If there are still no allergic reactions, give them four granules for the following day. Keep doubling the amount of granules until the child is taking half a teaspoon every day.
After a few days of giving this amount and without the occurrence of any side effects, it should be safe to conclude that your child is not allergic and can continue taking the product regularly.
What to Watch Out for
Some of the allergic reactions that you should be on the lookout for when using bee pollen for kids are swelling, hives, nausea, vomiting, skin redness and itchiness. If you notice any of these signs shortly after giving the bee pollen to your child, have them drink a glass of water to flush out the allergen as soon as possible, and see a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis.
At times, the allergic reactions show up right away and at other times, it can take a while before the allergies come up. Therefore, it pays to be always vigilant when giving bee pollen to children, especially when they are still very young.
In any case, a very good way to minimize the risk of bee pollen allergies is to choose only the best bee pollen your kids. Pick the products that hail from New Zealand because they have the best pollen worldwide. Also, go for the encapsulated powder form because these are easier to consume and are faster for the body to absorb.
We use and recommend Xtend-life Natural Energy because it is made with 100% pure NZ bee pollen and manufactured using very strict non-chemical methods that exceed even US FDA standards.