Antonio COUTO, an Apitherapist, conducted a self-experiment of eating only bee products. His health was monitored by his physician and after 6 months he stopped, having lost 6kgs, lowered his cholesterol and inspired his physician to begin consuming bee products, too!

1. Eating like a Honey Bee
self experiment on Api-Diet

2. Eating like a honey bee
• I decided to do an experiment with
myself: eating only bee products for
the longest possible time and see what
happened.
• The reason for this experiment was to
see how far I could go and also to show
to my patients and friends that bee
products are great as daily food and
have no side effects.

3. Eating like a honey bee
• The bee product that I used most
in my diet was pollen because of
its unique composition.

4. Chemical Analysis of Honey bee
Pollen
• Vitamins:
• Provitamin A (carotenoids)
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• Vitamin B3 (niacin)
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• Vitamin D - Vitamin E
• Vitamin H (biotin)
• Vitamin K. Choline. Inositol
• Folic Acid,
• Rutin
• Vitamin PP (nicotinicamide)

5. Chemical Analysis of Honey bee
Pollen
• Minerals:
Calcium
Phosphorus
Iron
Copper
Potassium
Magnesium
Manganese
Silica
Sulphur
Sodium
Titanium-Zinc
Iodine
Chlorine
Boron
Molydbenum

6. Chemical Analysis of Honey bee
Pollen
• Fatty Acids
• Caproic Eicosanoic
Brucic
• Caprylic
Uncowa
• Capric Stearic
• Lauric Oleic
• Myristic Linoleic
Arachidic
• Palmitic Stearic
• Palmitoleic Limolenic

7. Chemical Analysis of Honey bee
Pollen
• Enzymes & Co-enzymes:
Diastase
Phosphatase
Amylase
Cataiase
Saccharase
Diaphorase
Pectase
Cozymase
Cytochrome systems
Lactic dehydrogenase
Succinic dehydrogenase

8. BEFORE START
• Before starting the API diet I wanted to
have a blood test to compare later
• So, I went to my family doctor and I said
what I was thinking to do and ask him for
blood tests.
• My doctor told me I'd better think well before
starting this “crazy diet “
• I told him that my biggest concern was
getting a pair of wings when the diet ended.


9. BEFORE START
• My doctor also said that: “you are not a
honey bee, so maybe this diet is
dangerous for your health…”
• Before going to my doctor I was
predicting that maybe he knew nothing
about the pollen and other bee
products, so it took with me some
information to give him.

10. BEFORE START
• He agreed to read the information I gave him
about the composition, effects, properties
and actions of bee products.
• It was a surprised to him when he read the
composition of pollen because of so full list
of vitamins, proteins, minerals etc.
• I also tried to impress him showing some
pictures of very old bees.

12. Bee amber
fossil found
in Liaoning
(China)

14. 15 million years – fossil amber
First Orchid (Meliorchis caribea) pollen fossil found stuck to bee in amber
Found in a mine in the Dominican Republic

15. 70 millions years – amber fossil

16. 100 million years – amber fossil
Discovered inside one Myanmar mine (Hukawng Valley) in 2006
(Melittosphex burmensis) only 2.95 millimeters long

17. Maybe my face after the diet

19. BEFORE START
• I did the first blood test in 16/01/2009
• Everything was normal except the cholesterol
level (234 mg/dL – limit is 190 mg/dL)
• Usually I have the cholesterol level below 190
mg/cl, but because of the Christmas food (from
my mother) my cholesterol level increased
significantly
• After seeing my first blood test (before starting
the diet), my doctor was curious to see the next
test (one month after starting the diet).

20. BEFORE START
Two weeks before start it I took:
• 20 g of pollen
• 1 table spoon of honey
• 1 table spoon of bee bread
• 10 drops of alcoholic propolis extract
• Fruit
• More vegetables and fruits
3 times every day to prepare my body
gradually.
And no meat or fish

21. STARTING THE DIET
• I start the API diet on the first day
of February 2009 and decided to
continue for as long as possible.

22. FIRST MONTH
• I used more fresh pollen than other bee
products because I am convinced that
pollen is SUPER food and is powerful
enough to keep my body in balance.
• So in the first week the amounts of
pollen were as follows:
• 100g at breakfast
• 100g at lunch
• 50g at dinner

24. FIRST MONTH
• To dissolving the pollen I used
fresh fruit and vegetable juices and
sometimes yogurt or kefir.
• I also added to pollen about 20
drops of propolis extract and one
spoon of honey.

25. Pollen with yogurt honey and
propolis extract

31. FIRST MONTH
• On 10/03/2009 I did the first blood test
after starting the diet.
• When my family doctor looked at it, he
saw that all remained at normal levels
and the cholesterol dropped to 168
mg/dl, which is also normal.
• He asked me how I felt and I replied
that I had never felt so good in my life.
• I also said to him that I lost weight (5
kgs)

32. SECOND MONTH
• In the second month of diet I did
another blood test (17/04/2009) and all
levels remained normal (cholesterol
170 mg / dl)
• After seeing the second blood test, my
doctor asked me if I continued to feel
well and also asked me a bag of fresh
pollen because he wanted to lose
weight 
• I told him that I continued to feel good
and stronger every day.

33. THIRD MONTH
• After 3 months of API diet I lost 8 kgs
of my weight.
• My doctor told me he couldn’t ask for more
blood tests at the hospital for me anymore
because he was afraid that his superior ask
him why asking continually blood tests for so
healthy patient. 
• But he asked me for one more bag of
pollen because he said he start to loose
weight very easily. 

34. FOURTH MONTH
• After 4 months of diet I started to
increase the honey and royal jelly
trying to gain some weight.
• I increased the honey from 2 to 10
soup spoons (daily) and the royal
jelly from 2 grs to 10 grs daily.

35. FIFTH AND SIXTH MONTH
• After the end of my experiment I
recovered 2 kgs of weight.
• I finished my diet on 31 of July
2009 because I couldn’t compare
anymore with my last blood tests
and also because I decided that 6
months was enough to proof my
point.

36. CONCLUSIONS
• Fresh pollen is really a super food
and is capable to keep our body in
good balance in all levels.
• It is a good way to lose weight
easily, safely, without stress and
without side effects
• After 6 months of bee products
diet you will get no wings… …don’t
worry. 

37. PLEASE TRY IT
• I started taking pollen in 1998 and I
still take it today in my everyday
breakfast because I still believe it
is the most complete food in the
world.
• I recommend to all of you to
include it in your daily normal diet.
• For those who never try it, please
do it and you will be surprised

38. THANK YOU
AND
BEE APIS