In Celebration of World Bee Day, Registered Dietitian Maggie Michalczyk Shares Planet-Friendly Tips and Recipes

LONGMONT, Colo., May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of World Bee Day, the National Honey Board is continuing their partnership with registered dietitian Maggie Michalczyk, highlighting a few of her favorite planet-friendly tips and #NaturallyWithHoney mealtime inspirations. This collaboration celebrates the hardworking honey bee and serves as a reminder to celebrate them regularly. Honey bees are vital to the health of the planet and the food chain as they are responsible for more than 35 percent of the foods we eat and the honey we enjoy. Furthermore, when you buy honey, you are supporting beekeepers' ability to keep healthy bees.   

Michalczyk likes to stay mindful of natural ingredients, such as wholesome honey, which she incorporates into her day-to-day, understanding it's the first step to feeling her best and being environmentally conscious. Some all-natural sweeteners are created through extreme heat, chemical additives, and ingredient manipulation; in contrast, honey is just, honey.

"Honey is one of my go-to staples because of its pure qualities and positive impact on crucial pollinators. It's encouraging to know that by simply eating honey, we're supporting bee health and our planet," says Michalczyk. "I like to recommend honey to my clients who are searching for wholesome ingredients they can feel good about consuming, without having to compromise taste as honey is a uniquely flavorful addition to a variety of food and beverages."

Michalczyk acknowledges that everyone's lifestyle is different, so she's shared a few of her easy planet-friendly tips to consider as we celebrate World Bee Day:

1. Celebrate Pollinator Foods: Honey bees pollinate in all 50 U.S. states and are needed to pollinate more than 90 different crops, so the next time you are enjoying apples, avocados, cherries, almonds or sunflower seeds, celebrate the fact that those foods are made possible by the hardworking honey bee.
2. Sweat for the Bees: Movement is key to a balanced life. Skip the pesticides and pull weeds by hand, and plant bee-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in your garden and yard. Get the whole family involved, and let the kids know which flowers are good for bees to create some excitement so that they know to get excited when they see a bee around them in the future.
3. Expand your Produce Palate: Pollinators, including honey bees, are responsible for one in every three bites of food that we eat, including many fruits and vegetables. Eating a wide variety of produce plays a role in enhancing the diversity of your gut microbiome, which we know is good for our overall health^{1 2 3}.

Michalczyk believes cooking shouldn't be complicated and encourages her clients to incorporate simple, flavorful foods that make you feel good. She has shared a few of her own recipes featuring honey, showcasing how to easily produce a tasty, balanced dish or drink when paired with approachable ingredients. From her Honey & Apple Flatbread, a sweet and savory snack with a refreshing crunch, to her Sweet Potato Rounds with Pomegranate Seeds and Honey, a pollinator-food filled appetizer, Michalczyk demonstrates how honey never disappoints – just a drizzle of the delicious ingredient elevates her favorite concoctions. She also emphasizes that her recipes are solely a roadmap and are a great starting point to get creative when creating personalized meals.

For more information about Maggie Michalczyk, her recipes, go-to nutrition and planet-friendly tips, please visit honey.com/blog/NaturallyWithHoney.

About Maggie Michalczyk
Maggie Michalczyk is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in Chicago and founder of Once Upon a Pumpkin, a food and lifestyle blog that showcases fun and nutritious recipes and lifestyle inspiration! She specializes in Millennial nutrition and believes healthy eating should be simple, fun and attainable for all. Maggie is a trusted expert appearing regularly in local and national media outlets.

About National Honey Board
The National Honey Board (NHB) is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs. The Board's work, funded by an assessment on domestic and imported honey, is designed to increase the awareness and usage of honey by consumers, the foodservice industry and food manufacturers. The ten-member-Board, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, represents producers (beekeepers), packers, importers and a marketing cooperative. For more information, visit www.honey.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Jessica Schindler: [email protected], (303) 776-2337
Janie Le : [email protected]

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SOURCE National Honey Board

Related Links

https://www.honey.com/blog/naturallywithhoney