Nutritional value in bird’s nest

1. Nutrition in bird’s nest

Bird’s nest is made from the saliva of swiftlets that live in caves. Harvesting the nests is dangerous and takes a lot of effort to prepare and collect. Swiftlets live in limestone caves around the Indian Ocean, in South and Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The males mainly build the nests and attach them to the vertical walls of the caves. Depending on the type of nest, it can take 8 hours to clean 10 nests.

For about 1,200 years, the Chinese have eaten bird’s nests as a soup. Bird’s nests are known to have high nutritional and medicinal values, from anti-aging, anti-cancer properties to the ability to improve concentration and increase libido.

Protein is the most abundant component of bird’s nests. Bird’s nests contain all the essential amino acids from which proteins are made. They also contain six hormones, including testosterone and estradiol.

Bird’s nests also contain carbohydrates and small amounts of lipids (naturally occurring molecules that include fats). Previous research has shown that bird’s nests contain substances that can stimulate cell division and growth, enhance growth, and regenerate tissue.

Bird’s nests bring many health benefits, but not everyone can use them. Because bird’s nests can cause some allergic reactions, even anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening.

Bird’s nests are most effective when steamed, not cooked directly or boiled at 100 degrees Celsius. Bird’s nests should only be processed at moderate temperatures. Patients with blood sugar disorders such as diabetes or pancreatitis should limit their intake of bird’s nests or consult a doctor.

 

 

2. Some benefits of bird’s nest

•  Strengthen the immune system

Whenever a cancer patient undergoes chemotherapy, both good and bad cells are destroyed. One of those good cells is B cells – a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies that protect you from disease. Losing B cells makes the patient susceptible to many diseases.

A group of Chinese researchers studied the possibility that eating bird’s nest can strengthen the immune system. So they conducted a study to expose mice to radiation, then feed them bird’s nest to help them recover. The results showed that bird’s nest has a certain protein that speeds up the production of B cells, which helps strengthen the patient’s immune system.

• Increase libido

Many studies have shown that in the saliva of swiftlets there are a series of hormones, two of which are: testosterone and estradiol.

Testosterone is a male hormone produced in significant amounts. Women also produce it, but at much lower levels. Research has found that testosterone increases sex drive, promotes muscle growth, contributes to fat loss, improves cognitive function, and fights depression.

Estradiol: Bird’s nest contains estradiol, a type of estrogen. Estra

 

• Helps keep eyes healthy

The Department of Anatomy at the National University of Malaysia has shown that bird’s nest has the effect of keeping the cornea healthy after experiencing damage or disease, through research on rabbits in 2011. They injected bird’s nest serum into the rabbits, and found that they produced more fibroblasts than the rest.

• Bird’s nest is beneficial for the digestive system

Children, or patients who have just recovered from illness, often have a weaker digestive system. Bird’s nest is an easily digestible food and provides many nutrients. Therefore, when using bird’s nest, patients will recover faster and improve their digestive system.

• Bird’s nest is effective for postpartum women

Pregnant and postpartum women often encounter many health problems such as hair loss, skin deterioration… To overcome this condition, and at the same time help the fetus have healthy skin, pregnant women should eat bird’s nest. Bird’s nest helps pregnant mothers reduce hair loss, recover quickly after giving birth, and sleep better. However, pregnant women in the first 3 months should not eat bird’s nest.

3. How to prepare bird’s nest

No one can deny the benefits of bird’s nest. However, the way of preparation and eating determines the effectiveness of bird’s nest. Even if it is prepared incorrectly, it can cause unpredictable consequences such as: risk of allergies, counterproductive effects and wasting money.

Advice when eating bird’s nest is that you should eat on an empty stomach. The most suitable time to eat bird’s nest is in the morning when you wake up, in the evening 1 hour before going to bed, between two main meals on an empty stomach. Bird’s nest will help the digestive organs to start gently and absorb nutrients into the body.

Although bird’s nest is very good, eating too much will cause excess nutrients to be eliminated from the body. Therefore, when eating bird’s nest, you need to eat just enough for the body to absorb it in the best way.

Experts recommend the following dosage of bird’s nest according to age:

• Children 1 – 12 years old: 3g of dried bird’s nest/time
• Adolescents and adults: 5g – 10g of dried bird’s nest/time
• Pregnant women: Pregnant women in the 4th – 7th month can eat an average of 100g/month, using regularly about 7g/time every other day. Pregnant women in the 8th – 9th month should reduce the dosage to
• 70g/month, using about 5g/time every other day.
• Elderly people: Bird’s nest is especially good for the elderly, especially the elderly who need to recover their health after illness or surgery.
• Normal people: If you want to improve your health, you should eat bird’s nest regularly and regularly twice a week with a dosage of about 5g/time.

Diol is used to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and irritation. Estradiol is also used to prevent osteoporosis and has been prescribed in treatment plans for cancer patients.

In addition, bird’s nest also has the effect of beautifying the skin, preventing wrinkles and preventing aging.