Let’s face it, we are what we eat. Statistics show the standard American diet (S.A.D.) is not serving us well. The proof is in the rising tide of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity – as well as the increasingly common complaints of fatigue, weight-loss resistance, fibromyalgia, inflammatory conditions, depression, and more. We have an option. We can either succumb to the disease process that results from the S.A.D. or we can start making better choices about what we put into our bodies for energy and sustenance. The one thing we have total control over is what we eat and drink. Just because we had developed certain eating patterns from our past, it doesn’t mean we have to continue down the same road if it is not serving our health and well being.
There is a growing trend of interest being shown in superfoods. From tiny chia seeds to nuts, from bee products to goji berries, from cacao to maca powder, we are discovering new sources of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Superfoods are not only low in calories and rich in many nutrients, but they are also showing a remarkable capacity to heal and restore the human body. They are a class of the most potent, super-concentrated, and nutrient-rich foods available. Superfoods contain more antioxidants, essential fatty acids, important vitamins and minerals, along with pytochemicals and other components scientists are still discovering. They are classified as a food and a medicine, as they contain elements of both.
The size of a fruit or vegetable does not determine the quality of its nutritional components, especially with the advent of GMO’s. Produce can look large and juicy but that doesn’t mean it is nutrient dense. It usually means it just contains more calories in the dry matter. Superfoods on the other hand, are lower in calories and higher in micronutrients. They are a class of foods that contain many nutritional components in a small amount of food that our body’s uses to produce hormones, energy, and other substances vital to our health and well being. Superfoods have the ability to: tremendously increase the vital force and energy of one’s body, strengthen the immune system, elevate serotonin production, and alkalize the body.
Your body tells you after you eat how well it feels with the food ingested. Are you sluggish and tired, do have heartburn or indigestion, are you constipated or have bouts of diarrhea, are you sneezing or getting itchy eyes? Eating foods that are low in calories and high in nutrition will leave you feeling better after you eat because they are whole foods that are grown in the earth and supply the body with the proper nutrients it needs. Not only will your body feel better but your mood will most likely feel lighter too. Eating superfoods increase your protection against diseases that are linked to poor dietary habits. People who incorporate superfoods into their diet have more energy, better mental focus,stronger immune systems, and less mood swings.
It is really simple to start adding superfoods into your diet.
- Start with breakfast. Make protein shakes with superfoods. Add powders like cacao, mesquite, and maca for an added boost.
- Learn how to make desserts with superfoods. These types of desserts are sugar free, gluten free, wheat free, and dairy free. This includes raw desserts which do not need to be baked.
- Make your own energy bars from nuts, seeds, and dates. Add dried goji berries and superfruits.
- Switch to coconut based products. Coconut oil, coconut water, coconut flesh, coconut flakes, coconut aminos, coconut milk, and coconut nectar.
- Add bee products such as honey, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly into your daily diet. You can add them to snacks, desserts, and smoothies.
- Be creative. Make superfood salad dressings!
