What are Superfoods & Why Eat them?

Foods which are very high in essential nutrients are called superfoods and they can help us reach optimum levels of health by providing us with the vitamins and minerals which are missing from our diet.

Superfoods are an excellent way to make up for dietary deficiencies. Even if you are eating a 100% organic diet you will still not be able to get all the nutrients you need from your food due to unsustainable, profit driven agricultural practices which have seriously depleted our soils and hybridized our food.

Many nutritionists claim that deficiency is worse than toxicity. Even though toxic build up needs to be dealt with, in some ways the body can cope with a certain amount of toxicity.

However, mineral, vitamin, protein, fat or even enzyme deficiencies can have a serious and immediate impact on your health.

Recent research has shown that most Australians are protein deficient at a cellular level and that includes meat eaters. Somehow the protein isn’t getting to our cells. As for minerals and vitamins most people fall way below the levels of what is required for optimum health.

Fruit which was once highly mineralised and low in sugar has now been so hybridized that it is not much more than a seedless sugar trap. For example; wild bananas, oranges and strawberries are highly mineralised and much lower in sugar than their commercially grown counterparts and that includes organic!

I have always been a fan of using wholefoods where possible, rather than supplementation. As more of these incredible Superfoods are being discovered we have more options for replacing certain nutrients even in severe deficiency states, without resorting to supplementation.

For those wanting to expand consciousness there is another great reason to get into certain Superfoods. Many of these foods such as Maca, Cacao, Acai & AFA Blue-green algae are extremely rich in Mono-atomic elements which create more lightness & expansion within our energy field. In fact, if we dropped all our Sub-atomic elements & were only left with our Mono-atomic elements bio-chemically, we would be able to levitate!

This is why I am currently formulating a ‘Soul-Food’ Power Blend to be used in a daily smoothie. It will be delicious, nutritious & enlightening!!!

Even more great news – Superfoods are so easy to incorporate into your diet & drinks without taking pills or potions!

Check them out (more to come):

E3 Blue-Green Algae

E3 Blue-Green Algae (or AFA) is one of nature’s most nutrient dense foods harvested wild from one of the most pristine ecosystems on the planet, one of the planet’s few alkaline freshwater lakes, Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, which is part of the Pacific Rim’s “Ring of Fire”. The Lake is one of the richest nutrient traps in the world, with contributing elements including: volcanic ash clay covering it’s shallow floor, several streams and rivers annually depositing thousands of pounds of mineral-rich silt from the surrounding basin, and over 300 days of sunshine every year. Over the course of thousands of years, these perfect growth conditions have created a freshwater plant that contains a full spectrum of life-enhancing ‘wild-derived’ nutrients. It is harvested and dried using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the enzymatic and phyto-nutrient potency.

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) is the “greenest” superfood known, because it has the most of that wondrous green photosynthesizing pigment chlorophyll. A ten-gram portion of AFA algae contains 300 mg. of chlorophyll, whereas a ten-gram portion of Spirulina has only 115 mg.

AFA is a potent super-food that can be easily absorbed by the human body. You get an immediate infusion of energy and catalytic super-nutrients that can transform your mental, emotional and physical health.

AFA is at the very foundation of the entire food chain. This simple organism is complete nutrition in its most basic form – a whole food that can be considered one of the “building blocks of health”.

We stock a particularly superior grade of AFA called E3 which promotes increased stamina, vigor and superb mental abilities.

What makes E3 AFA unique is that its essential amino acid profile (those proteins that we require from outside sources, as our bodies cannot produce them ourselves) is almost identical to that found in our body, allowing these vital nutrients to pass the blood-brain barrier with ease making it an ultimate brain food.

Click here to order

Raw Organic Cacao Powder & Nibs

Who Ever Heard of Over 25,200 Antioxidants in a Single Spoonful of Chocolate? How good does that sound!

The difference is in the preparation. A gram of dark cocoa powder contains 260 ORAC units (a measure of anti-oxidant action – the higher the number, the better for you!). The goji berry (a superfood from China) rates 253. These are both high on the ORAC scale.

Now, are you ready for it? A single gram of Raw organic Cacao powder measures a whopping 955 ORAC units!! The difference between Cocoa & Cacao is that Cocoa is cooked, Cacao is raw & therefore maintains it’s nutritional value.

Cacao beans contain over 300 chemically identifiable compounds making it one of the most complex food substances on Earth! It contains: anandamide (bliss chemical), arginine (nature’s Viagra), dopamine & serotonin precursors (neurotransmitters), epicatechins (antioxidants), histamine, magnesium, tryptophan (anti-depressant amino acid), phenylethylamine (PEA), polyphenols (antioxidants), tyramine, and salsolinol.

Raw Cacao Powder contains 14 times more anti-oxidants than Red Wine and 21 times more than Green Tea!

The polyphenols in Cacao have been scientifically shown to:

1. Lower blood pressure
2. Lower vascular cell adhesion
3. Increase circulating Nitric Oxide (this is a good thing!)
4. Decrease platelet aggregation
5. Decrease rates of death from cardiac mortality and all mortality in general
6. Improve insulin sensitivity
7. Decrease fasting insulin
8. Increase blood flow to the brain
9. Inhibit plasma lipid oxidation
10. Decrease chronic inflammation

* Did you know the amino acid Tryptophan is found naturally in cacao. Tryptophan enhances relaxation and mood, and promotes better sleep?

* Cacao is also an abundant source of phenylethylamine (PEA). Researchers have discovered that phenylethylamine has a positive effect in enhancing feelings of falling in LOVE!

* Cacao is the richest food source of magnesium of any common food. Magnesium is the number one mineral that assists and supports healthy heart and nervous system functioning.

One of the most craved, savored, and sought after foods worldwide can also benefit the body in extraordinary ways. Cacao, cocoa, chocolate – no matter how you say it, humans around the globe seek the mouth-watering pleasure and mood-boosting effects of this extraordinary antioxidant.

Cocoa beans are the seed of the fruit tree, Theobroma cacao that grows in the shades of the rainforest between 15-20 degrees North and South of the Equator. All chocolate is made from cacao (pronounced cuh-COW), the edible part of the cocoa bean after it has been harvested, dried, fermented, and hulled. These beans have some of the most valuable nutrients available to us.

Nicknamed “black gold” by the Spanish, the bean-shaped pod is a food that has also been considered a highly beneficial medicine because it contains over 300 identifiable chemical compounds. Unfortunately, many of those properties are destroyed by cooking, processing, and refining. Studies have shown that dairy products actually block the absorption of antioxidants in chocolate. Yet most commercially produced candy and chocolate bars contain low levels of cacao bean compared to other ingredients such as sugars, milk fat, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavorings.

In comparison by weight, cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than blueberries, red wine, or black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea. The Aztecs called the cacao “yollotl eztli,” which literally means “heart blood;” they understood the benefit this truly powerful superfood has on the cardiovascular system.

Pure, raw cacao also has extraordinary potential for helping to support weight loss – quite the opposite from the everyday chocolate bar!

That certain “euphoria” you may feel after consuming your favorite raw cacao treat isn’t in your minds! Chocolate has actual compounds with the unique ability to satiate our appetite for pleasure like no other substance.

By increasing the levels of specific neurotransmitters in our brains, cacao can help promote a positive outlook, facilitate rejuvenation, and simply lift our spirits:

- Serotonin – Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain and therefore acts as an anti-depressant, promoting an overall sense of well-being.

-Endorphins – These are our natural pain and stress chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Cacao stimulates the secretion of endorphins, which can help to produce a pleasurable feeling.

- Phenylethylamine (PEAs) – PEAs are a natural chemical compound that are also created within the brain and released when we are in love. It acts as a mild mood elevator and an anti-depressant, and it helps increase focus and alertness.

- Anandamide – Anandamide is known as the “bliss chemical” because it is released by the brain when we are feeling happy. Cacao contains both N-acylethanolamines that are believed to temporarily increase the levels of anandamide in the brain and enzyme inhibitors that slow its breakdown. This promotes relaxation for a longer period of time.

As with anything, you can overdo it! The key is to eat minimally processed raw cacao in small amounts – just enough to receive the health-boosting qualities and satisfy those chocolate cravings.

Delicious Cacao Smoothie
2 Frozen Bananas (remove skin, cut into medium size pieces and freeze)
2 Tablespoons Organic Cacao Powder
1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk – more or less, depending on desired thickness
Your choice of sweetener, if desired
A few Goji Berries and/or a Tablespoon of Maca Powder can also be a healthy, delicious combination
Blend all ingredients on high until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

Here are some more ideas for using your Raw Cacao Powder. You can…

* Add it to your favorite smoothies (one heaped tablespoon will do) and watch them instantly become Raw Chocolate masterpieces!

* You can blend it with Virgin Coconut Oil and Agave — for instant Raw Chocolate Syrup! (Then put this on top of raw ice cream or fresh fruit —AMAZING!)

* You can blend it in a food processor with raw nut butters and agave nectar, for the most delicious dessert you’ve ever had.

* You can make any cookie, brownie or pie INSTANTLY more chocolaty and delicious — just add a level tablespoon or more to taste.

* You can blend it with almond milk or hemp milk. This gives you a creamy dark chocolate milk that’s LOADED with antioxidant power and tastes out of this world!

* Blend some cacao powder directly into your favorite herbal tea and make your tea into an alchemical warm chocolate beverage!

Eat the beans and nibs whole or add them to a trail mix.

* Click here for the most delicious Raw Cacao Slice recipe, an easy to make, decadent and sugar free treat.

Raw Organic Cacao is available from good health food stores.

Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica)

We all know the need for Omega-3 in our diet. Everything from depression and ADHD to heart disease & hypertension can come from a lack of omega-3 in the diet leading to many inflammatory diseases.

Did you know that Chia is the highest plant source of Omega-3 known to man? It is, therefore, a powerful anti-inflammatory food.

• * Chia is anti-oxidant rich
• * Chia has 5 times more calcium than milk & the calcium is more readily absorbed thanks to the traces of boron chia contains, which is vital for bone health.
• * Chia is a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids & it’s protein is gluten free.
• * A daily dose of chia provides an excellent fibre source. It is a soluable fibre which cleans the intestines by binding & transporting debris from the intestinal walls so that it can be eliminated efficiently and regularly.

How to incorporate Chia seeds into your diet:

* Add to ANY of your baking as you would any other seed.
* Since Chia doesn’t really have much of a taste you can add it to ANY food – sprinkle it over your breakfast, lunch or tea!

Just 10 to 25 grams (1-2 tablespoons) of Chia per day is enough to receive the right amount of Omega-3 needed, not to mention all the other nutritional value it brings.

Chia seeds are available from good health food stores.

Goji Berries

The Himalayan goji berry is a nutrient powerhouse! Loaded with vitamin C, beta carotene, amino acids, fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, this ancient fruit really is the ultimate superfood.

Helps to fight premature aging, regulates blood pressure, increases resistance to disease, regulates weight, promotes better eyesight & a healthy heart, relieves headaches and insomnia, promotes sexual health and improves fertility, as well as aiding digestion & helping to keep the mind sharp.

Other excellent Superfoods to try:

Pomegranate, Jerusalem artichokes, Acai berries, Camu camu, Mangosteen, Maca root powder. Quandong & Kakadu Plum are home-grown – native to Australia!

Stay tuned for more brilliant Superfoods info coming soon!

Any questions? Contact Us.