Natalie Butler: What are the most nutrient dense foods that you can possibly eat? Lot of people call these super foods and they are from some tropical region, some exotic locations and the reason why these foods have been discovered a lot of times is because there are tribes and populations that are within these specific areas that have really long lifespan and so they have been discovered because researchers are trying to determine why are these people living longer than industrialized countries so that's what we are going to talk about today.
Now the first thing we are going to talk about is quinoa, it's a seed from Peru and its actually been a staple in that country for almost 6,000 years and actually called that the mother of all grains because it's a complete protein so staple and provided all these essential amino acids that their bodies needed for development and growth and you know it's a seed it's a grain and so they were able to eat it relatively easily and not have to worry about you know a lack of nutrient with some other vegetables like corn or even wheat don't have as many nutrients as quinoa does.
Another really cold thing about quinoa is it's a really easy substitute for rice or koos koos and that's how I use it if I am making a pot of beans I will actually use. Quinoa in place of brown rice and then also I use it as in place of an oatmeal in the morning and you cook it just like you eat with rice and you can add butter to it and you know even sprinkle blueberries on it or there is a lot of ways to use it and eat it and so it's a really versatile grain.
The next super food I want to talk about is the Goji Berry. These berries are harvested from the Himalayas and they are full of essential fatty acids, protein and antioxidants. Now in comparison to a well common fruit would be the blueberry. The blueberry rates on a scale of they how much antioxidants it has 2,500 while the Goji berry has 25,000 antioxidants.
So, its ten times it has ten times more antioxidants than the blueberry. So that just going to show you why this is a super food and it has a sort of a sour bitter taste to it so the way that you can easily take it and you can do you know one ounce or two ounces a day, you can add into a smoothie and that way well you know you don't to have to sip 16 ounces of goji juice because that would be kind of a overwhelming but one or two ounces then you would get all those nutrients.
Okay the next super food we are going to talk about is acai and its spelled A-C-A-I and you may have started to see this in Starbucks and juice bars and smoothie places and it's a berry that is harvested from Brazil and its extremely high in essential fatty acids and its almost a complete protein. So this is a really good staple to have in your diet because you are getting your good fats and you are getting a good amount of protein and also acai has a compound known as polysterols which help reduce cholesterol and its loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, a ton of other nutrients and also acai has the way that your body accumulates it, it also gives you an energy boost. So, similar to how you would feel when you drink caffeine you actually you are going to give your body the nutrients that needs in order for you to feel energetic and then you are not getting the side effects of having caffeine in your diet.
Also acai is really high in vitamin E, which is great for your skin and it has anti-inflammatory properties. So, if you are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis if you have chronic aches and pains, if you have you know known heart disease this is definitely something that you want to have on a daily basis and a whole food in such a market sell the acai juice so its real easy to add to smoothies or if you are just drinking then your vegetable juice or fruit juice you can just put it in there and then you are getting all those nutrients that your body needs.
Okay, the next super food we are going to talk about is wheatgrass. Now this is actually sold in like Petco and it's just kind of short green grass, its really easy to grow and the great thing about it is jam-packed full of nutrients. Has vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B, it has calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, its just loaded with nutrients and also the wheatgrass is going to help with your digestion because its really high in fiber and you can juice it and you can add it to smoothies, you can do one ounce or two ounces a day and then you are getting not only all these nutrients but also you are getting antioxidants and that fiber. Wheatgrass contains natural enzymes that support you detox and your digestion and all these nutrients and all the reasons why wheatgrass is so good for you researchers actually began to realize how good it was for your body and in the 1940s this actually began to be used as treatment for cancer.
The next super food is spirulina and this is an algae that grows in warm waters and warm climates and it's actually been consumed for thousands of years by the Aztecs, the Asians and Africans and this has it's a complete protein and had 62% of its content is amino acids. Its really rich in minerals, vitamin E, it has a lot of antioxidants, fiber and it has anticancer properties, antiviral properties and children that were harmed in the nuclear blast in Chernobyl.
They actually were treated with spirulina because it showed such improvement in the children's immune system and bone marrow health. Spirulina also helps fight against allergic reactions and it blocks the histamine release in your body and then also has a same amount of iron as beef so if you are anemic or you need more iron rich sources of food this is definitely you want to choose, now although spirulina has a different form of iron than beef. It's still a version of iron that your body needs.
The next super food I want to talk about is hemp protein and hemp protein is a highly digestible form of protein. It's a vegetarian source so its suitable for a vegetarian, vegans diabetics even hypoglycemics especially athletes and we even those with digestive disorders and because it's so digestible you don't experience some of the bloating and the symptoms if you real sensitive, if you are consuming whey protein and another great thing about this hemp protein it has a real mild nutty flavor.
So it's really easy to add to smoothies and even just sprinkle over your cereal or put in your yougurt I love to put it in my smoothies that's the way that I get my protein in my fruit smoothies. Hemp protein is also a gluten-free source of protein and it also has STA and GLA which are known to have high cholesterol and low HTL. So if you have already being diagnosed with high cholesterol or you know if that runs in your family start using this on a daily basis and then you will definitely have some great positive results.
The next super food is the agave nectar. This nectar is produced in Mexico and it has the consistency like honey and it's the perfect sweetener. So if you are trying to avoid refined sugar and but you are still you know wanting to may be sweeten a smoothie or you know sweeten some cereal or cook with you know some type of sugar, this is the thing to choose. It comes from a fruit, its low glycemic, so if you are diabetic you can also use this and the way that it proportions out sugar 1/3 cup of a agave nectar equals one cup of sugar and so add it to your drinks, to your smoothies, your beverages, put on your cereal and it's a great way to sweeten things doing it you know more healthy way and getting less amount of calories.
The last super food we are going to talk about is stevia and stevia it's a sweetener that comes from a leaf and it is made into the South and Central America and it's actually being used in Japan since 1977 and it is 300 times sweeter than table sugar. So you hardly need to use any ever to sweeten and then not only that it almost has no effect on your blood sugar levels. So if you are diabetic or you are just trying to keep your sugar intake low, this is definitely something to use. Now for some reason United States FDA has chosen to not use stevia as a food, it is considered as supplement so its not going to be found in the produce area or in you know buy your honey or anything like that. It's actually going to be in the supplement area and I am so look for that to be able to add to again your smoothies, your cereals even baked product.
So these super foods power packed full of nutrients that you are not going to find in any typical grocery store, adding go to your health food store if you have never been the one you are going to you are just going to be amazed. There are so many foods from all over the country and these super foods are going to be there. If you take the time to buy some of these items and incorporate them into your diet you are definitely going to have great positive benefits and you are going to feel different, you are going to feel better because these foods have nutrients that your body need. See you next time.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services