Super foods are highly nutritious foods with many potential health benefits coming from their remarkably higher levels of anti oxidants, vitamins and minerals than your average foods. Specifically, super foods include foods that have a dozen or more unique properties, not just the one or two properties that regular foods contain. A great example of a food that you may not realize has such super powers is the Goji berry.
This tiny little berry is exploding with super nutrition, not only a source of complete protein, 21 trace minerals, Vitamins B1 B2 B6 and Vitamin E, this mild mannered super hero of the plant kingdom contains immune stimulating polysaccharides. Polysaccharides play a role in immune function, our digestive function, and our detoxification system.
What about Human Growth Hormone- heard of that? HGH decreases with age leading to symptoms of aging such as lower energy levels muscle wasting and a tendency to store more body fat (I can hear the screams now!) Goji are the only food known to stimulate the body to produce more HGH naturally. More HGH means more testosterone boys! Asians regard the Goji Berries as a sexual tonic that improves overall stamina, mood and well being. And lets really get our “phyto chemical” on, Goji berries are full of phytochemicals, first up- betaine, with all its liver cleansing properties, and the anti inflammatory beta-sitosterol, or the ever so sort after anti-aging sesquiterpenes and let’s not forget the anti oxidant tetraterpenoids.
Super foods can be immune boosting and stimulating, hormone modulating, detoxifying, cleansing, antibacterial, anti viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti mutagenic- another term for having anti cancer properties. Super foods are found in many sources, ranging from seaweeds, plants, teas, vegetables, bees, seeds, fruits, berries and fish to name a few. There are also certain herbs which are classified as super herbs due to their unique super tonic properties.
Why is it so important we get these super foods into our diet? This depends on how clean your food air and water is.
Can’t seem to fit your own farmland in between Southern Cross drive and Malabar Rd down there in Sydney’s eastern suburbs? And if you are not fortunate enough to live on the Northern NSW Rivers, or any other lush area of this great Australian spaciousness – then that urban and suburban life style you are living may possibly have you eating the Standard American Diet.
It may be worth pointing out that Australians are now officially fatter than Americans- true!
Whilst attending an educational Congress of health professionals down in Melbourne recently that was one of many statistics that left ours chins resting on the desk in front of us. Aussies are fatter than Americans! So really, that Standard American Diet (SAD) needs to be renamed to the Standard Australian diet. Get moving people!
Need more reasons to include Super Foods into your diet? Well what about organic foods- do you eat a diet high in organic produce? Like most of the population you probably can’t afford to buy an Avocado for $4 or a lemon at $2 a pop – in fact the closest you’ll probably ever come to your hunter gatherer roots is a search down Isle 1 deep into the meat section for a portion of beef cut to your dollar preference. And what about those Palaeolithic harvesting skills that extend as far as a “squeeze and sniff” in the produce section? It was only just last week that I saw someone sniff a pumpkin down at the local fruit and veg market when I realized just how far we have come AWAY from having any idea!
Our diets these days are skewing greatly from that of the uncontaminated whole foods, leafy greens, raw vegetables nuts and seeds that us humans require for optimal health and leaning more toward that typical SAD diet. The standard American Diet is high in mineral deficient refined grains & hydrogenated vegetables oils.
All that, along with terrible over population of our planet, resulting in mass production from food industries such as the economic driven Grain Beef and Dairy industries that seem to give us more intolerances and disease rather than good health. What about the humble veggie? Our vegetables and fruits have been sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and any other “cides” I may have forgotten. Most cattle are fed nothing but a single grain – a diet of one grain for a living being- how can that be good for the animal or the human that will eventually eat the animal? Not to mention the antibiotics and steroids- yes steroids, pumped into our meats and poultry. While im at it- i can’t let the mention of my favourite food of all- seafood, go without its own honourable- or perhaps dishonourable mention. By now we all know our Salmon is farmed right? So you’d be forgiven for thinking that at least it will be clean and nutritious coming from a farm- away from heavy metals- particularly mercury & the radioactivity of Japans oceans right. Its true- the higher levels of Mercury and heavy metals are not as prevalent in farmed fish – but the natural levels of Omega 3 are dramatically reduced and there is practically no Astaxanthin in farmed fish! Astaxanthin- its only THE strongest anti oxidant know to date- usually very rich in Salmon. Astaxanthin is derived from the algae salmon eat in the wild-in the wild! It’s the Astaxanthin that makes salmon pink. But we are talking about farmed Salmon, its farmed salmon that we are eating these days, farmed salmon are pellet fed – yes, more pellets! We are even feeding our fish-an ocean creature, pellets! THEN the salmon are injected with antibiotics due to such limited farming areas, Yes- each individual salmon is injected with anti biotics!! Another wonderful fact delivered to a congress full of health professionals back in June.
And all of that my friends, is part reason why we need to make sure we are getting CLEAN, SUPER FOODS in our diet. Our soils are so over harvested with mineral depleting chemicals that there are no minerals left in them- if there are no minerals in the soil, how then are our plants that grow in those soils suppose to obtain minerals if they aren’t able to take them up in their roots? The toxic over load coming from so many environmental pollutants and toxins is overwhelming to the human body, causing many disease states- metabolic syndrome – also named “Syndrome X” is one that is of the most common.
Syndrome X is the inability to lose weight, accompanied by a dysfunctional immune system and low energy. Adding organic raw and living foods, super foods and super herbs into ones diet can break the hold of Syndrome X, allow you to lose weight and achieve an ideal state of health.
So what can you do? Get your own veggie patch happening, throw in a couple of chooks, plant a couple trees- citrus and nut perhaps, knock up a bee hive 😉 and head down to K-mart for a fishing rod!
Super Foods are true health foods. They are known to improve the severity and symptoms of nearly every major disease condition known- to name a few;
Allergies, Arthritis, Asthma, Atherosclerosis, Attention deficit Disorder, Cancer, Chronic fatigue, Depression, Diabetes, Eczema, Fibromyalgia, Heart disease, Hepatitis, Herpes (I, II, Epstein- Barr)
High Blood Pressure, HIV Infections, Hypoglycaemia, Insomnia, Multiple Sclerosis, Nervous System Disorders, Poor Immunity, Psoriasis, Skin Disorders.
The Top Ten Super Foods
Goji Berries, Cacao, Maca, Bee products, Spirulina, AFA- Blue Green Algae, Marine Phytoplankton, Aloe Vera, Hempseed, Coconuts.
Have you been diagnosed with Syndrome X? Do you know what Syndrome X is? Well if you have elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels or elevated sugar levels, carry weight around your belly then perhaps you are in the early stages of metabolic Syndrome. Syndrome X can be life threatening if left unchecked, leading to Fatty Liver, heart disease, Diabetes and many more reversible conditions if treated correctly. If you feel as though you have any of the symptoms above feel free to call us on 4655 4666 or drop us an email – our friendly naturopaths CAN help you!
You can contact Kylie for a consultation, for more information please send her an email.
Leave A Comment