Humans eat two things: food and medicine. But if you do it right, they're one in the same.
Superfoods burst onto the Western health food scene within the last decade, but some date back millions of years.
And I'm so thankful for them - I love being able to eat foods that taste amazing and help nourish my body...all at the same time!
Here are seven of my favourite superfoods, where they originated, and how they were used by our ancient ancestors.
Açaí
Açaí was discovered and originally used by Amazonian rainforest tribes to treat a multitude of ailments. The medicine men and women in the tribes work to find remedies to illness, in the form of medicinal plants, and açaí is one they’ve used for centuries.
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Açaí is a powerful antioxidant and naturally builds a strong immune system, prevents illness, prevents disease, and provides energy.
Baobab
Holding six of the eight species of Baobab tree, Madagascar was first believed to be the origin of this mighty fruit. However, scientists took a closer look at its birthplace in 2009, after seeing how much the trees had spread across the world.
It was finally clear to them that most of Madagascar’s plants had arrived from overseas, and they determined West Africa to be the origin of the Baobab.
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Baobab is a true superfruit: it’s very high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, and is a prebiotic, nourishing the good bacteria that’s already present in our stomachs.
And check this out: Baobab dwarfs these popular foods known for Vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber:
- More magnesium than leafy greens
- More calcium than milk or almonds
- More Vitamin C than kiwis or oranges
- More potassium than bananas, salmon, or pistachios
Cacao
The deep origins of cocoa lie in the early Mayan civilization of Mexico and Central America. One of its earliest uses was as a ritual celebration drink for marriage ceremonies.
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Centuries later, cocoa spread to Spain, France, Peru, England, and Austria, then around the world. Now, cocoa is a widely-known and commonly-used superfood.
What’s the difference between cacao and cocoa?
Cocoa has been roasted at high temperatures, where cacao is cold-pressed, unroasted cocoa beans, and keeps the living enzymes intact.
The benefits of Cacao are nearly endless. It’s the highest plant-based iron source, a natural antidepressant, works wonders for your heart, improves your circulation, and contains 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries (just to name a few).
Chia
The dawn of chia seeds happened in Mexico and Central America — the Aztec, Inca, and Mayan cultures recognized chia as a “supernatural” food. Chia was used as medicine and was, at one point, more valuable than gold!
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Chia means “strength” in the Mayan language.
Chia seeds are a complete protein, and contain more Omega-3, protein, and fiber than any other food.
Maqui
Native to Chile, these superberries were discovered and harvested by the Mapuche Indians. As the oldest living civilization in South America (the earliest records show 500–600 BC), they actually still help harvest it today.
In ancient times, the Mapuche would used Maqui for strength, vigor, and stamina. Its nutritional benefits are abundant: it reduces inflammation-fighter, slows the skin’s visible aging, and is proven to aid in weight loss.
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Maqui is one of the foods with the highest levels of antioxidants, and consuming the berries even helps blood glucose, because it causes a large release of insulin.
Moringa
Known as ‘the Miracle Tree,’ Moringa is native to Northern India. It was first acknowledged as a medicinal herb around 2000 BC and soon after, spread to Southeast Asia, and later to Egypt, the Mediterranean region, and the West Indies of America.
The oil was treasured by Ancient Egypt to protect their skin from the harsh desert conditions, and later this use spread to the Greeks and Romans.
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Consuming moringa offers some benefits unavailable from any other plant medicine. With 46 different antioxidants and 36 unique anti-inflammatory compounds occurring naturally in the moringa plant (wow!), consuming moringa is like taking an advanced multi-vitamin.
In addition, moringa is a complete protein and contains more nutrients than the following foods:
Now that is one nutritional powerhouse!
Spirulina
As the oldest life form on Earth, spirulina is a type of blue-green algae originally found in Africa’s Lake Chad. It’s the single most nutrient-dense food on the planet, and offers truly amazing health benefits.
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As a complete protein, spirulina contains all essential (and 10 non-essential) amino acids. The algae helps reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and prevent cancer.
It’s also rich in iron, vitamins A, B, and E, DHA, potassium, living enzymes, minerals, and many phytonutrients, and heavily-detoxifying phytonutrients.
Check out the studies on this page showing how this superfood is proven to rid the body of arsenic, candida virus, and even sinus issues.
As spirulina’s benefits are virtually endless, the power of this superfood should not be overlooked. If you choose to try spirulina, start with very small doses (<5ml) and talk to your naturopath or dietitian about what might be best for you.
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Have you tried any of these superfoods? I’d love to know! I’ve tried cacao, spirulina, chia, and açaí so far.
Cheers!
explorerBri