EATING 4 BEAUTY

You may have noticed that I’ve been writing a great deal recently about Superfoods. What exactly are they? Well, there are certain foods that boast an extremely high phytonutrient content and can therefore deliver a serious nutritional punch. You’ve probably heard of Acai (as-ai-ee), which comes from an
Amazonian berry. This tiny berry contains a very high anti-oxidant, amino acid & essential fatty acid complex. However, how can we avoid the advertising buzz words and make sure we’re getting the real thing?Hellooooo -they’re shoveling acai into just about everything from sugar-laden drinks to chewing gum now, because people have heard that it’s kind of good for you and celebrities eat those weird foods don’t they??

I’ve always believed it’s best to get your nutrients from fresh whole foods primarily. For example, it is far better to drink a whacking great green juice (cucumbers, celery, kale, pears etc) in the morning, than to throw a few green powder capsules down the hatch along with your morning latte.

However, if you’re on the run to get to work and have 4 screaming kids, juicing might be a bit of a  challenge – in which case do what celebrities like Jason Mraz do, and make a Super Food smoothie to set you up for the day. Here are the super foods that I highly recommend for that morning smoothie.

Start with a base of either rice, almond or soy milk (6 oz), a handful of frozen organic berries and even a 1/2 banana. Toss all of these in a blender – the Magic Bullet is perfect for this, and many celebrities travel with their bullet for this very purpose!

Then add a couple of teaspoons of:

Hemp Powder (packed with protein and fibre)

Greens Powder (My favorites are: Sun Warrior and Healthforce)

Add 1tsp of any of the following:

Acai Powder (anti oxidant, amino acids, omega fatty acids)

Raw Cacao Powder (full of magnesium and will make your smoothie chocolaty)

Maca Powder (helps balance hormones and boost libido)

Hemp Seeds (full of healthy omega’s and great in keeping you regular!)

Chia Seeds (great for many health issues, including diabetes, hypoglycemia, celiac disease, and lowering cholesterol.)

Camu Camu (insanely high Vit C content)

These powders don’t come cheap, especially if you buy from a reputable company (I highly recommend Navitas Naturals,) however, as I always say: good nutrition is preventative health care – we pay now or we pay later!

Also, don’t stop at a smoothie, these powders can be added to cakes, cookies, soups and even stews. A Peruvian friend of mine adds a couple of teaspoons of Maca to every stew she makes. Hemp seeds can be sprinkled on granola, oatmeal or a salad.

If you travel a lot, these powders may be just the thing for you. When I’m on and off planes and staying in hotels that don’t offer all my go-to morning foods, these super food powders are my savior. As I said before – pack that little Magic Bullet Blender and you’ll be good to go.

If powdered super foods aren’t your thing, see if you can get as many of the following whole foods, which in my book are classed as super foods, based on their incredible nutritional content:

Prunes

Dark Chocolate (65% cacao content or above)

Figs

Black Kalamata Olives

Cucumber

Raw Walnuts

Raw Almonds

Radishes

Avocado

Dried Apricots

Remember that healthy eating also leads to beautiful skin, hair and nails – I’d rather spend my hard-earned cash on foods that not only make me look better, but fill me with the kind of fuel that supports my life force.