Dominic and I gave our first talk this weekend at the North County raw food potluck; yay, our first gig! It was so much fun...the two of us had SO much to say, and a lot of it had absolutely nothing to do with food (I often like to take my attention away from food...there is certainly more to life than food!) Our talk took so many twists and turns, I'm afraid I didn't get to say what some were really wanting us to finish up on. So, as a supplemental to our talk, I've compiled a list of our favorite superfoods.
-Pure Synergy, my favorite green-powdered superfood...very powerful. My preferred method is to either add this to my raw/vegan hot chocolate...or to simply add 1 heaping teaspoon to 2-3 cups of water and a touch of agave or honey (to sweeten). Yum!
-Maca, my preferred is Maca Extreme (it's less fibrous). Maca is most famously known to be an aphrodisiac. It is very "warming" to the body...great to use in the wintertime to help keep your body heat up! It's great to make a tea from this.
-Cacao, definitely food of the Gods! Super high in iron, and magnesium which is severely lacking in the average diet. Cacao is excellent mood therapy; supports feelings of peace and well-being. Cacao is an aphrodisiac, and an appetite suppressant. Cacao is also useful for getting a sluggish digestive system moving more quickly. I like to keep Cacao Nibs (or beans), Cacao Oil/Butter, and Cacao Powder in my pantry.
-Spirulina, powder or flakes...my kids love to chew on the tablets. The powder or flakes are a nice addition to certain recipes; sprinkled on top of salads, blended into soups, etc...
-Chlorella-I've tried a few different types, and my preferred is SunChlorella. It is not technically "raw"; they claim to heat it to 140 degrees F, but it still resonates with me as an excellent superfood. It is most economical to order this direct, rather than from your local health food market.
-Flax oil, may or may not technically be considered a superfood...but I believe it's important to know what our most important "fats" are that we might want to have around. For some reason, before I got interested in raw cuisine, it eluded me as to how to use flax oil without it tasting awful. Now I can't seem to ration it, I find it good in so many things. It's a great addition to nut-milks, soups, smoothies, pate'...even salad dressings; it makes things very creamy. I've heard it's really great on the skin, too...but I can't seem to get to that, because I just want to eat it!
-Coconut Oil, SUPER oil; Has incredible anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties...for both internal and external use. One of my favorite additions to smoothies. I am very picky about my coconut oil, though...I've tried so many that taste and smell "off" (rancidity). Two that I like are Jungle Products (which I usually see in health-food stores, and Virgin Oil De Coco Creme from Quality First International
-Tea, Although I enjoy many kinds of tea, whether it comes from the camellia sinensis (tea) plant or not...I find it important to mention the benefits of brewing medicinal herbs in water. This could be a whole study in itself; each of the incredible herbs on the planet and what they can do for assisting the human body. Some of my favorites are Pau D' Arco, Cat's Claw, Chanca Piedra, Yerba Mate', Peppermint, Moringa, St. John's Wort, Damiana, etc... the list goes on. It's important to be open to eastern herbs (ie. Chinese medicine), as well as western herbs. BF + C (Bone, Flesh and Cartilage) is a formulation of herbs that Dominic and I find very healing and useful. It can be found at Dr. Christophers. They have re-named it to "Complete Tissue and Bone".
-Sea Vegetables, important for the chelation of heavy metals from the body. There are so many different ones, but the ones I use the most are Nori, Dulse, Wakame, Arame, and Kelp Powder.
-Aloe Vera, the fresh, whole food (as opposed to buying it bottled). Aloe is an excellent food; add some to a smoothie or juice. Remove the skin, ie. Filet (like you would fish, I suppose)...then use a bit of the inside flesh to add to your blended food!
Other Favorites-
Goji Berries
Peruvian Olives
Incan Berries
Tocotrienols
Hemp Seeds
Yacon Syrup
Blue Manna or Crystal Manna
Bee Pollen
Lucuma Powder
Mesquite
Have fun superfooding!
Some useful resources:
Our kitchen is located here:
Cheers!
-Rawbecca
