Tag Archives: Superfood

PowerFoods, Quick Healthy Recipes

Coconut Chia Pudding Detox Friendly Recipe

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IMG_1231Coconut Chia Pudding Recipe

 

Chia seeds are rightly called “superfood” as they are packed with nutrients e.g.  rich in fiber (5 grams in 1  tablespoon!), protein (can be used as the egg replacement), omega-3, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and many other nutrients.

They almost have no taste at all, so it is easy to incorporate them in many recipes or add to foods like yogurt, cereal, juices, pudding etc.

This recipe is one of my favorite ways of using the chia seeds to make a delicious desert that can even be used as a part of many detox protocols.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla powder
  • Some ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons pure stevia powder or honey (optional)
  • 3/4 cup of low-sugar fruits such as raspberries, blueberries or kiwi (optional)

Duration

  • 10 minutes

Directions

  1. In a bowl, stir together chia seeds, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and stevia/honey. You can add some (warm) water if your coconut milk is too tick.
  2. Let it sit for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight. The chia seeds will expand and absorb liquid.
  3. For me the recipe stops here, but if you like you can add some fruits just before serving.
Natural Little Helpers, PowerFoods

Dandelion – A Magical Herb and Delicious Superfood

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dandelion magical herbDandelion, typically believed to be only a weed, is a magical herb with some amazing healing properties.  All parts of the dandelion plant are used medicinally in herbal preparations, teas and as foods.

Alternative to Conventional Leukemia Therapy

A study that tested dandelion root tea showed there may be a “kill switch” on leukemia cell receptors and concluded that dandelion root extract may prove to be a non-toxic alternative to conventional leukemia therapy.

Dandelion Halts Growth of Melanoma Cancer

Dandelion root extract in another study showed to help melanoma cancer patients by halting the growth of melanoma cells even those cells considered to be drug-resistant.

Effects on Blood Sugar and Diabetes

Dandelion tea stabilizes blood sugar levels buffering against extreme highs and lows.

Significant Source of K and A Vitamins

Dandelion leaves provide 535 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin K which is very important to strengthening bones and 112 percent of the daily minimum requirement of vitamin A as an antioxidant carotenoid, which is particularly good for the skin, mucus membranes and vision.

Magic of DandelionImportant Source of Flavonoids

Dandelion contains flavonoid that protects the retina from UV rays and carotene, lutein, and cryptoxanthin important in protecting the body from different cancers.

Dandelion Helps Body Detox, Generate Red Blood Cells, Regulate Blood Pressure and Helps Fight Alzheimer’s

Dandelion is high in fiber, which helps your body detox. Drinking dandelion juice acts as a stimulant, detoxifier, diuretic and antioxidant that helps to fight off toxins which often result from out-of-balance hormones. The toxins are ultimately sweat out through the skin. The leaves also contain vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron (crucial for generating red blood cells), potassium (regulate heart rate and blood pressure), and manganese.

Dandelion plays a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease by limiting neuron damage in the brain.

Find here Delicious Dandelion Pesto Recipe  

Sources & Credits

Dandelion has unsuspected health benefits such as inhibiting cancer cell growth

Selective induction of apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 in human leukemia cells (Jurkat) by dandelion root extract

The efficacy of dandelion root extract in inducing apoptosis in drug-resistant human melanoma cells

Blueberries, Natural Little Helpers

Blueberries – The Food For Thought

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blueberries 2Blueberries are a true “powerfood” with long list of amazing medicinal properties.

Blueberries are strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, they are known as ultimate “memory food”, help protect against heart disease, beneficial against cancer, prevent age-related vision problems and regulate blood sugar in persons with type 2 diabetes.

Strong Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory

Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center have found that blueberries rank #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fruits and vegetables.

Blueberries belong to one of the top anthocyanin-rich foods. Anthocyanin, the pigment that makes the blueberries blue, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that helps neutralize the free radicals and prevent oxidative stress on your brain. Inflammation and oxidative stress are linked to every major disease, including cognitive diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Jonny Bowden in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods in World explains that antioxidants and phytochemicals in blueberries create synergy and exhibit the most potent cumulative free-radical absorbance effect of any fruit.

Ultimate “Memory Food”

The research suggests that blueberries can be very effective in improving memory, age-related neurodegenerative disease, dementia and other neurological diseases.

The polyphenol antioxidants in blueberries not only improve your existing neurons, but can actually enable your brain to grow new neurons. Dr. Jonny Bowden calls blueberries the “ultimate memory food” and describes that daily consumption of blueberries can significantly slow natural age-related cognitive decline.

Heart Disease

Blueberries help protect against heart disease in a number of ways. Blueberry flavonoids can help stabilizing elevated blood pressure levels, decrease the risk of hardening of the arteries, prevent or reduce arterial inflammation and the buildup of arterial plaque. Research has also found that these compounds can also help lower both total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides. Blueberry flavonoids can help stabilizing elevated blood pressure levels.

Beneficial Against Cancer

Laboratory evidence suggests that blueberry compounds help to prevent cancer in a variety of ways. Blueberry compounds help to prevent DNA damage by keeping healthy cells from becoming malignant during their ongoing cycle of reproduction. According to Dr. Bowden, the specific flavonoids in blueberries can also inhibit an enzyme that promote the development of cancer cells. Blueberry is also important anti-angiogenic food that is able to prevent the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor (process called anti-angiogenesis).

Vision

Consuming blueberries can decrease the risk of age-related vision issues. Studies have found that the flavonoids can prevent an unhealthy growth in eyes’ blood vessels that normally leads to macular degeneration and vision loss.

Type 2 Diabetes

Blueberries have shown to have a favorable impact on blood sugar regulation in persons already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Freezing Blueberries

New studies make it clear that we can freeze blueberries without doing damage to their delicate anthocyanin antioxidants. After freezing blueberries at temperatures of 0°F (-17°C) or lower for periods of time between 3-6 months, researchers have discovered no significant lowering of overall antioxidant capacity or anthocyanin concentrations. This is great news for anyone who has restricted access to fresh blueberries.

Organically vs. Conventionally Grown

Organically grown blueberries have significantly higher concentrations of total antioxidants than conventionally grown blueberries.

Sources and Credits