superfoods

In 2015, we stuffed kale into everything. The year after kale we obsessed over pomegranates. In 2014, avocados were king.

Blood sugar is key to keeping our cells alive and fueled to do their thing, whether they’re muscle cells or cells in the brain.

Frankly, with words like chia, flax, probiotics, goji, and more making the rounds, it’s understandable to become sick of the whole bandwagon of health food and stick to a normal diet instead.

Protein powder has been controversial in the past few years, not necessarily because of what it does—provide a solid dose of protein for post-workout nutrition or those who struggle to get in adequate amounts for various reasons—but because of how it’s made and, more specifically, what it’s made from. 

Nutmeg is native to Indonesia on the Spice Islands and grows on an evergreen tree known as Myristica fragrans. Its name is derived from the Latin word “mix,” meaning nut, and “muscat,” meaning musky. Nutmeg was exploited by a few traders who knew where the archipelago was located and they monopolized the market.

Mushrooms are valued in many parts of the world as nutrition and medicine. Cardiovascular health is one reason among many to eat mushrooms regularly, and science has been figuring out just what it is that mushrooms do to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.  Some easy to obtain heart healthy mushrooms include delicious edibles like shiitake, maitake, oyster and button mushrooms.  Other medicinals like Reishi and Turkey Tails are also great for the heart but not so chewable!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’ve probably heard that the future of nutrition is living, raw, plant-based foods. Especially if you’re an athlete, certain superfoods are best equipped to feed the complex layers of your biological makeup, not just your wayward taste buds—whether you’re training for your first half-marathon or your sixth Iron Man.

The Scoop on Quinoa:

• Related more to spinach and beets, quinoa is primarily grown for its edible seeds but is considered a pseudo-cereal since it does not belong to the grass family like other cereals do.
• Historically quinoa was first cultivated in the Latin corridors of Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia.
• The quinoa you find in supermarkets is mostly sold after it’s been rinsed of its saponin content.

One of my favorite summer fruits is the beloved and magical fig. My grandmother had a huge fig tree in her backyard and every summer we would make fig and ginger jam. I cannot even begin to describe how delicious this jam was. And how wonderful the smell of the cooking jam was. I used to eat it on toast and straight out of the jar by the spoonfuls. 

As a young girl, I just enjoyed the delicious flavor of figs and had no idea how healthy figs are for you.

Matt Monarch from Raw Foods sits down with Basmati to talk about everything you need to know about raw foods!