Daily food intake

What a weather it's been this weekend, 30 C today! Yesterday we went to Hyde Park with couple of friends to celebrate Scandinavian Midsummer, never seen so many people there before, must've been around 700! Was great day though.

Just had a quick look at my blog and it's full of text and no pictures! Must admit haven't really taken many pictures lately, will try more next week. As a compensation I'll put up some recipes.

Here is what my typical day's (Monday to Friday) food intake looks like:

I start my day with a large glass of water to flush out my system. Then I have large glass of green lemonade.

1 head of Romaine lettuce

100-200 ml spinach, kale or broccoli

1 unpeeled, organic lemon (if non-organic, then peeled)

1-2 green apples (Granny Smiths)

1-2 cm piece of ginger (optional)

I usually have my breakfast at work. I have 2 slices of organic sprouted bread with mashed avocado (if I have time, I make guacamole) and slice of tomato. To add additional fibre for this I eat 2-3 sticks of celery with the meal.

                                           

Here in UK I have found that only Sunnyvale Organic sprouted bread is easily available in most whole food shops. They use different grains to make the bread, one of my favourites is Carrot and Raisin one. So why sprouted bread? Sprouted bread is made with grains and legumes that are sprouted before grinding into flour. Sprouted grains have increased vitamin and nutrient content because the seed is first sprouted, making it alive and active in its growth process. It often tastes sweet as sprouting changes starches into sugars in some grains, which is also much more digestible. It contains no dairy, eggs and yeast and is usually baked in low temperatures to preserve to nutrients.

For lunch I have big raw salad, I try to have different ones every day, or if I make a bigger batch, 2 days in a row. My current favourite is Rose's Ambrosia salad.

                                          

Ambrosia salad

2 large servings

1 carrot

1 small beet root

1 medium courgette

1 smallish apple

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

2-3 Jerusalem artichokes (optional)

1-2 garlic gloves, finely chopped (depending how much you love garlic)

1-2 tps of minced or finely chopped ginger

3-5 tbls of dried cranberries

1/2 - 1 dl of walnuts, finely chopped

1-2 tbls of red or green jalapeño peppers, finely chopped

handful of fresh mint, coriander and basil

Use match stick slicer on your mandoline for carrot, beet, courgette, apple and artichokes. Mix everything together and serve with Liquid Gold Elixir or any other healthy dressing.

There are so many healthy salad dressing out there, at the moment my favourite is Rose's Liquid Gold Elixir.

1dl fresh lemon juice

1-2 garlic gloves

1-2 tbls fresh ginger, cut into small pieces

1-2 tbls Nama Shoyu or Tamarin soya sauce

1-2 tbls raw honey

3/4 dl of cold pressed olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil into food processor or hand mixer bowl. Blend until smooth, then start to add slowly olive oil as it's blending. The dressing lasts over a week in fridge. Delicious!

If I feel peckish in the afternoon, I have either fruit or raw snacks. Then for dinner I have another glass of green juice (at least 20 minutes before food) and then I eat either fish and vegetables or some vegetarian meal or more salad.

At weekends I'm eating mostly my "old type of food", as I often find it more difficult to stick to raw food diet then, and I've also decided not to be too strict. The transformation should be slow, and I know if I try to do too much too soon, I'll probably find it much harder. I'm hoping to be able to eat at weekends same food as at weekdays within a year, and maybe in couple of years be in a place where I feel I can eat very high raw food diet all the time. 

Now, it's time for BBQ - pork for my husband and daughter, and halloumi for me! =)

Bite that apple

Eating lot's of fresh fruits and vegetables sooner or later brings up the question: organic or not? Up to now it has been often a cost issue, if the non-organic produce is cheaper, I'd take it. But then again my consumption of fresh plant food was not as high, so eating some pesticides and other chemicals now and then maybe didn't do much harm. Maybe.

But now I consume huge amounts of vegetables in my juices, and I have had to reconsider my choices. I now ALWAYS buy organic carrots, cucumber, celery, beet root and spinach which are the main ingredients in my green juices and which I don't peel before juicing. Most of the nutrition is in or just under the skin of vegetables, but so are pesticides and herbicides. So you either peel it or get organic.

I've also started to buy organic lemons (again for juicing it's best not to peel it), organic tomatoes, cheese (if and when I eat it, might as well be organic) and my new found love - sprouted bread is always organic. I try to get as much organic non-peel fruit as possible as Maya eats them a lot and I definitely don't want any pesticides in her little body. Of course our food bill has been creeping up, but is there a cost on your health?

Here are the main differences between conventional and organic farmers (source: Mayoclinic):

Conventional farmers	Organic farmers
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.	Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease.	Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds.	Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.	Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.

So it's quite obvious why organic produce is more expensive - crop rotations, higher animal welfare standards and restricted use of chemicals which leads to smaller yield - all this means that organic food costs more to produce. Add to this that government subsidies mainly go to conventional farmers so they can keep the prices low, what can a poor organic farmer do? Well, at least we can help - the more organic food we buy, the cheaper it gets.

Below is a non-organic apple my husband bought for his lunch box. I always wash all my fruits when I buy them, dry thoroughly and put them in Debby Meyers green bags. So when I tried to wash this apple, the horrible, sticky wax would not come off. Yack! Wax is used to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, and is often of same composition as those waxes used to shine floors, furniture, shoes and cars. That apple went to bin then...

Bon apetite! Not!

The bodyworks

Some days I really feel like I have information overload, my brain goes blank and cannot process any more information. Big part of this is because of my work, but I was thinking that I do read a lot and I try to remember all things I read, which is quite difficult if you don’t have photogenic memory or super intelligence.

Anyway, since I have been reading a lot about nutrition and raw food and how our bodies work, I thought I might as well share this – for me to remember and for you to learn. Obviously not all I’ve been reading is so called “scientifically proven” but it’s not made-up facts either so there must be at least a grain of truth.

What I want to share is what I’ve learned about how our bodies work and what is the best way to nourish and nurture them and what is not good. Many of the tips are also useful for weight loss, so if that’s your main reason you might consider raw food diet, then you might find it worth of reading.

Waste = Weight

According to Natalia Rose waste matter in your body is the fundamental cause for excess weight and for many physical and mental illnesses. Get rid of the waste and you get rid of the pounds and feel well. So what is the waste? It’s anything that your digestive system cannot fully utilise or eliminate and gets stored in your body, some of it stays there for years. Here is the list of foods that our bodies have difficult to break down and should be avoided:

• All fat-free yoghurts
• Sugar-free flavoured yoghurts
• Packaged processed cold meat (ham, salami etc)
• All manufactured low-carb weightloss items
• All diet sodas
• Milk – including skimmed
• Frozen and/or processed microwave foods
• Sugar-free desserts and cacao
• White bread, pasta and rice
• Red meat

You might think that fat-free sugar-free products will help you loose weight, but it’s not so. These products are full of unnatural chemicals such as aspartame and cannot be broken down by your body and hence will be stored as waste. Stop looking at calories on packages, instead look at ingredients. If there is anything with E-numbers or you cannot pronounce or looks like chemical, don’t eat it. If you really want to have that yoghurt, get a full-fat, organic one, preferable sweetened with fruit juices and without artificial flavourings and colourings.

To get rid of the waste, you need to (as you might have guessed) adopt high raw food life style. Eating at least 70-90 % raw food will help your body to get rid of the waste and renew your cells, speed up metabolism and if that’s what you want – loose weight. Or gain weight for that matter, raw food helps your body to find the best weight it needs for optimal function.

So what more can you do to get rid of the waste? Waste is directed to your five major eliminative organs for discarding: skin, kidneys, colon, spleen and liver. Once you start to eat more raw foods, these organs start to release the waste and toxins, so it’s important to transform to raw food diet gradually not to give your body a toxic shock. Other ways to help your body to get rid of waste and toxins are colonic, enema, dry brushing and massage, exercise (increase of blood flow for organs and sweating for skin) and deep breathing (for lungs). Did you know that emptying your bowels in squatting position is more effective than sitting? Use something to lift your feet up the floor, so your knees are higher than your hips! =)

Food combination

For maximum health (and for weight loss) it's best to practice food combination. In simple terms food combination means that you should not eat carbohydrates and proteins at the same time. In more detailed terms, there are 4 basic categories of foods: 1 - starches (carbohydrates), 2 - fleshes (proteins), 3 - nuts, seeds and dried fruit and 4 - fresh fruit. Starches should not mix with fleshes, fleshes should not mix with nuts/seeds/dried fruit, and nuts/seeds/dried fruit should not mix with starches. The first 3 categories can be mixed with unlimited amount of vegetables, fruits should always be eaten by itself. Never eat fruit after a meal!

Ideally, these 4 groups should never be in stomach at the same time. Why? When you eat fleshes (meat, fish, egg, shellfish, cheese), then stomach releases acidic digesting enzyme pepsin for easier protein digestion. When you eat concentrated carbohydrate such as starches (pasta, rice, white and sweet potato, legumes, breads) the stomach releases alkaline enzyme to digest it. The acidic and alkaline enzymes neutralise each other, so when eating carbs and meat protein together, digestion is hindered, causing fermentation. Besides bloating, gases, cramps and burping, it might cause diarrhoea and/or constipation. To simplify: eat carbs with vegetables; eat fish and meat with vegetables; eat fruit 20 minutes before or 3 hours after main meal (best as first thing in morning); if you are hungry, eat more of the same type of food; nuts/seeds/dried food mixed better with raw vegetables than cooked; if you "mis-combine" your food, do it at dinner so your body has plenty of time to move it through your body before next meal.

Hydration

If you eat high raw fruit/vegetable diet and juice, there is no need to drink masses of water as you'll get plenty and more nutritious hydration through your diet. Of course it's good to drink as much as you can, but only between your meals. Don't drink any fluids 20 minutes before your meal and 1 hour after. Why? To help effective digestion of the food. If you drink too much during your meal, you'll dilute the stomach acid and the enzymes will not do effective job in digesting your food. Poorly digested food stays longer in your digestive system and starts to ferment and putrify, leaving waste matter in your body (remember: waste=weight). That's a hard habit to beat, I'm so used to drink something after a meal, so I have to consciously think not to drink with and directly after meal.

Chew, chew and chew

Chew your food! It might sound silly, we all chew our food when we eat. What I mean is to chew it until it's like purée. The more you work your food in your mouth, the quicker it's digested in your stomach, and the quicker it comes out! Most people chew their food only few times, so it's small enough to swallow it, but still in big pieces. Next time you eat your meal, concentrate only on your food (no TV or other stimulants) and chew your food consciously at least 25 times. Put you cutlery down and think of the flavours, the texture and how chewing makes it easier to swallow. Not only it aids digestion, it helps against overeating. It takes some time before your brain can registry that you're full, so if you eat slowly, you feel full much earlier than when you'd scuffle down your food in hurry. Give it a try!

Oh dear, it seems to turn into one of those mega-long posts again, so I better stop now. I'll add more info as I go along, otherwise you'll lose the will to read! =)

The tools of trade

Eating more raw food doesn't have to mean spending heaps on expensive kitchen appliances. You can easily get carried away with all the enthusiasm, but there are really only few essentials you need.

Juicer

This is a must if you want to include green juices in your raw food journey. There are 2 main types of juicers: masticating and centrifugal. Masticating juicers "chew" slowly fruits and vegetables, releasing more nutrients and juice will contain less oxygen, giving it longer shelf life. Centrifugal juicers work by using cutting blade on the bottom of rapidly spinning basket, centrifugal force forces the juice out from the cut pieces. The juice is less nutritious, and contains more oxygen, which means more frothy juices and short shelf life. Centrifugal juicers also struggle with juicing of leafy green vegetables and cannot juice wheat grass. So it's worth to invest into a good masticating juices, mine is called Oscar 900.

Blender

Most households already have blenders, these range from inexpensive to extravagance and is a must for smoothies. It's good to invest into one that can break ice as chilled smoothies are much better! When my old blender broke, I needed something quickly and bought Philips blender from Argos. It has 5 star serrated blade which is good for icy smoothies, but motor is not the most powerful one. On the other side of the price scale are Blendtec and Vitamix blenders, which are highly valued amongst many raw foodists, but not affordable for everybody. Definitely worth the investment as these will last forever and are very durable, so one of these will be on my birthday wish list!

Food processor

There are so many food processors out there so I don't even know what to recommend. I'm still doing some research to find one that appeals to me, so any suggestions are welcome. Blendtec and Vitamix blenders can be used as food processors, so I might try to combine these. At the moment I'm using an inexpensive hand held mixer and it does the job for small patches of nut cheeses, dressings and pates. But I'm definitely looking into getting something bigger and more powerful which will be needed if I want to experiment with more raw food recipes.

Mandolin and spiral slicer

It's not a necessity, but it helps you to create good looking salads and slices fruit and veggies very thinly. There is a variety of  mandolins out there, just take your pick! If you start to get really into raw food, then a spiral slicer is a great buy, as it allows you to make raw courgette spaghetti.

Knife

A good and sharp knife is a must in any kitchen but absolutely essential in raw food kitchen. Chopping, cutting and slicing of raw fruits and vegetables calls for an investment of at least one high-end kitchen knife and good sharpener. I invested years ago into a good Japanese kitchen knife set which also includes a cleaver (great for opening of coconuts).

Dehydrator

Absolutely not an essential, more of a luxury item but great to make convenience foods such as raw crackers, cookies, bars and breads amongst many other things. Excalibur is most popular dehydrator and apparently very easy to use.  Apart from preserving food for later use, dehydrating using a food dehydrator can also preserve the nutritional value of the produce due to the low temperature they can operate at. Cooking food at temperatures above 118ºF (48ºC) destroys the enzymes and essential nutrients contained in the food.  I don't have a dehydrator yet, and don't plan to get any in near future, if I fancy a raw snack then I have Planet Organic whole food shop just around the corner of the work, and there is an array of raw food snacks to choose from.

Need some sleep now, my eyelids are drooping and are hitting my lower lip any minute, so I better go to bed before I fall asleep here at the sofa. I promise to write more soon!

Food for soul

I've received some comments that I should post more recipes, here are few lunch and dinner ideas plus juice and smoothie recepies.

Kale salad - punch of kale massaged with 1/2 avocado, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice, added are few tomatoes, 1/2 carrot, some radish, olives and handful of sauerkraut.

Green smoothie - 2-3 green apples, juice of 1/2 of lemon and handful of kale, add water if too thick.

Smoked mackerel fillet with bean mix - can of black beans fried in coconut oil with 1 small onion and 1 garlic glove, add 1 pok choi and 1/2 courgette, sea salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli powder

Delicious honey mango smoothie - 1/2 honeydew melon, 1 mango, 2 tbsp raw honey, pinch of cinnamon

Green lemonade (courtesy of Natalia Rose - The Raw Food Detox Diet) - 1 head of Romaine lettuce, 1 whole lemon (if not organic, peel it), punch of kale, spinach or broccoli, 2 green apples and piece of optional ginger. Great beginner greenie as the lemon takes off the veggie flavour.

Roasted butternut squash and feta cheese with pumpkin seeds, mixed salad and tomatoes dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper.

Power lunch - I bought Chinese cabbage salad with green pepper, celery and marinated tofu and I added cherry tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, hemp seeds and dressed with Nama Shoyu (unpasteurised soya sauce).

Simple dinner - roasted sweet potatoes with salad and sun-dried tomato tapenade - 1/2 cup (125 ml) sun-dried tomatoes, 1 garlic glove, bunch of basil leaves, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of olive oil, sea salt and pinch of cayenne pepper.

Last but not least - raw chocolate mousse! I found great dessert recipe on Gina's Choosing Raw blog, she calls it Chocomole and it can fool the biggest sweet tooth into thinking they eat the "real" mousse. I blended 1 ripe avocado with 8 dates, 3 tbsp of raw cacao, 1 tsp of vanilla essence and a bit of water if needed. If not sweet enough add some maple syrup. It's delicious AND healthy!

Hemp seeds are full of amino acids and great protein source, I sprinkle mine on salads.

I found 2 more raw chocolates - one with maca and wild blue-green algae and lucuma bar. I loved the first one, but wasn't overly keen on lucuma bar. Lucuma is sweet fruit native in Latin America, used as natural sweetener, can substitute vanilla and chocolate flavours. Rich in iron, niacin and beta-carotene. 

Black olive and onion sprouted buckwheat biscuits - great to dip into hummus or eat with cashew cheese. Healthy-healthy snack!

First visit to a gourmet raw food restaurant

Goshhh, it's been awhile again, I've been off from work and my self-prediction of updating my blog a lot during this time has proved to be wrong. It's been so good weather this week and 2 of my best friends have been visiting us so the time has been passing by like a blink of an eye, and before I realised, it was Sunday...

So what have I been up to? My plan of having one-day juice fast didn't go very well, on Tuesday I had 3 large glasses of vegetable juice but I also had salad for lunch and lovely salad and tuna steak dinner. It was just too busy for me to chill and sip greenies, I need to plan this into a life span when I have nothing to do, so I can just relax and enjoy my new-found love for freshly squeezed vegetable juices, mixing into this long hot essential oil baths, body brushing and hot&cold showers. Somehow this seems like a distant dream, me being a full-time working mum for 18-months old super-active toddler and a wife to a husband with no cooking skills whatsoever... I promise I will try again though.

Rest of the week has been mixed rawish and less rawish food, the weekend breakfasts have consisted of freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices with organic sprouted bread or rye bread with sheep or goat cheese. I did try a bit of smoothie and it didn't cause belly ache this time, so I'll have a go again next week with my smoothie breakkies.

Great thing is that I finally managed to go to one the best raw food restaurants in London. Saf in Shoreditch is a great place to spend a night with a couple of good friends. The food was great and we were all incredibly full after our starters and only managed to eat about half of the mains! Some reviews I've read said that the portions were small, which might have looked like that on those huge plates, but the food was really filling and we had no space for desserts even though we were dying to try the raw blueberry cheese cake. Next time I'll have just a main so I can taste some delicious desserts.

Pesto au Poivre - cashew cheese, sage pesto and pink peppercorns served with pepper flax crackers and reduced balsamic vinegar - incredibly delicious and something I'll try to re-create as soon as possible. Cashew cheese is now often in my fridge, I absolutely love it.

Cannelloni - courgette (zucchini in U.S), herbed cashew cheese, puttanesca sauce and basil - great flavours.

Sea vegetable salad - beetroot, carrot, daikon and avocado with ginger-sesame vinaigrette - love it!

My main course was Lasagne - raw bolognaise, sage pesto, olives, mushrooms and macadamia ricotta served with dehydrated tomato slices and courgette. Not best food choice for beginner raw foodist, I struggled with the mix of strong flavours and even though it tasted good, I couldn't finish it all - whether it was due to the richness of flavours or that I was full-up after starter, not sure.

Another main course was Spring Risotto - asparagus, radicchio and thyme. Rice was cooked but no cream nor parmesan. Seriously good!

And the third main we tried was Baked Tofu - miso marinated tofu, brown rice cake (cooked), asparagus and mange trout (steamed) - great mix of flavours, again very filling and would have been enough on it's own. I definitely recommend the restaurant if you're curious about raw, vegan food, they also serve great fresh cocktails and organic wines. 

Superfoods

I'm sure you’ve all heard or read about superfoods. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that blueberries and broccoli have been classified as superfoods due to their high content of antioxidants and cancer fighting properties. Other common superfoods that have been well-hyped in media are almonds, flaxseeds, apples, beans, avocados, beets, cranberries, olive oil, fatty fish, garlic and ginger. These foods are full of good stuff, and essential part of healthy diet. But did you know that eating raw chocolate can actually help you to lose weight and is full of nutrients? Let me list you some superfoods you might not be so familiar with:

Chlorella 

Chlorella is a genus of single-celled green algae. Chlorella is considered as a healthy natural supplement. But in truth it is actually a whole food. It contains 60 percent protein, all essential amino acids, and high levels of beta-carotene and chlorophyll. And because it is a whole food, it also satisfies the appetite while providing the energy from good nutrition, which is perfect for those dieting. Chlorella is also a powerful detoxifier of heavy metals and pesticides. Numerous research projects in the U.S. and Europe indicate that chlorella can aid the body in breaking down persistent hydrocarbon and metallic toxins such as mercury, cadmium and lead, DDT and PCB while strengthening the immune system response. Chlorella also detoxifies bowel, liver and blood, improves your digestive system, balances your body’s pH because it’s alkaline (most diseases thrive in acidic environments but not in alkaline ones) and also normalises blood sugar levels. You can get Chlorella in tablet, capsule or powder form, the latter can be added to smoothies and green juices.

Maca 

Lepidium meyenii or maca is a cruciferous vegetable in the mustard family, related to radishes and turnips and native to the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru. Maca comes under the herbal classification of being adaptogenic. Adaptogens are herbs such as ginseng that are traditionally thought to help the body to adapt to increased or ambiguous stressors. Maca is a very densely nutritious food that contains high amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and all the essential amino acids. The amino acid content of this plant gives it an average bioavailable protein content of around 14% of the entire weight of the plant. Maca certainly has an impressive array of minerals, with notably high levels of bioavailable calcium. This powerful food is also a libido stimulant! Maca can be bought from whole food retailers in tablet, capsule or powder form. It can be added to smoothies, cakes, raw bars, salads and cereals.

Goji Berries 

By now surely everybody’s heard about goji berries, and how good they are for you. Goji Berries contain over 18 amino acids and all nine essential amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine. These are essential for proper body functions. Goji's have higher levels of vitamin C than oranges and contain 21 trace minerals, including germanium, a trace mineral rarely found in foods. Goji's also contains Beta-Sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent. Goji berries help stimulate your body’s natural human growth hormone which is critical in anti-aging and longevity. Can be bought as dried berries or in capsule.

Raw Cacao 

Raw Cacao is one of the most powerful sources of magnesium available. Not only does magnesium help with alertness and activity, it also helps elevate your mood. Studies show that 80% of us are chronically deficient in Magnesium and it is the most deficient major mineral in the standard UK diet. As well as Magnesium, most people in the west also have a lack of the mineral sulphur in their diets. Raw cacao is also high in sulphur which is one of the most important building blocks in our bodies, being present in every single cell. It is known as the 'beauty and healing mineral' as it helps to build strong nails, shiny hair and beautiful skin. It also detoxifies the liver, supports healthy pancreas functioning, promotes circulation and decreases inflammation. Raw chocolate containsTtryptophan, an essential amino acid, which helps naturally produce serotonin in your body. Raw cacao is one of the greatest sources of anti-oxidants to be found in any food, nearly twice the anti-oxidants found in red wine and up to three times the amount found in Green Tea. Raw cacao also contains:

• Monoamine Oxidase Enzyme Inhibitors (MAO inhibitors) which allow more serotonin and other neurotransmitters to circulate in the brain. These natural chemical are associated with happiness. MAO inhibitors may also be facilitated with youthening and rejuvenation. 
• Phenylethylamine (PEA) – known as the ‘love’ chemical because it is released when we are in love.
• Anandamide - known as the ‘bliss chemical’ because it is released while we are feeling great. 

The quantities of these feel-good chemicals found in pure cacao far exceed the amounts in conventional processed chocolate.

The raw cacao has always been and will always be Nature’s #1 weight loss and high-energy food. It’s known as a natural appetite suppressant which aids weight loss. Now you must think I’m kidding, everybody knows that chocolate makes you fat. But virtually all of the “bad” calories that make you fat from eating conventional chocolate bars are from the processed sugar, dairy and unnatural added fats. Cacao in its raw form doesn’t contain sugar. And most raw cacao products use natural sweeteners, like agave nectar or organic sugar cane juice, which aren’t as harmful to your health. You can get raw cacao in several forms from whole food shops: raw cacao nibs (great in mueslis and smoothies), raw cacao powder (smoothies) and raw chocolate bars as a great and healthy afternoon snack.

Sea vegetables

Also called seaweed, it’s one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. They are primitive sea plants which belong to the algae family, and are indigenous to the northern Pacific coasts. Sea vegetables are extremely nutritious, comparing favourably with leafy green land vegetables. An excellent source of many minerals, especially iron, calcium and iodine, absorbed from their sea water environment, they are reputed to contain 10-20 times as much as land vegetables weight for weight. They are very low in calories, fat and cholesterol; they contain a high level of soluble fibre and some are high in protein and certain vitamins. The following are some of the most popular types: Nori: dark purple-black colour that turns phosphorescent green when toasted, famous for its role in making sushi rolls. Kelp: light brown to dark green in colour, oftentimes available in flake form. Hijiki: looks like small strands of black wiry pasta, has a strong flavour. Kombu: very dark in colour and generally sold in strips or sheets, often used as a flavouring for soups. Wakame: similar to kombu, most commonly used to make Japanese miso soup. Arame: this lacy, wiry sea vegetable is sweeter and milder in taste than many others. Dulse: soft, chewy texture and a reddish-brown colour. You can enjoy sea vegetables in soups, stews and salads, use flakes instead of salt or just have some kombu or dulse as a delicious and salty snack (instead of potato crisps).

Bee pollen 

Bee Pollen is one the most unique, powerful and complete superfoods. It is the most nutritious natural substance to be found on the face of our planet. Bee Pollen is a treasure trove of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and other nutrients, the widest range to be found anywhere in nature. Bee Pollen contains:

• All the essential amino acids 
• A full spectrum of vitamins especially vitamins B12 and E; and significant amounts of B1, B2, B3, B5, C, and vitamin D 
• Various minerals including calcium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, sodium, potassium, aluminium, magnesium and copper 
• Trace elements and enzymes (including antioxidants), and co-enzymes, pigments, xanthophylls, carotenes, and sterols, phytosterols, lignans (dibenzyl butanes) isoflavones and flavonoids 
• Hormone precursors (which stimulate hormone production and help anti-ageing) 
• Carbohydrates and fatty acids 

The nutritional makeup of Bee Pollen is extremely broad spectrum. This nutritional diversity makes Bee Pollen an ideal dietary supplement as a complement and boost to a well-rounded diet. The nutrients in Bee Pollen are very concentrated and extremely high quality. This nutritional density means that even small amounts provide effective and valuable levels of important nutrients. In other words, bee pollen as a food source or as a supplement, provides low volume, but high intensity, nutrition. Not only does bee pollen contain high quality nutrients that can be burned as fuel, it also provides nutrients that are helpful in maintaining and promoting health. Bee Pollen can be eaten raw simply as it is, as a nutritious and healthy snack, or you can try sprinkling it on cereal, muesli, porridge or yoghurt, stirring it into warm drinks or blending it into smoothies and desserts.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is comprised of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat. Coconut oil also stimulates the proper function of your thyroid gland. Coconut oil is heart-healthy and fantastic for weight loss as it speeds up the metabolism. Virgin coconut oil, unlike other saturated fats, actually contains no cholesterol, so it does not increase blood serum cholesterol level. You can use coconut oil when cooking instead of olive oil, perfect for woks and stir fries as it tolerates heat better than olive oil. You can also use it in smoothies, instead of butter on toast or on baked potato and even as a body cream and hair conditioner!

Camu Camu 

Also known as Cacari and Camocamo, it’s a small bushy tree found in rainforests in Peru and Brazil, and has red-purple cherry like berries. Camu Camu is almost unknown in Western world, and not much studied, but well known and prized in Japan. Camu camu is mainly used for its edible fruits. The most important property of camu camu fruit is its extraordinarily high vitamin C content. It also contains powerful phytochemicals with health benefits, including amino acids Serine, Valine and Leucine. Camu Camu is also rich in Limonene, a phytochemical which has shown the ability to reduce the appetite and aid in weight loss. Camu camu fruit has surprising range of health-promoting effects, it helps to strenghten immune system, maintain healty gums, eyes and skin amongst many others. It is also great anti-viral, anti-oxidant, antimutagenic, antiseptic herb, and it helps against colds, asthma, depression, infertility, migraine, herpes, osteoarthritis and edema. You can get camu camu from good online superfood retailers in capsule or powder form, which you can add to smoothies or breakfast cereals.

Spirulina 

Spirulina is a microscopic blue-green algae that exists as a single celled organism turning sunlight into life energy. Spirulina is the richest beta carotene food, with a full spectrum of ten mixed carotenoids. About half are orange carotenes: alpha, beta and gamma and half are yellow xanthophylls. They work synergistically at different sites in our body to enhance antioxidant protection. This tiny aquatic plant offers 60% all-vegetable protein, essential vitamins and phytonutrients, the rare essential fatty acid GLA, sulfolipids, glycolipids and polysaccharides. Unlike other forms of protein, the protein in Spirulina is 85-95% digestible, one of the highest available. Spirulina comes in tablet, capsule or powder form.

Sprouts

When seeds start to sprout, all the stored energy and nutrients become available and easy for us to absorb. Eating sprouts regularly can result in an enormous improvement in general health, boosting the immune system, revitalizing and strengthening the body, improving digestion, combating tiredness and stress. Sprouts grown at home and harvested at the dinner table are the freshest food you’ll ever eat. They won’t have lost vitamins like shop bought vegetables or have travelled round the world. They will be organically grown, full of life and energy. Sprouting is ridiculously cheap! You can get pounds of greens for pennies. It’s also easy - it all comes down to "just add water." With few resources and very little time or effort, you can supply yourself an abundance of live food, in your home, all year round. If you travel, they can too.

So which ones I take at the moment? I use spirulina in my morning green juices, raw cacao in smoothies or with muesli in soya milk, coconut oil in smoothies and in cooking, goji berries with muesli or on it's own, maca in tablet form in mornings, seaweed in salads or snack and sprouts in salad. I've ordered chlorella tablets, bee pollen and kelp capsules. I don't intend to have all superfoods every day, it's best to rotate, different supplements different days. I'd like to get some camu camu as well, it's a bit more pricey though...

Superfood munching toddler - sprouts and dulse are favourites while helping mummy with juicing.