Superfoods to a Super YOU!
So what exactly are superfoods?
They are foods that have been generously provided by mother earth to nourish our bodies. They are whole foods, from the earth, filled with vitamins and nutrients and offer many health benefits. In fact, any food in its pure form, grown straight from the earth, has a purpose and plays a vital role in the maintenance of our health.
Mother Nature intended for us to ingest the nutrients our bodies need for health and vitality by eating the foods of the earth before any processing and the addition of chemicals. She intended for us to eat and drink foods over taking pills as supplements to fulfill our bodies' nutrient requirements.
Our bodies are highly intellectual and interact with foods on a macrobiotic, holistic level.
"What exactly does this mean?" You may be thinking...
The molecules that make up an entire food are needed for proper digestion. So choosing to take a supplement over eating a balanced diet full of color and variety, may not be the best choice, as some vital ingredients may be missing for optimal metabolism to occur.
This post about super, whole foods may be premature as many people may still be struggling to rid their diets of fast and processed foods full of high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils, sugar, flour, unhealthy salts, and so on. And this is perfectly ok. If any of this rings a bell, be aware of it and be gentle with yourself. Just by being aware of the need to modify certain things in your diet will help to shift things in the direction of a healthier, happier, more conscious you.
After awareness, the next step is to take action!
In any way we introduce nutritious foods into our lives, makes it that much easier to get on a healthy track, improve our energy levels, and increase the happiness in our lives. Believe it or not, you will begin to crave these yummy superfoods because your body will notice a difference.
Over the past year I have shared numerous superfoods, which you can browse through here. I will continue to share superfoods with you each week, discussing their nutrition profile, the ways in which they improve our lives and body function, as well as recommendations on easy ways to add them into your diet. I may recycle some of these, as they are my favorites (like sweet potatoes!), and I will be sure to add recipes!
As the New Year approaches, empower yourself by adding any which call to you into your life, either by cooking them yourself, exploring the recipes I will share, finding other recipes that inspire you, or simply ordering these foods when you go out to eat.
One of my favorite ways to pack in nutrition at the start of my day is with a superfood smoothie. They are so delicious that even if you’re not a fan of some of the ingredient as stand alones (aka Kale), you will like them! I previously shared a smoothie outline as a way to make the process flexible, read here, but this one can be a bit overwhelming for those just crossing into the smoothie zone, so I will share simpler recipes, like this blissful green smoothie, as I continue to experiment with various ingredients and products.
Congratulate yourself for reading this because you are on the path to a healthier you! Intuitively you know which foods are good for you. The first step is staying close to nature when choosing foods. Remember to read labels—the fewer the ingredients the better, and steer clear of packaged foods with any of the ingredients mentioned above, anything that is a challenge to pronounce, as well as food coloring and preservatives. The more whole foods straight from the earth you eat, the more fulfilled and grounded you will feel.