Super Foods for a Super You, Part I of V

My visit to the Ashram last year taught me one important lesson, consciously eat nutrient dense foods (have a look at my old blog post about me and my whole grains: http://mycasall.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html). Food should count and provide you the maximum nutrients with the minimum amount of calories. When your body has received the nutrients it needs, you are less hungry. I’m going to do a series of blogs on this subject. Here’s my outline so you know what to expect and I would suggest following this blog so you don’t miss these posts!

Part I: Super Grains
Part II: Super Berries
Part III: Natural Appetite Suppressants
Part IV: Good bacteria
Part V: Algea

Part I: Super Grains

I decided to investigate and compare and contrast my top three favourite super grains:

- Quinoa
- Ezekiel
- Salba

Why eat Super Grains? Rich in protein and fiber, low in fat, and an excellent source of energy – super grains can really change a lifestyle! They are a great source of the B complex vitamins which promotes a more efficient release of energy in the cells, also the high fiber content helps to slow down the release of glucose into the blood which stabilizes the energy level and makes you less exposed to booms and busts. Making a long story much shorter, super grains are undoubtedly a terrific treasury of nutrients and unbeatable substances that are just screaming for your attention!

Quinoa

Correctly pronounced, “keenwa”, this super grain type is a very good vegetarian source of protein, also rich in minerals, vitamin E and several of the B vitamins, and the essential fatty acids which are particularly crucial for a good-looking, healthy skin and hormone production. The preparation instructions are simple: cook the quinoa like ordinary rice, for approximately 15 minutes, and the small disk shaped seeds turn into a fluffy consistency with a delicious nut-like taste. Before cooking, the seeds should be rinsed thoroughly to eliminate the bitter taste of the saponin (a natural insect repellent usually found in the seed coat). Quinoa makes a lovely presentation, especially in combination with a variety of vegetables and seasonings to make terrific dishes, and they also make a good substitute to almost any other grain in any recipe. Vegetable or chicken stock can be used instead of water when boiling, adding flavour. Quinoa can in fact also be found and purchased as a dry product, like corn flakes, and hence serve as a high-protein, exceptional breakfast food when you mix it with almonds, berries, and honey.

A quick look into my refrigerator and I just run down to the supermarket to complement with a couple of ingredients: try this simple but oh-so-fresh quinoa salad!

2 dl quinoa

1 vegetable stock cube

Olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cucumber

3 tomatoes

1 small red onion

1 teaspoon mineral salt

black pepper
a bundle of parsley

2 cans of crayfish tails

Ezekial

I find it particularly interesting that the name of this super grain originates from the Bible, verse Ezekiel 4:9: “Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it…” The Holy Scripture gives us the recipe straight out!

Ezekiel whole grain products are organic and flourless with complete protein content. Sprouting the whole grains ensures that all the vital nutrients stored in the whole grains are released. With the right amount of water added to the organically grown grains crucial enzymes are activated causing the grain to sprout and become a living food. This sprouting process increases valuable nutrients including vitamin A, B, and C, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Furthermore, the sprouting treatment results in a lower carbohydrate and calorie content than what was originally in the grains.

There are several products of Ezekiel that might attract your taste. Have a look at http://www.foodforlife.com/our-products.html. For instance, there is this wonderful Ezekiel whole Grain cereal in Cinnamon Raisin – perfect with yoghurt and a great start of your day! Breads made from Ezekiel are also delicious, naturally flavourful and bursting with nutrients! It’s hard to imagine these products are so healthy to me and tastes so lovely at the same time. After you tried them you will definitely realize it’s possible to eat the stuff you love and still keep onto a lifestyle that promotes your well-being. The rich nutty flavour adds to a quicker feeling of satisfaction. Terrific- try it!

Salba

This odourless and flavourless seed belongs to one of the most nutritional packed foods in the world. Also, it happens to be the only food that holds a medical patent. Of course there are reasons for this, just have a quick look at its unbeatable characteristics:

The Salba seed carries...
- 6x the calcium of milk
- 3x more iron than spinach
- 2x the potassium of bananas
- 3x the antioxidant strength of blueberries
- 8x the omega 3 fatty acids of salmon
- 2.5x the vegetable protein of kidney beans
- 15x the magnesium of broccoli

Honestly, this is an explosion of nutrients. Could anything you put on your tongue do you any better? Fantastic. I hate the feeling of getting tired immediately after lunch – my energy level just drops like that. It’s the carbs’ fault. What makes the Salba seed so healthy is the fact that in combination with water, the seed gels up in your stomach and can be processed at a slower rate, and this eliminates the enervating effect after your meal. Try it out for a period of time and you’ll see that you have more energy to finish your running loop. So basically there are huge energy benefits from eating this super grain. In 2007, the Salba seed was awarded the alive award of excellence for its nutritional benefits. What’s more, the anti-ageing/beauty industry also seems to have acknowledged the positive effects of ingesting this little seed; Salba promotes your energy and vitality and in this sense “keeps you younger” so-to-say.

Keep it simple – just add a tablespoon of the Salba seed to your yoghurt in the morning. There are plenty of possibilities for the Sweet Tooth as well: the thickening effect of the Salba seed is similar to that of eggs so just replace the eggs for the Salba when baking your delicious brownies! Life’s too short to stay away from lovely sweet desserts, there’s no doubt about this, but why not make a smart choice when you’ve got the chance? There are almost no limits to how you may incorporate the Salba seed into your diet; just add it to soups, cereals, wraps, fruit dishes, pan cakes or salads and you will easily get access to this invaluable source of nutrients without making life more complex than it is.