During my IIN (Integrative Institute of Nutrition) classes we had the pleasure of meeting David Wolfe, raw food guru. The most important lesson that I learned from him is that going raw may not be the best idea for everyone – but adding raw products into your existing daily diet can’t hurt at all.
He taught us how to make a “superfood smoothie,” which uses ingredients that I usually use on a daily basis but now I’ve learned how to also add in superfoods to pump it up.
Here is the recipe:
Handful of strawberries
Handful of blueberries
Handful of blackberries
Handful of raspberries
Coconut water – enough to cover the fruit and a little extra (too much is never a bad thing) one cup-full of coconut water contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana**
1 tbls chia seeds– Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds! Chia is rich in antioxidants, provide fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Chia is an AMAZING superfood!
½ tbls maca powder- Has been found to enhance fertility and sexual performance in both men and women.
½ tbls cacao powder – All chocolate is made from the cacao (cocoa) bean, and cacao beans in their natural, unprocessed, unadulterated state are rich in nutrients and beneficial to health. Cacao helps dilate bloods vessels, reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, help regulate heartbeat and blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks. It is a feel good food and it may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
½ tbls camu camu powder – Camu camu fruits contain more vitamin C than any other plant in the world from 30 to 60 times more than an orange. It has astringent, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, emollient and nutritional properties, and also contains important levels of beta-carotene, calcium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamin.
1 tbls raw honey – Honey is antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal, and antibacterial — it never spoils and is best in it’s raw, unprocessed state.
½ tbls blue green algae – A form of microalgae phytoplankton containing chlorophyll, vitamin B-12, complete protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
1 tincture of cat’s claw – Is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects and has been used for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It has also been used for high blood pressure, HIV, diverticulitis, gastritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
1 tincture of pau’darco – An anti-inflammatory
1 tincture of fo-ti – Can lower serum cholesterol, decrease hardening of the arteries, and improve immune function.
1 tincture of reishi mushroom – Regulates and fine tunes the immune system.
A handful of almonds (if you like them!)
Feel free to add in a green veggie if you want, sometimes I add in spinach or kale depending on what I have in the fridge.
If you have any serious health problems I suggest you do some more research on these superfoods to make sure they won’t effect you in a negative way – they are powerful and wonderful if you use them properly.
It’s finally time to enjoy what Mother Nature’s given us!