Are They Really Superfoods?

What’s Super About Superfoods? 

Have you ever wondered why certain foods are called “superfoods” and if they really are better than other foods? Research shows that some foods truly are super healthy and stand out above the rest when it comes to health and healing. The Macmillan Dictionary defines “superfood” as “a food that is considered to be very good for your health and that may even help some medical conditions.”

Here are two top contenders:

Watercress

Watercress, like beet juice, has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure. It contains similar high levels of the same nutrients found in beets. Beet juice was shown to lower blood pressure in three hours when people drank an 8.5-ounce glass of beet juice. With the watercress study, participants lowered their diastolic blood pressure by an average of 3.7 mm Hg in just three days. In other words, rats who ate watercress had lower blood pressure levels than the rats using medication to treat high blood pressure.

Watercress is also rich in a specific glucosinolate known as gluconasturtiin, which converts to PEITC in the human body. In fact, it contains more PEITC than any other cruciferous veggie. This is significant for fighting cancer. A 2015 study found PEITC has the ability to stop new blood vessels from forming to feed tumors, so tumours can’t access blood supply and multiply.

World’s Healthiest Food

World’s Healthiest Food

Would you have guessed the little flaxseed could be one of the world’s healthiest foods?  Researchers now rank flaxseeds as the #1 source of lignans in human diets. Lignans are unique fiber-related polyphenols that provide us with antioxidant benefits, fiber-like benefits, and (Hey ladies, listen up!) also act as phytoestrogens. Flaxseeds contain about seven times as many lignans as the closest runner-up food—sesame seeds. They offer about 338 times as many lignans as sunflower seeds, 475 times as many as cashew nuts, and 3,200 times as many lignans as peanuts.

When we think about antioxidant-rich foods, the first foods that come to mind are vegetables and fruits. And thee foods are outstanding sources of antioxidants! Yet according to recent research, flaxseeds also belong high up on the list of antioxidant-rich foods. When flaxseeds are compared with other commonly eaten foods in terms of their total polyphenol content (polyphenols are a very important group of antioxidants), flaxseeds rank 9th among 100 commonly eaten foods. Flaxseeds turn out to be significantly higher in polyphenol antioxidants than fruits like blueberries or vegetables like olives. The antioxidant benefits of flaxseeds have long been associated with prevention of cardiovascular diseases and have recently been tied to decreased insulin resistance.

Adapted from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

Dehydrated Flax Crackers

Makes: 36 crackers (Make a double batch for 30 people)

Ingredients

1 cup (150g) golden flaxseed

2 tbsp (40ml) golden flaxseed meal (ground flax)

¾ cup (190ml) water

3 tsp (15ml) tamari or coconut aminos

3 tsp (15 ml) coconut nectar or honey

⅙ tsp onion powder

⅙ tsp garlic powder

Method

1.         Mix the flaxseed and flaxseed meal in a bowl.

2.         Combine the water, tamari or coconut amoinos, sweetener, and onion and garlic powder in a jar or bowl and mix until everything is thoroughly mixed.

3.         Pour the water mixture over the flaxseed mix and stir thoroughly.

4.         Leave to sit for 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mix becomes thickened, but not too stiff.

5.         Spread mixture thinly over dehydrator trays and score lightly with a spatula.

6.         Dry for 12-36 hours, flipping crackers once after 5-6 hours (optional).

7.         Break crackers along score lines and store in an airtight container.

I recommend the Excalibur Dehydrator as the best dehydrator for overall performance.