New recipe on the blog: All-in-one Superfood Tonic
This recipe was inspired by the @minimalistbaker healing tonic. I’ve tweaked the recipe by adding and substituting some ingredients to what I had home and because I am more of the sour patch type-of-gal than the sweeter tooth I added pink Himalayan salt.
Lately you’ve probably heard me using the word ‘superfoods’ very often. So, what does this word really mean? Superfoods is really that of what its letters show case - - it is 'super' foods that contain nutrients that aid ward off and prevent diseases and promote an immense list of health benefits.
The world may be contaminated, and we may feel hopeless at times, but we can still control what goes into our bodies. Preparing homemade teas, tonics, smoothies are just a small portion of ideas how we can aliment our bodies properly.
Alone these superfoods;
Ginger
Turmeric
Paprika
Lemon
Chili pepper
Hamilayan salt
…offer disease-fighting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, phytochemicals agents. Put them together and they offer a powerful blend that will help multi-prong approach. Ginger has been purported to exert a variety of powerful therapeutic and preventative effects like anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea, anti-carcinogenic effects. [1]
Promotes better health in:
Antiucler action
Cardiovascular diseases
Endocrine system [2]
Turmeric is the major source of polyphenol curcumin which has been shown in studies to promote better health in:
Anxiety[3]
Arthritis[3]
Pigment cell growth inhibition
Immunomodulatory action
Obesity[2]
However, research has also reported “ingesting curcumin by itself does not lead to the associated health benefits due to its poor bioavailability…there are several components that can increase bioavailability. For example, piperine is the major active component of black pepper and, when combined in a complex with curcumin, has been shown to increase bioavailability by 2000%.” [3]
This is why pairing superfoods like these to make a healing tonic is crucial.
References:
[1] Bode AM, Dong Z. The Amazing and Mighty Ginger. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 7.
[2] Yashin A, Yashin Y, Xia X, Nemzer B. Antioxidant Activity of Spices and Their Impact on Human Health: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2017;6(3):70. Published 2017 Sep 15. doi:10.3390/antiox6030070
[3] Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its' Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017;6(10):92. Published 2017 Oct 22. doi:10.3390/foods6100092