Spirulina
You have probably noticed that I substitute at least one meal with shake every day. The reasons are numerous: such food is easily digested, there is no feeling of bloating, instant energy boost, and, most importantly, detoxication and alkalization of organism on daily basis. That is why my shakes are usually coloured green. Quite often, I list the ingredients that I put in the shakes, although probably many of you don’t even know what it is and why it is useful for our body. Apart from eggs, Greek yoghurt, almond milk, berries, vegetables and protein powder, I also add something of strange colors. That something usually falls into the category we call SUPERFOOD!
Since there is a lot of food we call superfood, and many of them is already used, I will try to describe some of them, that you have probably heard about, but not quite sure why they are good. I’ll adress details in my next posts. I will start with Spirulina. This alga consists of more than 100 nutritional substances. It’s full of vitamins and minerals, and thanks to its antioxidant effect, it cleans the organism of toxins. Consequently, it boosts our immune system. It is a great dietary supplement for people with iron deficiency. Spirulina is used for regulating intestinal flora and proper functioning of digestive tract, liver disease, bile as well as faster wound healing.
Now, the reason I mostly use it and why I write about it is its influence on loosing weight, regulation of blood sugar, cholesterol, anti-aging and improving mental skills. It has been shown to help reduce appetite, boost metabolism and improve the digestive system. Spirulina makes you feel full, and this is why it is good for people on diets. Thanks to its nutritional ingerdients, it will provide your organism with enough benefits, even in small amounts. I personally use it in combination with other food from super food category, which I will write about in a new post.
It seems that this alga has a lot of benefits, doesn’t it? Well, honestly, I also had second thoughts a few years ago when I heard a presentation on super food for the first time. Since then, I started dealing with it and experiementing on myself. People who are into fitness seriously, by this I mean having knowledge from different fields that indirectly influence our profession, love trying out things that make us healthier, more beautiful and stronger. I love trying everything new and unexplored in some way, and then share my thoughts and experiences with you.
Moringa
Moringa is also known as green gold. But, how much do you actually know about it? It is considered a perfect super food, its ingredients surpass all other super plants and provides our organism with various nutrients and is easily digested. It is enough to say that the protein of moringa contains 18 out of 20 known amino acids, including all 8 essential ones that must be taken through food. If you look for more reasons why you should start consuming moringa powder, some of them are as follows:
*Accelerates the creation of hemoglobin and myoglobin
*Regulates blood pressure and blood sugar
*Cleans the large intestine and intestinal disorders
* Prevents the loss of energy, weight and underweight
* Is effective against a wide sprectrum of liver diseases
* Has antibacterial effect
The best of all is that it provides us with various nutritional substances in the non-toxic form, which can be used and digested by our body. Here is some more information on nutritional values of moringa, which many find fascinating.
15x more potassium than bananas
10x more vitamin A than carrots
25x more iron than spinach
6x more amino acids than onions
Ashwagandha
Now, think about whether you should include it into your everyday diet. Taking only 5g of moringawithin the shake is quite enough. Ashwagandha is a dietary supplement I recommend to everyone. To cut it short, I will list down some of the reasons why everyone should use ashwagandha. This is one of the most significant plants in Indian Medicine. „Ashwagandha“ means „smell of the horse“, which tells us a lot. People are often prescribed this plant for boosting the immune system after the disease. Furthermore, it is also used as tonic for rejuvenation of organism and as an afrodisiac.
The reason I use it is because it is beneficial when dealing with stress, fatigue, insomnia, lack of energy and concentration. It is classified as adaptogenic, meaning that these plants can help our body fight situations such as anxiety, insomnia, etc. Another super characteristic is that you can use this plant if you struggle with thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland produces too much hormones, ashwagandha inhibits their production. Likewise, if the thyroid gland produces too little hormones, ashwagandha encourages their production. This means that ashwagandha has a positive effect on hormone secretion in both directions. It goes without saying that those who suffer from the thyroid gland should consultthe doctor in the first place.
Around 1000mg of aswagandha before sleeping (or in combination with hot milk if you have ashwagandha in powder), would make you sleep like a baby. It is an extraordinary choice for people who sleep unsufficiently, wake up early, are exposed to stress at work and require high level of concentration during the day. However, you mustn’t consume it in combination with antidepressants. There are plenty more proved and unproved evidence on why you can use ashwagandha, but I have mentioned only the proved ones.