SUPERFOODS

comprising the main product, perhapswater and possibly a natural binder tokeep product stable. Generally, ifyourvitamins include ingredients that you

cant pronounce or with names that looklike chemicals, then they might notbe asnatural as they first seem."

Ponan says cacao is a good choice asit contains high levels offlavonoids andmagnesium, while Hawaiian spnrlina,she says, is the oldest and one ofthemost complete foods, boasting an arrayof minerals such as calcium, iron andmagnesium.

She added: "Maca powder is knownforthat energrkic\ libido and moodbalance. Maca is naturallyrich invitamins B, C and E and also providesplenty of calcium, zinc, iron, magresium,phosphorous and amino acids."

Carey added:'My top superfoodsare those that not only are super-richin health-promoting nukients, but arebacked by a wealth of scientific researchto demonstrate their purported benefitsand efficacy. Here at CherryActive,we have invested ters ofthousancls ofpounds in researching how and why ourproducts, CherryActive, BlueberryActiveand BeetActive, bringhealth and sportbenefits to our customers."

Linton pinpointed its best sellers aswheatgrass powder, bee pollen, spimlina,goji berries and cacao products, whileBinks highlighted barley grass.

"Easyto take and absorb with a goodmix of nuhients, there are manycasestudies of how it has benefited people,"

she said.. Seaweed is also corsidered a superfoodthanl$ to its high nutritional content.Simon Ranger, from Seagreens, explainedthat seaweed grows only in the ocean,which gives them their distinct properties.Certain species have abroader range of

i nutrients than others, with wild wraeki beingth"fot chosenbySeagreens,whichi it harvests in the Scnttish Outer Hebrides.i "fhis particular family of the coldi 'water brown' seaweeds provide ini'-themselves an outstancling balance ofi virtually all the nufiients," Ranger said.i "It includes an unusual range of microi nutrients like all the B vitamins, tracei minerals and complex macronuhients asi well as the antioxidants, the same formi as wheat germ and a firll complement ofi proteins."i Goodyearis an advocate ofcoconut oil.i "Coconut oil is my number onei superfood, but it is often forgotten abouti in many superfood features or frownedi upon because ofits high fat content," shei said. "People are scaredbythis, however,i coconut oil is packed firll ofthe good fatsi your body neecls. The medium chain fattyi acids in coconut oil are cligested easieri than the fats in say butter or eggs andi when ingested at surplus requirement arei not stored but sent directly to the liveri to be converted to energr. This raises

the metabolism which will contribute toweightloss.

"Coconut oil is also used by the body tomake hormone substances which controlblood pressure, and aids absorptionofseveral clifferent nuilients. It is alsoanti-fungal, anti-infl ammatory andantibacterial."

laura Stewart, from Teapigs, suggestedmatcha as a superfood.

"Teapigs top super food has to bematcha, a super-power organic green teagroundto a fine powder, which can beadded to coldjuice or drunk as a hot tea.Because of the way matcha is shade-grown and the whole leaf is consumed, ithas zo times the number of antioxidantsof orange juice and is packed firll ofessential vitamins and minerals. It also

helps boostthe metabolism and can raiseenerry for up to six hours.

"Until recentlS virtually all matcha hasbeen consumed within Japan, where it'straditional for Buddhist monks to drinkitbefore meditation. Since teapigs boughtmatcha to the UK in zoo8, it has gainedpopularity and can be found in caf6s,health food shops and smoothie bars."

Broccoli is often classed as a superfoodas it contains a good source ofvitaminC and carotenes, while Goodyearhighlighted tomatoes for their vitamin Cand lycopene content.

She added: "Green and white teacontains phytonutrients, catechins,which help protectthe skin andpreventsunbum, andpolyphenols, which mayhelp prevent and even reverse age spotsand pigmentation on the skin."

Mayuzumi believes mushrooms aretrue superfoods.

"Red reishi is aherbal mushroom usedfor thousancls ofyears in TraditionalChinese Medicine (TCM) and revered asthe'plant of immortality'. Red reishi isclassified as a powerfrrl adaptogen, a herbthat can help reduce the effects of stress.Most people take it today to support theirimmune and cardiovascular health.'

Roswess pointed to moringa leafpowder and seeds, which are its biggestseller.

"The reasons for this are it's natural.has no known side effects and over 9onutrients.

Hunt highlighted African baobab andmoringa.

"They are significantly more nutrient-dense than other similar products.Unlike most other'superfoods' theyactually taste quite nice and they aresustainably produced and contributeto sustaining the livelihootls of ruralsmallholder farmers. hfb

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