5 Reasons to Add Organic Superfoods Into Your Life Now!
by April Pascarelli
These days it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the internet is blowing up with all kinds of key search words and phrases on how to “be more healthy.”
Everything from boosting your immune system to the best dietary supplements to how to eat healthier are some of the leading topics for today’s top web searches. We know that a healthy lifestyle is something to strive for in general, but this year, it seems to mean so much more.
So before we dive in, let’s cover the why and what. Why eat organic? And what the heck are superfoods?
Here are some facts that you need to know.
Organic foods get their label due to the process in which they are grown and produced. Rather than dousing their crops in toxic and harmful pesticides (you may have heard of a little something called glyphosate), organic farmers follow a practice that enhances soil and water quality, promotes a self-sustaining cycle and uses natural pesticides and herbicides (when needed) to control weeds, birds and insects. They also mulch to help slow down the growth of weeds and they use predatory insects and sometimes insect traps to control unwanted pests. Furthermore, organic foods are guaranteed to be free of genetically modified organisms, often referred to as GMOs.
As for those superfoods, well, they may sound trendy, but they are, in truth, “super foods.” They are foods that are packed with a punch, of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and polyphenols. They have been researched and studied for years, leading many to believe that they do impact one’s health for the better. There are claims of anywhere from 7 to 53 different types of superfoods. But there is a solid bunch that deems worthy of the title, including acai, bee pollen, cacao, chia, goji berries, maca, matcha and spirulina, just to name a few.
And truthfully, there are a lot more than five reasons for why you should eat organic superfoods but we figured this was a good place to start.
1. Immediately Boost a Healthy Diet
When making dietary changes, it is important to take it one step at a time. This will set you up for the greatest success in turning a “diet” into a lifestyle. So rather than go crazy by punishing yourself with endless amounts of eliminations (unless necessary for underlying medical reasons), it’s best to crowd out less nutritious foods with the addition of one new superfood at a time. Ponder over your thoughts with morning tea with matcha in place of that flavored-syrup coffee, or enjoy an açai superfood bowl instead of that sugary cereal. Even if it takes time to let go of the donut that you've always inhaled alongside that coffee, you’ll still be doing your body a favor by adding in foods that are nutritiously dense (high in nutrients and low in calories). If your current diet isn’t presently up to par, you will get an instant (and extremely high) boost of vitamins and minerals when you add organic superfoods into your life.
2. Proven Health Benefits
Consuming these powerhouse foods has been known to aid in weight loss and increase energy levels. They also have a proven track record for promoting heart health, reducing the effects of aging and maintaining clear skin, healthy hair and strong nails. There is evidence that organic superfoods have an increase in several types of flavonoids, which are known to have antioxidant properties. For the record, antioxidants are known to protect our bodies against something called oxidative stress, otherwise known as cell damage caused by free radicals.
3. Strengthen Immune System
Speaking of stress, and protection from free radicals, it shouldn’t be surprising that adding in these potent powerhouses can give your immune system a quick jolt. Upping the ante of a balanced diet with the extra addition of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidants is treating your body in one of the most supreme ways. To boot, reducing the amount of toxins you consume by going organic gives an additional boost. Imagine less exposure to food contaminants and an increased intake of nutrients. Sounds like a winning combination, right?!
4. Prevention
As previously mentioned, a diet rich in organic superfoods will boost your health while fending off the attacks on your immune system. And while this is not a fool-proof guarantee, it helps bridge the link to prevention of chronic disease. Antioxidants and flavonoids play a major role in this department. Superfoods that are high in both help to decrease inflammation, and increase our body’s ability to fight off illness, and possibly even aid in the prevention of certain types of heart disease, cancer and infertility. As for pesticides in conventional produce, even small amounts have been linked to certain cancers including breast and prostate cancer, brain tumors and they possess a bigger risk to children, whose immune systems, bodies and brains haven’t fully yet developed.
5. The Real Deal
When we think of “health foods”, we once painted an image of the low-fat and fat-free craze of the 90s. We also used to envision a steak or a glass of milk as the depiction of health. Today, maybe a picture of brightly colored fruits and vegetables comes to mind. The terms organic, natural and superfood probably even pop up. So why should we believe these terms when we’ve been led to believe that other foods over the years were more nutritious than they actually were? The truth is, and this one’s simple, that we are talking about plants. Plants - that’s it! Plants that are grown from our very own Earth, and in some of the most exotic places. Plants that are closest to their natural state. Plants that haven’t been created or changed in a lab. Plants that haven’t been saturated in a cocktail of chemicals. We tried to complicate this for so many years, and the fact is, eating healthy is actually a lot easier than we ever thought. Just eat real food! The closer our food is to its original state means the less processed it is. It also means that more nutrients are intact.
To sum things up, food is medicine.
What you eat plays a major role in how you feel. Though there is no one food that will ever provide you with all the nutrition that your body needs, organic superfoods certainly raise the bar. Organic superfoods will not only put you in a super mood, but they will improve your life. They are not a cure-all for everything, but pair them with a super balanced diet (probably a good idea to add in some exercise too), and they will start to work some magic. Between the health benefits, immediate boosts, preventative measures and their nutritious deliciousness, adding organic superfoods into your life sounds like a no-brainer. So why not treat your body with the best?
We know this can be overwhelming. And we know this healthy-living lifestyle isn’t always easy to navigate, especially with the amount of information, and mis-information, out there. But we are here for you. If you are craving more on these topics, message us with questions. If you’re local and in need of a kickstart or craving some wholesome goodness, check out our menu, or stop by for an instant pick-me-up.