8 Best Superfoods To Boost Your Mood & Energy Levels
Discover my 8 best superfoods for great mood and energy and learn about their wonderful health benefits...8 Best Superfoods To Boost Your Mood & Energy Levels
Discovering superfoods has truly changed my life. This definitely was one of my first steps towards full and sustainable bulimia recovery, a better and healthier life. Now, I am having them every single day and that’s helping me to stay healthy and have great energy.
As I explained in my last VLOG, I really LOVE superfoods. They are just awesome and they are definitely part of my daily life now that I am enjoying all their wonderful health boosting benefits day after day.
But what are superfoods exactly?
Superfoods are basically foods that are much richer in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, electrolytes and phytonutrients but also much poorer in calories than any other usual foods. They are amazing to deeply nourish your body on a very deep level.
Here are my 8 best superfoods to boost your mood and energy:
1. Maca powder
Maca is a root that comes from Peru. You will mainly find it as powder because it doesn’t grow in all climates So, it is dried and powdered to be exported in the rest of the world. Maca is amazing for balancing hormones and is beneficial to both women (relief of PMS symptoms and menopause) and men (enhanced fertility). Maca is also a great adaptogen that helps decrease stress levels, enhance strength, stamina and libido as well as providing great energy and endurance. It works with the rhythms and needs of your own body.
I usually add maca powder to my smoothies, kefir, juices, chocolate, desserts, etc.
Try adding maca into your diet and notice the benefits. Maca is rich is calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vit B1, B2, C, E and iron. It contains lots of trace minerals like zink and selenium and is great for menstrual imbalances, lack of libido, infertility, menopausal symptoms and stress but also for conditions such as anemia, fatigue, depression, poor memory, tuberculosis and malnutrition.
2. Pure, raw organic cacao
Yes, chocolate is a superfood! But I am not talking about the sugary packaged chocolate bars you find at the supermarket. I am talking about the real, original, raw, pure cacao. You can use the beans, which are quite bitter or you can find it in powder in any health food store to make amazing desserts like those you can find in my Raw Chocolate recipe book.
Pure, raw, organic cacao is just amazing and to be honest, I am enjoying it every single day in healthy, sugar free desserts or smoothies. Because what’s bad about chocolate? It’s actually sugar, dairy and other additives that have been added to packaged chocolate you buy in supermarkets.
Cacao itself is great for your health and is nature’s number-one weight loss and high energy food, according to David Wolfe, the cacao master (watch his TEDx talk about chocolate here). Chocolate is rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, chromium, manganese, zinc, copper, vit-C, phosphorus and more. It’s also rich in tryptophan, which is a powerful mood-enhancer, crucial in the production of serotonin, which diminishes anxiety and has the same impact as love in our brain. That’s why chocolate is often associated with love and Valentine’s day.
Add more raw, pure and organic cacao into your diet and start feeling amazing effects.
Check out my Raw Chocolate recipe book to get you started!
3. Chia seeds
Chia seeds are a complete protein rich in fiber, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and manganese. Just one tablespoon of chia seeds contains 5 grams of fiber. So adding a tablespoon of chia seeds to your breakfast (cereals, smoothies, juices, etc.) is a great way to increase your fiber intake. But chia seeds are also very rich in vit-C, Omega 3 and 6 and antioxidants. They are able to absorb lots of water (about 10 times their weight). When you soak chia seeds, they will absorb lots of liquid and create a gelatine-like substance, which will clean your digestive and immune systems by moving all the toxins and impurities to the bowels.
Soaking chia seeds in coconut water or mashed fresh fruits for breakfast is great and chia puddings are also delicious and great for your health.
4. Coconut (water, flesh/meat, oil and butter)
This is one of my favourite foods and drinks ever.
The water inside the young coconut is an isotonic drink full of electrolytes and can even be used in blood transfusions. It is rich in potassium, is ideal for proper rehydration and has strong antiviral properties.
It also contains kinetin, which keeps the coconut young despite the fact that it’s under the sun all day long. Kinetin has the exact same effect on our body and keeps you young. Amazing, isn’t it?
The meat of coconut is high in protein and fiber and is a great saturated fat (essential to our body). It has been proven that the saturated fat in coconut oil supports the immune system, thyroid gland, nervous system and skin.
Coconut oil and butter are also a very healthy saturated fat and are perfect for cooking as it’s the only oil/butter that stays stable when you heat it (even olive oil is not perfectly stable when you heat it). Thus, using coconut oil for cooking is much safer and healthier than any other oils.
Personally, I only use coconut oil for cooking. I still use olive, hemp and flax oil, which are all amazing oils, but only for dressings. I also use coconut oil on my skin, as moisturiser as coconut oil is actually a top beauty product… and at a very cheap price!
5. Spirulina
Spirulina is a Blue-Green Algae, which thrives in alkaline lakes. It contains over 65% of complete protein (300% more than fish, meat or poultry, with 0 cholesterol). Spirulina is also very rich in chlorophyl, iron (about 58 times more than spinach), antioxidants, beta-carotene and essential fatty acid Omega 3 and 6.
As I explained in one of my VLOGs, Spirulina really helped me to have more strength and energy to recover from bulimia. It also fixed my anaemia and I was able to get rid of my unnatural iron supplements.
Today, I am taking 3 to 6 grams of spirulina every morning. You can choose to use powder – which is the most powerful way as it’s directly absorbable by your body – and add it to your juices and smoothies. If you don’t juice or blend every day, you can use tablets (I personally find that the taste is too strong to mix spirulina powder with water only). You can change your dosage regarding your levels of energy, activity and your diet.
Spirulina is also great for people who have digestive issues as it helps improving the absorption of nutrients by your body.
As you can see, I love spirulina and I really recommend you to give it a try. I am pretty sure you will notice great improvements in your energy in just a few days.
6. Goji berries
Goji berries are a berry-fruit found in Asia and America. They are usually dried before being exported elsewhere in the world.
Gojis are probably one of the most nutritious berry-fruit found on the planet. They are a complete source of protein and amino acids, contain lots of trace mineral as well as vit B1, B2, B6, E and C.
They are extremely rich in antioxidants, which protects you from the ageing process and free radical. They are also well-known to improve vision, boost libido, sexual function and immune system. Sounds great, right?
You can consume them in many different ways. Add them to your smoothies, breakfast, salads or use them in your own trail mix or in your delicious chocolate desserts.
7. Hempseeds and oil
Hempseeds and oil are one of the rare complete source of protein (33 to 37% of its weight) and are packed with life-force energy and enzymes. They are rich in Omega-3, 6 and 9 which are all very important for brain functions and considered a quality beautifying oil.
Hempseeds and oil are great to boost your immune system and bring balance in your essential fatty acids, thus are also decreasing inflammation. They deliver a balanced array of amino acids and are rich in minerals such as phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, sodium, silicon, copper and many others.
Use the oil in in your dressings and sprinkle the seeds on your cereals, fruits, smoothies or salads, they are delicious!
8. Flaxseeds and oil
Flaxseeds (or linseeds) and their oil are one of the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for our health as our body doesn’t produce them on its own. The problem in our societies is that the big majority of people consume too much Omega-6 fatty acids and not enough Omega-3. However, the balance between both is absolutely vital to be healthy. Flax seeds and oil is one of the rare food that contains Omega-6 and 3 (EFAs – essential fatty acids) in perfect balance for the human body.
EFTAs are vital for brain function, energy production, oxygen transfer and strengthen immunity. Omega-3 fatty acids help to fight and prevent inflammation and many degenerative conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, etc .
There are many other great superfoods, such as acai, bee products (bee pollen, royal jelly, honey and propolis), marine phytoplankton, aloe vera, wheatgrass or any seaweed, but above are the ones I am using the most.
The best way to discover how they can support you is to try them and observe their impact on your health and energy.
Now I’d love to hear from you!
Which ones are you using the most? I’d love to hear what’s your favourite superfood, so feel free to share your experience in the comments below!
And if you liked this article, please share it with your friends and help them take control of their health!
xox
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I have been taking an introduction to raw nutrition course with David Wolfe and have been reading a lot from him and listening to his videos. Fascinating! I have begun to incorporate more superfoods into my diet and have recently added goji berries and raw cacao. (Can hardly wait to try your chocolate almond butter fudge.) Next on my list is hemp seeds and maca. Thanks for all the great recipe ideas!
Thanks Kelly! You’re very welcome. This all sounds awesome. This is also how I started experimenting with superfoods… and I never looked back 😉 xxx
Brilliant post Pauline! These are all amazing foods! I have been incorporating most into my diet over the last few months and really do feel the difference! Like Kelly, I too am going to try Maca Powder soon! And many thanks for all your wonderful ideas! :)xo
Thanks lovely Meryn!
This is awesome, let me know how you go 😉
xxx
Hi Pauline. I really value all your advice about super foods and have been using a few of them including, cacao, chia, and flax for many months. I have an underactive thyroid and have read that hemp is not good for that and wondered what you know about that? I love green smoothies also but have read that some kale etc. is also not good for hypothyroid. I’d love to read your thoughts on this. Do you normally send an email back. I wondered how to read your replies?
Thanks, love sue x
Hi Sue,
I’ve never heard that hemp or kale was not goof for thyroid issues. I don’t think it can do you any harm but you might want to consult your GP to be 100%.
Let me know how you go 😉
xxx
Ihi Pauline ,
Love your website but am confused with message about flax seed and oil
Is it good or best avoided because of oestrogen ?
Thanks a million Eil
Hi Eileen,
Thanks 😉
If you don’t have any issues with that atm, keep consuming them with moderation. I still eat some flax seeds almost daily 😉
But keep that in mind, so you know… If you have liver issues or thyroid issues, I’d recommend to have a closer look at that.
Love
xx
Do you consider superfoods as supplements or food? I have a tough time considering powdered stuff as food. What do you think of the 80-10-10 diet and them being against superfoods?
Hi Kat
I would stay away from all strict diets as well as the 80-10-10, which for me is a strict diet.
To me superfoods are – clearly – foods as per the name mentions it. Supplements are made sytetically – in a lab. Which is not h case with superfoods. Some of them are in powder because they are dried to conserve and powdered to be easily added to any preparation.
I think they are awesome to re nourish your body on a cellular level. Thy clearly helped me recover from ed and I am still having them nowadays.
Give it a try to a few weeks and see what’s best for you. Many people are still thanking me today because I’ve suggested them to try spirulina a few years ago.
Xxx
Let me know how you go 🙂
I mostly use chia seeds and …. i like to think that pretty everything I eat is kind of superfood, isn’t it?
So true 😉 Whole nourishing quality food will always nourish your body on a deep level 😉
I want to start incorporated chia seeds, maca powder, spirulina and goji berries into my daily diet. Can you please advise me on how to take them? As in which in the morning or just blend them all together in a smoothie?
Good on you Michelle! I am sure you won’t regret it 😉
You can add them to your smoothies. Maca goes well with cacao while spirulina goes better with fruits and veggies.
Having them in the morning is a great idea, so you boost your nutrition before starting your day. You can top up your smoothies or recipies with gojis and make nice pudding with chia seeds as well. There heaps of different way to have them.
You can check out all the recipes I have on my website here: http://paulinehanuise.com/healthy-and-easy-recipes/
You can also download a free recipe book here to help you out : http://paulinehanuise.com/the-happy-healthy-people-recipe-book/
Enjoy 😉
xox
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