Last week the boyfriend
asked me “Do you like black pudding?”
Well yes is the answer. “Good” He
says, “Cos that’s a superfood this year”.
Well, as you can imagine I started to wonder 1) How the hell the boy who
only drinks Coke and Fanta knew this kind of thing? 2) Where was he getting this information? And
3) How nice that he paid attention and wanted to talk about stuff that
interests me! So on the subject of superfoods
and because at the start of a new year we do love a list, I figured I’d give
you the no nonsense low down on the superfoods we reckon will be trending in
2016 – and yes, the list does include black pudding! A few of these so called
“superfoods” may well be worth a bash and may even become a staple in your
kitchen this year. Others – mainly due
to the fact we can’t find them in a regular supermarket and are not willing to
take out a 2nd mortgage to buy them – hmmm, maybe not so much.
Let’s start by looking back at what we ate in 2015:
Avocado - yep still love them, can’t get
enough, even Nigella put avocadoes on toast into her newest recipe book,
therefore seal of approval got.
Kale – of course, still
blending it up in my morning smoothies, although honestly I only use it when
it’s cheaper than spinach cos I like spinach more and they have very similar
nutritional properties
Blueberries - I tend to use frozen these days.
Remember fresh fruits are generally seasonal, so when out of season I
find it best to buy frozen varieties to add to smoothies. Just as good on the vitamin front, plus no
ice required as these chill down your blend
Quinoa – can’t say it, don’t eat it. I’m
still quite happy using brown rice anyway, which is cheaper, just as filling,
and I think tastes better.
Coconut Water – gross.
This year – our 2016 food fad / superfood lists goes something like this:
BLACK PUDDING
Let’s start with the obvious. Blood sausage is in fact protein packed and carb
free. We like that. It’s also full of minerals that are often
scarce in UK diets – iron and zinc. Plus it contains potassium and calcium –
all together boosting concentration and reducing fatigue while filling you
up. Not one for the vegetarians obviously,
it’s usually made from curdled and boiled pig blood, pig fat and a mix of
spices.
Recommend? Yep we will give this a go (just cos
we like it anyway).
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
Providing vitamin B
(plus C and K), folic acid, calcium and magnesium. These veggies should help boost energy –
something we are all generally lacking this time of year. I can’t say they will help with enthusiasm
though – energy, not enthusiasm – remember these are 2 different things! Cruciferous veg examples: broccoli, cauliflower,
sprouts (if you didn’t have enough over xmas), kale, radish.
Recommend? Yep we like these too, so as a bit
of variety we may try eating more of these raw (on salad?) this year.
KEFIR /FERMENTED FOODS
Kefir is a fermented
milk drink. Really. Known as good for your gut as it is a
probiotic – providing more good, gut healthy bacteria, to balance out the bad
bacteria’s gained from eating too many sugars and processed foods. I looked for ideas on eating/drinking this as
the thought of fermented milk just sounds sour (ha!), so how about adding
banana and peanut butter to make a milkshake?
Recommend? I haven’t tried it yet myself, but understand
the importance of gut health. If you
don’t want to try kefir, maybe stick with the other fermented foods – kimchi or
sauerkraut for example.
TEFF
Well there had to be
a new super grain in there somewhere and a few keep cropping up, but teff is
the easiest to say and seems to be best due to its long standing history as a
staple of the Ethiopian diet. Until last
year it was banned from export from Ethiopia, but as that ban has been lifted I
can see this becoming more easily accessible and therefore one that totally
makes the 2016 superfood list. It’s a
tiny gluten free grain that can be ground into flour. It’s a low GI food, therefore keeps your
blood sugar stable and it’s full of fibre, plus rich in minerals such as iron, calcium,
zinc and copper.
Recommend? Well this may just knock out quinoa,
so for that reason alone we say yes to teff!
SEAWEED (especially KELP)
This is a bit of a
hangover (and recommended hangover cure) from 2015, but is still acclaimed as a
2016 superfood (fad). Kelp is full of
iodine. This helps boost metabolism and
at the same time acts as a diuretic – it’s therefore been touted as a weight
loss aid through 2015. It’s rich in
vitamin C and calcium too. You can buy
seaweed from most Asian supermarkets and its becoming more popular on the
bigger general supermarket shelves now too, however it does have a very specific
flavour so perhaps leaving it to restaurants and sushi bars to prepare is
best.
Recommend? Give it a go, and try in powdered
form added to soups perhaps?
CACTUS WATER
Full of antioxidants,
calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. It’s
got less sugar than coconut water and a much fruitier taste.
Recommend? We hate coconut water so if this is
nicer and still good for you then yes – although really we still like a glass
of plain old actual water. Nice and
cold, that’s all.
BIRCH WATER
While on the subject
of “super waters”, birch water keeps cropping up too. As well as calcium, magnesium and potassium
found in cactus water, this also has electrolytes so may be a good post work
out drink. It also contains polyphenols
that act as antioxidants and an anti-inflammatory.
Recommend? We can’t find it anywhere to try,
but if it tastes as good as it sounds we would like to sip some after a good
run!
MUSHROOMS
Make room for the mushroom!
Yes – finally one we’ve all heard of before. A vegetable with vitamin D – the elusive
vitamin D that we convert from (even more elusive in the UK) – sunlight! Also
containing vitamin B, mushrooms are particularly meaty and so can add texture
as well as taste, to many dishes.
Recommend? With more people taking up the meat
free Monday idea and eating more vegetable based meals all the time we totally
recommend the addition of the mushroom to this list and to your diet this year.
So far so good, we are recommending all of the above. Especially the easy ones – black pudding, cruciferous
veg and mushrooms! Yum.
Now for the few that didn’t make the top 8 but are worth a shout out:
Cacao – can we actually be
arsed? I love chocolate, I know it’s
full of sugar and crap, but as long as I don’t eat too much I think its
ok. Here’s a massive tip and something
we believe in strongly at no nonsense: Don’t demonise foods, don’t put them in
good or bad categories where they are either allowed or banned. This will only
make you feel guilty when you do in fact eat - and God forbid - enjoy, one of
your banned/bad foods. If you want
chocolate, eat some, just not all the time or every day or too much.
Recommend? You don’t need to substitute
cacao. Although saying that there a few
good products we have found that use it – for example we cannot get enough of
these:
Matcha – actually we love green tea.
Matcha is like super green tea.
Great! But it’s still too pricey.
Until its price is on par with a nice bag of PG tips we can’t really justify
that kind of price – for a drink – with no alcohol!
Recommend? If you offered me some for free or at a
reasonable price I would drink it all the time.
Bee Pollen – Victoria Beckham eats it every day (allegedly). Rich in proteins and with more amino acids
than eggs, beef or cheese this sounds like a very nutritious food source. I have no idea what it tastes like (I’m
imagining honey…?) but surely it’s made by the bees as food for the bees, so we
are stealing it?
Recommend? I don’t
want to steal from fluffy little baby bees.
Bugs (especially crickets) – Well maybe this one should actually be on the top list
as eating bugs could well be the way to go!
A protein source full of vitamin C, that packs a crunch, or can be
ground into flour. Edible crickets are
jumping up all over the place (excuse the pun) – they are now being farmed as
food grade in America and I’m sure will become more popular when we can get our
heads round the fact that we are eating, well, bugs.
Recommend? If you’re
ok with peeling a prawn, then you will probably be fine with these – go for it
(and tell me how they taste)
Black Beans – yep the ones you put in your burritos.
Again, maybe these should be on the top list to complete a top 10. They are gaining in popularity this year due
to their high fibre and protein content.
Also – they are cheap.
Recommend? They are cheap, they taste good and
they go in burritos, so yes.
Hemp seeds– not cannabis, but yep that stuff middle class crusties of the 90’s liked
to make their clothes and bags from. Yes
that same hemp is growing in popularity as a so called superfood. It’s full of
plant proteins and minerals, plus the seeds contain omega oils. During 2015 I substituted hemp milk on cereal,
in tea and coffee, milkshakes, and home based recipes.
Recommend? Hemp
replenishes the soil with nutrients as it grows, so it’s good for the
environment as well as for us, plus it doesn’t require any pesticides when
grown. I can vouch that hemp milk is
super tasty, so it’s yes from us. (We drank this milk:
Moringa – A plant high in
calcium and protein – sounds good. I
imagine you can buy in powder form and use in the same way you might use
wheatgrass or spirulina – ie make juices or add to smoothies etc.
Recommend? If you
must. Although it’s still really
expensive and not easy to find unless you’re in a health food shop.
Kohlrabi – a poor ugly looking hybrid of the turnip and cabbage. It can be eaten
raw or cooked, but we haven’t had the pleasure of trying this as yet. It’s a vegetable, therefore low in calories
and it’s high in vitamin C.
Recommend? Why not – as soon as we can find
some we will try some.
So that wraps up the
long list of so called superfoods we will all be eating (or not) in 2016. Let me know what you think or any recipes you
make using these ingredients. If you’re not keen on trying any of the
above, here is a list of “alternative superfoods” that we much prefer (it
includes PORK SCRATCHING!) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/healthy-eating/10-of-the-most-surprising-superfoods/
And just before we
sign off for this week – one last list to share – these are the other health
“TRENDS” we are predicting this year – keep your eyes peeled for;
Souping (rather than smoothie (ing?) Using veggies in the blender again, this
year we will be doing it hot (and by the summer probably cold too!)
Smoothie bars (rather than juice bars) – we predict pick n mix style “bars” popping up,
where you can choose your ingredients and they will be whizzed up for you!
Food labelling – we reckon there should be – and hope there will be -
more emphasis on clearer and more easily understood labelling of packaged food
products, so everyone can make informed choices.
Following (or perhaps
preceding this) the sugar tax debate
will rage on – more about this in one of our upcoming blogs
A focus on gut health (and fermented foods as well
as pre and probiotics) will continue as we understand more about its importance
on our overall wellbeing
Finally there will be
more of a shift to alternative
healthcare and at home wellness
– what people can do to help themselves.
In the UK this field is a rapidly growing one as the NHS buckles under
the strain and our poor GP’s and junior doctors suffer.
For more info on
superfoods and how to incorporate the right amount of vitamins and minerals in
your diet, please give us a shout: info@nitakothari.com or book a free
dietary assessment via: bookings@nitakothari.com
To join the superfood
debate or to let us know your health trend predictions for 2016 get involved
via social media – we are over on:
And to keep up to
date with all our blogs and recipes you can sign up for the newsletter via the
link on any page of our website: www.nitakothari.com
**Please remember this is advice ONLY (as is all other
information contained in this blog, the website and social media related to it)
None of the info or advice is intended to override any recommendation from your
GP or health professional**
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