Photo: Leann Shamash on Pixoto.

Feeling our most energetic, powerful and strong selves is what most of us are looking for.

Our lives these days seem fuller than ever before—and are demanding more attention, awareness and multitasking than any other time in history to date.

For example, the amount of mail we receive in a week has grown exponentially from the times when we received just a few letters in the mail, snail mail that was (when there was no email at all), to now where we literally skim through hundreds of mailings per day.

Many of us have a very full schedule, a busy home life with children and family and a social life that is calling us to keep the pleasure meter rockin’.

Here’s the thing—I’m a person who’s looking for a way to give back in my own life on a global scale.

I seek to celebrate the small ways I serve my family and business while also giving back in the largest ways I can.

If you want to be a superhero in your own life check out some of Boulder Nutrition’s favorite superfoods below. You will likely find more energy and superpower than you even knew you had with just a few of these specialized ingredients. These potent foods are most often right at your finger tips—check them out. You will be so glad you did!

Boulder Nutrition’s Top 10 Favorite Super Foods

1. Raw Honey

“Bee-lieve” it—the benefits of raw honey rise above the myths of agave or your average wildflower honey. Local, raw honey has higher nutrition value since it is not heated past 105 degrees and can assist in diminishing allergies.

If honey is raw it can scrub impurities from the body. Raw honey is known for its antiviral and antibacterial makingand is also a great immune booster. (Warning: Reports from Food Safety News group has reported that three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn’t honey.)


2. Kale

A simple green packed with nutrients that can be prepared and enjoyed in thousands of ways—kale is a form of cabbage with green or purple leaves in which the central leaves do not form a head. Kale is high in fiber and great for digestion.

Try adding it to your next smoothie or massaging it with sesame oil—then sprinkling it with some almonds and diced peppers. Often known as the most nutritious of all the veggies, give your kale a try—and a hug.


3. Dark Chocolate

Crave sweets? Feel less guilty by indulging in a bite of dark chocolate. The cacao bean contains more than 400 chemical—and many of them affect human health. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids and studies have shown their antioxidant activity promotes endothelial function, lowers blood pressure and assists in blood clot formation.

It is also known as a food to induce high amounts of pleasure. Try a little…


4. Goji Berries

Goji berries have been used in India and around Asia for thousands of years to support sleep, energy, aging, vision and liver and kidney function. These tasty and trendy little berries are life force inducing, easy to snack on and one of the most potent berries found to date.

 Mix them into trail mix, throw them on top of oatmeal or just munch away on them on there own for a sweet and sassy snack.

5. Turmeric

Superfood, super spice—turmeric ranked number six on the top 100 high ORAC value antioxidant foods. Turmeric is a spice most commonly found in curry but its medical benefits are golden rich.

Some of the most amazing demonstrated properties include: destroying multi-drug resistant cancer, destroying cancer stem cells, protecting against radiation-induced damage, reducing unhealthy levels of inflammation, protecting against heavy metal toxicity and preventing and reversing Alzheimer’s disease associated pathologies.

Add turmeric to your food, take it as a supplement (commonly known as curcumin) or make it into a delicious tea.

6. Coconut

Coconuts are a wonder food on planet Earth. Coconut is so important and helps to stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, hydrate and even replace blood plasma in an emergency. In ancient India the coconut palm was recognized as a top immune booster, antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral and antibacterial remedy for thousands of years.

Coconut oil, water and milk can all be used as delicious ingredients to many dishes.

7. Chia Seeds

Chia seed is highly nutritious and medicinal—used for centuries for its beneficial properties. Chia was a staple for Incan, Mayan, and Aztec cultures—high in essential fatty acids, alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, made up of 30% protein, XXXincluding Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and a wide array of trace minerals, chia is a wonderful addition to your snacks and meals. Chia is filling, it has a fun texture, and it is a great way to increase omegas with a plant based source of omega 3! Add chia seeds to water, smoothies, oatmeal or yogurt for a little extra “chi” in life.

8. Beet Juice

Beetroot juice has recently been given recognition as one of the top recommended superfoods. The juice of this delicious root vegetable is rich in antioxidants and naturally occurring healthy nitrates.

When consumed, the body converts nitrates to nitric oxide—a compound that enhances blood flow in the vessels and helps lower blood pressure. Because of these beneficial attributes, beetroot juice can increase exercise performance and support heart health. Cheers to beetroot juice!

9. Maca

Maca, a Peruvian superfood grown high in the Andes mountains, has been used for thousands of years by the Incas. Since maca is in the Brassicaceae family, it is related to the more commonly known root vegetables such as radish and turnip. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein and phytonutrients, maca is purported to have a number of health benefits. (

These include increasing energy and stamina, balancing hormones, repairing adrenal function and enhancing sexual function. Ooh la la!

10. Love

Love is the ultimate superfood. In our busy worlds we are so often rushing through meals, disconnected from our food, it’s source and how it has landed on our plates. Learning to put love, reverence and intention into both the food as we eat it, and our food as we prepare it, makes a tangible difference in how our body assimilates the nutrients—and how our body metabolizes the food into energy.

Add some “love” into meals. Experiment! See how it feels to have dinner with a loved one or sit down on a lovely fall day in the park to enjoy lunch. Light a candle while cooking, chant while simmering soups and give thanks for the abundance on the plate.

Every other superfood pales in comparison to “love” in the experience with food.

Most of all—love yourself with every bite. 

 

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Assistant Ed: Laura Ashworth/Ed: Bryonie Wise