Superfoods Flashcards
What is a superfood?
A food that contains all or nearly all vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals the body needs.
Contains a wide range of nutrients (phytonutrients, EFAs, enzymes, antioxidant)
What do super foods do?
Contribute to good health, healthy aging and antioxidant
What is the ORAC score?
Oxygen Radical absorbance capacity= Antioxidant capacity of a food
What superfoods to prefer?
Local seasonal and organic
Chlorophyll energetic? Sources ? Nutrients?
Cooling, calming, Yang excess
Dark green leafy vegetables
Vit A, C, E, K, Mg, Ca, potassium and iron
3 benefits and application of chlorophyll?
- Detoxification - chlorophyll can bind to carcinogenic chemicals like high temp cooked meat, smoked and grilled meat + down regulate phase 1 liver enzymes (CYP450) and induce phase 2
- Antioxidant
- Alkalising
- Promote wound healing
- Natural deodorant (100-200mg tablets a day)
- Reduce inflammation (TNF)
- Support ATP (Mg)
Why do you need to eat chlorophyll rich food raw?
Cooking destroys chlorophyll
Name 2 brown algae, 2 red algae and 2 green algae
Brown: kelp and wakame
Red: nori and dulse
green: sea lettuce and sponge weed
seaweeds energetics and nutrients
energetics: cooling and moistening
nutrients: iron, iodine, B12 (NORI), EFAs, AAs
Name 3 benefits/applications of seaweed
- Antioxidant => Fucoxanthin (carotenoid) found in brown seaweeds like wakame
- Anti-inflammatory => reduce production of COX2 and NF-Kb
- Low Thyroid function => iodine and tyrosine (Bladderwrack - brown)
- Healthy weight management => Fucoxanthin increase expression of UCPI a key molecule in thermogenesis + low cal. + high fibres minerals and vitamins
- GIT health => fibre, SCFA
- Skin => eczema, acne and psoriasis
What danger seaweed can have?
Can accumulate heavy metals
Micro-algae energetics and nutrition?
Energetics: cooling and moisture
Nutrients: Chlorophyll, iron, 50-70% complete protein, B12 (Chlorella), D2
What is the difference between spirulina and chlorella ?
Spirulina no cellulose, single cell easy to digest
Chlorella similar nutrition to spirulina but tough cellulose wall - need to be pulverised to increase bioavailability
Spirulina and Chlorella energetics and nutrition
Energetics: yin deficiency, cooling, excess heat - flushed face, irritability and anger
Nutrients: 60% bioavailable protein (all AAs)
Spirulina => B1, B2, B3, A, K, beta carote, iron, copper, zinc, Ca, Mg, K, Chlorophyll
Chlorella => Very high in D2, B12 (220mg/100g), highest chlorophyll in plant, B1, B2, B3, B6, iron Zinc, phosphorus, Mg
Why seaweed is not always safe for ppl on Thyroxine medication? what alternative?
Because Seaweeds had tyrosine and iodine (can increase thyroxine medication level).
Good alternative is Chlorella
