Powerfood, the newbies and oldies

Since some years it starting to pop up in the supermarkets, powerfood. But what are they, these power foods? Supposedly they are foods packed with high levels of heart disease-fighting nutrients and the fewest number of calories. Also known as super foods. This marketing name is prohibit to use in the EU if there is no specific medical claim supported by credible scientific research. So then we use the term functional foods, what originally comes from Japan. But basically it all covers the same ground, Functional, Power or Super food.

The power foods are expending. Every now and then new sorts of power foods are coming on the market. Showing that it is, in fact, a marketing tool. But there lies some sort of truth in the whole power foods. They are high in vitamins, minerals and low in calories.

For me it started with Coolbest's Power Fruits, the pomegranate, acai berry and cranberry juice. I'm a sucker for pomegranate juice, so I went crazy for the stuff. But always wondered if it is really good for you. My mom gave me this article she came around in a magazine, about these powerfoods. It made me dive into the world of powerfood and discovered that I already use a lot of them! Enough talk, lets get into it. Let me show you some of the powerfoods I already use. Some more as golden oldie, other more as newbies that are recently getting more popular.

Chamomile and Goji berry tea from China

Newbie Goji Berry
This little fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These sweet fruits are big players in the Chinese medicine. They should help the libido, enlighten your mood, slow down aging, lose weight, fight acne and is good for you organs.

In China the goji berry is used in many medicines, but also in the kitchen. To make smoothies, soups and teas. I remember this berry from my time in Chongqing, it will appear in bottles of my students. Or in the tea I would order at some cafe's. The first time I saw it was in the Moonbar in the Sichuan Art School district of Chongqing. One of my friends ordered a tea and got this lovely chamomile flower tea with goji berries. I was intrigued, it looked so pretty. The taste was subtle, soft and just a bit sweet. Back in Holland I missed the pretty little orang-like bulbs in my tea. So I went out and found the dried variation in many shops and markets.

Golden Oldie Oatmeal
Everybody knows oatmeal. I always figured that it was healthy for you, but how it was presented to me as a kid made it very unattractive. Oatmeal is so healthy for you because of the high fiber, good for your cholesterol and lowers your blood sugar after eating. I never cared for muesli or porridge, so never ate oatmeal. Until I found this great oatmeal recipe, for sugarfree cookies. Since then I'm going crazy for these cookies. Interested? Check out the 'Going bananas for oatmeal cookies' post!

Newbie Quinoa
The marketing around Quinoa peeked just before 2013, making it one of the newest so called superfood on the market. These seeds are not really grains or other related to the grass family, but more to beetroots and spinach. High in protein, vitamins and minerals, gluten-free and tastes great.

I love to make salads with quinoa or even lasagna kind of structures. Great with fresh herbs and other vegetables and seasonings.

left: Tumeric seasoned quinoa salad with pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumber and baby lettuce leaves. Sprouts on top, olives on the side. right: Tumeric and curry seasoned quinoa with grilled bell peppers, wild peaches and haloumi cheese topped with fresh herbs like cilantro.

Oldie Walnuts
As long as I can remember I'm crazy about walnuts. I would sieve through my grandparents mixed nuts and eat all the walnuts before anyone else had the chance. These healthy nuts are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and supposedly will improve the elasticity of your blood vessels. I use walnuts for almost everything, as a snack, in salads, pies, cakes, cookies, you name it!

It has been a long time since I gathered for walnuts. But when I was visiting my aunt in the south of Holland near the sea, she told me about the walnut tree outside her studio. So for three days my friend and I picked all the fallen and sometimes almost fallen walnuts. On the third day we split our stash in three, ending up some kilos of walnuts per person. After drying for some time on the windowsill, I ended up with this lovely bowl of walnuts. 

Newbie Coconut Oil
The first time I used coconut oil was at a friends house. The moment the solid oil hit the warm pan a tropical scent filled my nose. I love coconut, the fruit, the milk, the water. The coconut is an interesting fruit. The water is very healthy for you, low in everything and very thirst-quenching, but the meat of the fruit is full with saturated fats. The milk and the oil of the coconut are harvested from this meat. Making coconut milk and oil high in saturated fats.

Because of this the coconut and his oil was always overshadowed with horror stories. The coconut oil and his saturated fats raise the cholesterol levels, what is known as unhealthy. But the coconut oil mostly increases the good HDL cholesterol. Another great fact is that the digestion of the oil is faster then other oils. Therefor it produces energy fast.

The burning point of the oil is very high and therefor great for frying and baking. It is a great alternative to other oils but also to butter and other fat agents. I use it for baking, instead of butter. For example in the 'no-bake chocolate coconut cake' or the oatmeal cookies I mentioned above. Available in Asian markets and organic shops, with and without scent.

Oldie Olive Oil
Not much to say about this one, rich in vitamin E and healthy fats. 

Newbie (Raw) Chocolate
The darker the better, the higher the percentage of cacao the least of other fillings there are. Making it high in antioxidants, lower in fat and sugars. Even more purer is the raw chocolate version, leaving more antioxidants in tact.

When I'm baking I always use dark chocolate. For one it has less fillings, so less fat, less sugar. Second, the taste is richer and therefor better in baked goods. And third, if you're a conscious baker and make a lot of vegan kind of goods, the dark chocolate is the only one who doesn't have any animal-based ingredients. A great way to use dark chocolate it by making one of my raw chocolate cakes. No added sugars, rich and showcases the chocolate at his best!

Oldie Raspberry

Raspberries are the only berries who are packed with ellagitannines, a antioxidant. They help protect your body against illnesses and slow down aging.

Every since I was young we would pick raspberries, we had a big plant at the back of our garden. Every summer me and my brother would pick them and eat this lovely red delicious bulbs. When there in season their lovely and sweet. Recently you can also buy them out of season, mostly frozen, a bit sour, but great in smoothies and pies.  

up: Raspberry, part of Berries, diagram and papercut, 2013

down: Japanese raspberry, part of Berries, diagram and papercut, 2013

right: My brother and me picking berries in our childhood garden, somewhere in the early or mid '90s

This was just a brief introduction to powerfood. There are of course many more of these powerfoods, like cranberries, acerola berries, sardines, acai berries, blue berries, wheatgrass, flax seeds, chia seeds etc. For now only some facts and ideas from me, recipes with these powerfoods will be arriving on this blog shortly. Until then, enjoy the ideas and recipes I already posted!