Q: Could you recommend five super foods for yogis?
A: Commonly super foods are thought to be foods that are : loaded with vitamins, minerals, Omega 3s and antioxidants, foods that promote wellness and help to combat inflammation and diseases associated with inflammation like asthma, cancer and arthritis. Foods that are high in antioxidants reduce cholesterol and other health threats.
Of all the super foods—go for the golden ones—the foods that bring a glow to your body inside and out—foods that bring sunshine—the golden radiance of the eternal divine into your being. So what does that mean? What should you eat? Here’s my list of my favorite five super foods:
1. PRASAD—food that has been first offered to God. Prasad doesn’t just mean Indian sweets loaded with sugar and ghee! Prasad means food that has been offered with sincerity to God. Through the act of offering the food will be magically transformed into a health giving elixir for your body, mind and soul. When you humbly offer your food to God, God gives back to you gold in the form of Prasad, blessed food and when you eat this food you are able to become God’s instrument and that means you are able to increase joy and happiness in the world.
2. GREEN FOODS like spinach, kale, lettuce etc: although green leafy vegetables are not yellow they are green—but remember the colour green is made from combining yellow and blue, which are the colors of the sun and the sky. Green veggies—are filled with phytochemicals—nutrients found in plants, which have been used to promote health for centuries. Antioxidants, (vitamins and other nutrients that protect our cells from damage by free radicals. Carotenoids and flavonoids are phytochemicals for example. The green color is—chlorophyll—which is light in a physical form. Green veggies like spinach are rich source of Omega 3s and folate which helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stoke and osteoporosis. Folate increases blood flow; spinach is packed with lutein—a compound that fights muscular degeneration.
3. ORANGE/YELLOW FOODS: Carrots pumpkin, yellow bell pepper, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and mango. Most red, yellow, or orange vegetables and fruits contain carotenoids—fat soluble compounds that are associated with a reduction in a wide range of cancers as well as reduced risk and severity of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis.
4. TUMERIC: anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti fungal, anti parasitic—great against staff infections and food poisoning. Anti-aging keeps you feeling and looking young
5. OOLONG TEA: which when brewed is a golden yellow colour. The benefits of Oolong tea include the reduction of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, inflammatory disorders, and high cholesterol levels while providing vital antioxidants, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, manganese, copper, carotenoids, selenium and potassium as well as Vit A, B, C, & E. Additionally it contains folic acid, niacin and other detoxifying alkaloids promotes good bones and teeth. Oolong is semi fermented so it provides numerous polyphenolic compounds. Oolong tea can help with weight loss. The polyphenol compound found in oolong tea is very effective in controlling the metabolism of fat in the body. It activates certain enzymes, thereby enhancing the functions of fat cells in the body. It is commonly believed that daily consumption of oolong tea can reduce obesity. Oolong tea contains high levels of powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols, which can protect our bodies against free radicals. Free radicals contribute to cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and aging. Because of the high level of antioxidants, Oolong tea has been known to improve skin as well as bone density and has low caffeine content.