Superfoods or Superhype?
Hello beautiful people, Alysha here! You might recognise me as the human providing creative direction for Naked Treaties. You might not know that I’m a superfood junkie. You also might not know how I got here.
Like many people, I’ve struggled finding my balance with health and lifestyle. It hasn’t been easy, but these experiences have led me to a deep place of understanding what my body needs and provided me a firm foundation for living my life to its fullest (and healthiest!). My health journey started back in 2012 when juice detoxing was the ‘fix all’ solution to the health crisis. Along for the ride was my mum - we were eager to expand our minds in the world of holistic health. The more we learned the more we realised the importance of superfoods. Nutrient dense, powerful plants that enhance your health on all levels… yes please! But like most of society, we jumped on the hype train for a few days or so then fell out of routine like a New Year’s resolution gone bad. We knew our bodies needed these foods but there was one problem. A big problem, at that: the taste was hard to palate. The question arose - how do we incorporate superfoods into our diet and actually enjoy them?
Incorporating superfoods can seem daunting. Due to them usually having a very intense taste, people (including myself) tend to start out strong then shy away from them. Of course, the best things for you never have a mild taste :/. I am so glad I didn’t give up, even if I slowed down for a bit… with some experimenting I found that superfoods can taste absolutely incredible if paired with the right ingredients to balance out their intense flavours. And just like that, I found myself looking forward to my superfoods, instead of gagging another spoonful down! Here are some of my golden tips for balancing flavours: Some flavours go so well together! Don’t fight bitter or earthy flavours… embrace them by adding sweet and spicy elements. I often add a pinch of cayenne pepper to my raw cacao lattes to give it a kick! For all my ladies reading this – putting earthy maca in a homemade cacao latte with some creamy cacao butter and your choice of mylk is perfect for just before bed or during your moon cycle. Very warming, soothing and great for regulating your hormones and relieving those intense pains. Pair bitter dense greens like spirulina and wheatgrass with sweet (apple, banana, pineapple) and acidic (lime, lemon) flavours. Below I've included my favourite drink recipe to help you incorporate these power plants!
I am Super Smoothie Shopping list 1 green apple, cored and cut into chunks ½ cup fresh pineapple ½ cup cucumber Juice from one lime To do … juice these then put in a blender with 1 teaspoon spirulina and 1 teaspoon wheatgrass and voila - delicious AND superfood charged! Have a play with flavours and adjust it to suit your individual palate! And remember to make your meals look beautiful to our eyes, as they are our first stomach ;) Tag us in your creations! I cannot wait to see what you make! Big love, Alysha