Moringa
Moringa is a vitamin and nutrient-packed ‘superfood’. Read more...
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What is moringa?
Moringa is a vitamin and nutrient-packed ‘superfood’. It’s been used for its healing properties for centuries in South Asia, modern-day India, and Pakistan. I’ve seen it added to foods- not quite as a garnish the way cilantro would be but more as a teaspoon added to a dish or a tea or a soup such as a lentil soup (daal). It is added less for flavor and more for its purported health benefits.
What are the benefits of moringa?
Moringa is packed with vitamins: vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, Vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, antioxidants, AND protein- wow! These vitamins assist in providing the building blocks for anti-aging, wound healing, and hair growth. The anti-oxidants have had scientific studies to support this plant's free radical scavenger effects. This is how it is thought to protect against cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory distress, heart disease, arthritis, and obesity.
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What are some ideas on how to introduce it into your diet?
There are a number of ways to do this!
It can be added to soup or curry recipes.
With the smoothie and protein shake fads, it’s a simple ingredient to toss into the blender in place of or along with kale and/or spinach.
It can be boiled in tea, sprinkled on desserts, or added to the glaze to give them a nutrient-packed green tinge.
It can be added to dipping sauces.
It has been used topically in skin and hair preps as well!
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Who would you suggest Moringa to?
I was trained in Western medicine and this is what I can hang my hat on and provide data to support my recommendations. Western medicine was designed to have direct, evidence-based treatment plans, found in the convenience of a capsule at your local pharmacy. However, increasingly, people are looking away from pharma. It could be cost-driven, trust driven - who knows? However, on a practical level, nothing I prescribe will work unless it’s actually used! With that in mind, if someone says to me- I get that I can get this prescription, but do you have a natural or alternative option I can try first. As long as it's not a life-threatening or potentially disfiguring condition that requires immediate attention, then of course I can offer alternatives they may feel comfortable with. This is where I find I can consider recommending it.
