All about nutritional food 'boosters'

Back in the day, 'wheat germ' and 'brewer's yeast' were the big nutrient additives that were to 'boost' your food.

Those things are still healthy additions to your yogurts or cereals, but there are quite a few 'trendier' additions that are now all the rage.

I was initially turned onto flax after a bout with breast cancer. Pre-cancer, actually. I had a lumpectomy and then no more bad cells. However due to my atypical hyperplasia, I was asked to join a clinical study through Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, that was asking women to add flax to their diet. Seems to be that there is something in flax seed that may in fact inhibit breast cancer (and prostate) cancer growth.

So I bought a big bag of flax that was ground and started adding it to my smoothies. And you can do so also. Ground flax can be added to cereals, soups, stews, smoothies, yogurts, sauces-anything. The actual seeds can be used on salads or sprinkled on top of anything to make it more 'crunchy.'

I don't know much about flax seed oil but I tend to avoid as many oils as I can......regardless of any supposed health benefits, it's still oil and it's still fat and as a cardiac patient, I need to be very moderate in the uses of straight up oil.

(On the left is flax seed, the right is ground flax) 

For more info on why to add flax: 10 Reasons to eat flax every day


Here is a picture of Gogi berries. I have found that I can get a big ole container of them at Asian markets, but have a really hard time finding them at regular markets. I find that they have a taste that is a cross between raisins and cranberries. They are tart and sweet and a nutritional 'power house'. They are said to be antioxidant, containing a ton of vitamins, 20 trace vit and minerals and has more iron than soybeans or spinach. Can be eaten like raisins, added into a granola or trail mix, sprinkled on yogurt, oatmeal, etc. I'm not sure if they would work in a cookie like oatmeal raisin, but that might be something to experiment with. (Picture from Natures corner natural market.com)

CHIA Seeds

Now this one kinda cracks me up, because as a child of the 70's, Chi-chi-chi CHIA! was a commercial for a planter that ran through all our heads. Chia Pets, as they were (and still are)-where we would smear the Chia seeds on the head of the planter or the body of the planter (depending on the shape or the person the planter was emulating) and we'd grow us some Chia. None of it was considered edible then, in that none of us thought to eat any of it. Not the seeds, and not the plant itself.

Fast forwards some 40 years, and now Chia seeds are touted as another little nutritional dynamo. The seeds are black and tiny.

Just slightly bigger than poppy seeds. So they easily can be incorporated into your smoothies, salads, soups-any foods, really. From what I have read on Vegan blogs, they can also be used as a thickener because when you soak the seeds, they turn into a 'gel'.

The health benefits are here; at least 11 health benefits. 11 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

They can easily be found everywhere now, every grocer has them, even the Wal-Mart. Sometimes they are in the baking section, sometimes the produce, sometimes in the spice section, often in the organic sections or the ethnic foods section. Some bags are huge, others come in little spice bags.

Hemp Seeds

Evidently, hemp seeds have come a long way from when I was very familiar with them-back in high school, when trying to 'de-seed' my weed with a double-vinyl record album. Oh, we might save them to try and 'grow your own' but ultimately, they were tossed away. The only 'seedless' pot available to us back then was Sensimilla', a bright green strain of marijuana that was seedless and said to get you way higher than just regular ol' weed. Given that this was the 1980's, pre-hydroponic and cross breeding and boosting THCing, I mean we thought it was great.

Fast forwarding 30 years, who would've thought now to be eating the seeds. But alas, it's a thing now. Why? Because it's considered really healthy, as this little picture above outlines. This is a typical package of them. I'm not necessarily endorsing this brand, its just a visual:

To note, it is the seeds after they have been shelled. So you wouldn't de-seed your weed and just throw those seeds onto your stuff. They need to be shelled first. I don't know the process. Honestly, I haven't used these yet. It kinda freaks me out. Not that I will get high or anything but it's just weird. They are supposed to have a good protein content and also omega 3's. I will probably succumb and try them, depending on how much they are. I see online they seem pretty reasonable, about 7 bucks a bag. I am also thinking that finding all of these supplements online is a good way to go budget-wise, but I would do some homework on the best and most reputable brands. I'm not sure how these boosters are regulated so like anything else, some may be much higher quality and some might be pure bullshit rip off.

MACA powder

Another powder that can be added to smoothies, sprinkled onto foods, folded into batters, etc. The taste is toasted and malted to me, it's earthy. And it is said to be used sparingly. Too much (everyday) can interfere with hormonal stuff. It is said to help women with menstrual and PMS ailments.

It's also said to be a sex stimulant-so a libido booster, and energy booster, and a skin clearer. It's rich in iron, vitamins and when you do use it-1 tablespoon is enough.

ACAI BERRY

This berry is pronounced "A SIGH." And you can't find them here.

Here in the states, they are not to be found in this berry form. However, you can find it frozen.

So you can add it to smoothies, or add water to make a juice. Also considered a 'superfood'(said to have 10 times the antioxidants as red grapes) and the berries themselves found in the Amazon. That's the actual Amazon, not the internet Amazon (though you can find the frozen stuff there.)

Here are 12 benefits of Acai found here: 12 Benefits of Acai

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that is a big component of yellow curry. It is also a major food colorant and indeed, the only one is some countries as the yellow dyes have been outlawed. It is a major spice used in middle eastern and Indian cooking, and it is said to be amazing for health.

It comes as a root that you can purchase in the produce sections, and it comes in the spice section. It has  a deep orange to a yellow color. It is said to be an anti-inflammatory, an antiseptic, and an anti-cancer blocker, to start. So many health benefits are attributed to turmeric that it would be too time consuming to list them all here. Again, you can add this to smoothies (can barely taste if you use a teaspoon), soups, stews, casseroles, sprinkle onto veggies, even make a tea of it it. Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin. (taken from Google.) 

It is also noted that to truly gain the health benefits of turmeric, you should use it with a fat and with black pepper. This is one reason why a coconut curry dish-besides being extremely delicious-is also extremely healthy for you. 

*some foods do seem to work synergistically together better. I will be doing a post on that in the future since I found some good charts of it. 

I really urge you all to do your own research on all I am mentioning. Don't just take the links I've posted as gospel. However you will find that all I am posted has been echoed a 1000 times throughout the land of healthy eating and living; these ingredients are found in kitchens promoting health and well-being everywhere. Some-like maca powder-haven't been fully studied but most of these other things have, over and over again. 

Then there are seeds, like Sesame seeds or Pumpkin seeds or Sunflower seeds. For me growing up, my only exposure to sesame seeds was on a hamburger bun, my only exposure to pumpkin seeds was once a year at Halloween carving pumpkins, and sunflower seeds were a pain in the ass to eat because they mostly came still in the shell as a kid. But alas, each seed is said to have a good source of vitamin e, some trace minerals and some omegas and their own little brand of healthy. 

Of course folks with diverticulitis need to avoid seeds. Diverticulitis is 'pockets' within the intestines and these small seeds can get lodged within them and create abscess and infections. Same with popcorn. So before serving any entrees to guest that you intend on sprinkling with seeds, find out before hand if that will be an issue for anybody. 

Seeds are good to eat on their own as a munchie and they are a nice addition to salads, to replace greasy carb- ladened croutons and to still impart a crunch. You can also make your own trail mixes with nuts and seeds and raisins and gogis, and the majority of everything in the blog posting can be purchased in bulk.

Storing of all this stuff listed is typical of most spices-away from light and heat sources. I do tend to put my sunflower seeds in the freezer because of the natural oils, I do not want them to go rancid.

Aside from what I've listed here, there is still the nutritional yeast (aka brewers yeast)  that can be sprinkled onto foods, which offers many B vitamins and many vegans use to replace cheese, as it has a cheesy nutty flavor. Wheat germ can still be used though it probably has gluten in it since its made from wheat.

Blackstrap molasses is rich in vitamins and minerals, and pure maple syrup also has some minerals. If you add a bit to a glass of water, you get a trendy 'maple water' that gives some nutrition and a slightly sweet taste that is a great 'energy' drink to replace bullshit Gatorade.

For now, these are the most popular additions or 'boosters' to foods to give even more of a nutritional content. As I find more I will post more!