A Spoonful of this Miracle Plant Can Replace a Whole Serving of Vegetables
Anna Hunt, Staff Writer
Waking Times
Moringa is a wonderful solution to a common problem created by the convenience of pre-packaged foods and eating-on-the-go mentality. The problem: People are just not eating enough vegetables and fruits. The solution: a spoonful of moringa can supplement your diet with nutrients equal to a whole extra serving of vegetables.
Sadly, considering the abundance of food available, the typical Western diet does not provide sufficient nutrients for one to stay healthy. As a result, the Western population seems plagued by chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.
Unless you’ve become very conscientious about your diet, you are probably not getting enough fruits and vegetables. The rule of thumb is that for every meal, about half your plate should be filled with produce. Yet, for many people, this is rarely the case. Here’s what the USDA estimates:
According to the dietary guidelines, an adult consuming 2,000 calories per day should be eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. This is quite a leap from the typical American diet, which includes a mere cup and a half of veggies and one cup of fruit per day, according to the USDA. (source)
Moringa’s Nutritional Punch
The moringa tree is a popular plant in tropical and subtropical climates of Central America, Asia and India. Also called “horseradish tree” due to its spicy flavor, it is a very potent source of plant-based nutrition.
According to Nutritionfacts.org, 100 grams or 1 cup of moringa leaves has the following nutrients:
More iron than spinach (5.3-28.2 mg versus 2.7 mg in spinach), more vitamin C than oranges (120-220 mg versus 69.7 mg per orange), and more potassium than bananas (1324 mg versus 422 mg per banana).
Furthermore, a cup of moringa leaves also contains 19 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin B6, in addition to 17 times more protein than milk and 10 times more Vitamin A than carrots. It is also packed with essential amino acids.
Moringa leaves can be eaten raw, and many people also dry them. In addition, moringa powder has become a popular supplement. Here is what Kuli Kuli, a producer of moringa foods and supplements, has to say about just one tablespoon of moringa powder:
Just 1 tbsp (1 single serving packet) of Pure Moringa Powder contains 1 full serving of veggies, 20% Daily Value (DV) Vitamin A, 15% DV Calcium, 50% DV Iron, 12% DV Dietary Fiber to your diet. (source)
If you’re veggie deprived, or find it difficult to get sufficient “greens” with every meal, moringa may be an ideal superfood supplement for you.
Health Benefits of Moringa
The nutrient-rich moringa is often called a “miracle plant” in its native lands. Ancient herbal medicine modalities, such as Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, identify the plant as a detoxifier and nourishing tonic. These modalities use moringa to purify and nourish blood and muscle tissues, the bone marrow and fat tissues.
In the modern world, food researchers have discovered that moringa is a powerful antioxidant. Thus, it helps to fight off free radicals that bring on sickness and disease.
In one study, published in Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, researchers concluded:
Our study demonstrates that methanolic extract of [Moringa] peregrina leaves possesses substantial antioxidant activities. The antioxidant potential of M. peregrina leaves extract may be attributed to its phenolic content as well as the presence of the flavonoids, rutin, which identified in this work. Thus, the free radical scavenging ability of M. peregrina could provide health benefits to humans by protection against oxidative stress.
Another study, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, claims:
Data suggest that moringa isothiocyanates are the main anti-obesity and anti-diabetic bioactives of moringa concentrate, and that they exert their effects by inhibiting rate-limiting steps in liver gluconeogenesis resulting in direct or indirect increase in insulin signaling and sensitivity. These conclusions suggest that moringa concentrate may be an effective dietary food for the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Consequently, modern research confirms that moringa truly is a miracle plant. It has the potential to:
- Positively impact people with high blood sugar
- Dramatically lower the risk of breast and colorectal cancer
- Prevent weight gain and insulin resistance
- Reduce the risk for various diseases
If you want to try moringa, start with a high-quality superfood supplement such as Kuli Kuli’s Pure Moringa Vegetable Powder. You can also buy moringa already in capsules, such as Organic Moringa Oleifera Capsules by Terra Isla.
Read more articles by Anna Hunt.
About the Author
Anna Hunt is writer, yoga instructor, mother of three, and lover of healthy food. She’s the founder of Awareness Junkie, an online community paving the way for better health and personal transformation. She’s also the co-editor at Waking Times, where she writes about optimal health and wellness. Anna spent 6 years in Costa Rica as a teacher of Hatha and therapeutic yoga. She now teaches at Asheville Yoga Center and is pursuing her Yoga Therapy certification. During her free time, you’ll find her on the mat or in the kitchen, creating new kid-friendly superfood recipes.
Source:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/10/23/moringa-benefits.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4545797/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25620073
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3501899/
http://blog.kulikulifoods.com/2016/02/09/5-delicious-moringa-recipes/
This article (A Spoonful of this Miracle Plant Can Replace a Whole Serving of Vegetables) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Anna Hunt and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.