We’ve compiled the top 10 health discoveries from already established anti-oxidant classics to the newest collagen plumping food craze, you need to be working into your diet right now.
Goji Berries
Why eat them: Like acai berries, these fruit have been raved about so much by health experts, they feel like a health food classic that has been around for decades.
Goji berries are mostly found in their dried form and look similar to red raisins. ‘In Traditional Chinese medicine, they are used to enhance immune-system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, improve circulation, and promote longevity. Goji berries are a rich source of zeaxanthin, a carotenoid beneficial for retinal health, and vitamin C,’ says nutritionist Esther Blum.
How: To add a punch to your morning oatmeal or yogurt, rehydrate the goji berries by soaking them in water for one minute before adding them to your breakfast. You can also buy them as juice.
Goji berries are available from all leading health food stores.
Baobab
Why eat it: The baobab fruit looks like a coconut, but has six times the vitamin C of an orange, twice the calcium of milk and is packed with antioxidants like iron and potassium. The white powdery pulp of the baobab (pronounced bay-oh-bab) fruit has been consumed by Africans for generations owing to its health benefits and is on course to become the next big super food in the UK. It has pro-biotic properties, meaning it stimulates the good bacteria in your gut, so is great for your digestion, and it’s high potassium levels are great for brain, muscle and nerve function.
How: You can peel, slice and cook it with anything - beef, chicken, and even bake or grill it with fish, or roast it, or mash it, or puree it, the possibilities are endless. But also keep an eye out for baobab in smoothies and cereal bars, which will be hitting stores in the next few months. Products are still in development as the EU only granted permission for it’s use in 2008.
You can buy dried fruit pulp and oil from US site Baobab-fruit.com
Pig's Trotters
Why eat them: Straight from Japan and being picked up by a whole host of New York women is the latest craze – pig’s trotters. Trotters are naturally rich in collagen, which is an essential part of healthy-looking skin (it’s usually pumped into face creams and fillers to prevent lines and wrinkles). And the much-hyped Hakata Tonton restaurant in NYC is championing the food as collagen cuisine.
How: If you can’t make it to the Big Apple you’re in luck because this ‘delicacy’ is among the cheaper cuts of meat you can get from your local butcher, so perfect for the credit-crunch conscious shopper and great for slow cooking into a delicious stew.
Kefir
Why eat it: Kefir is a fermented, probiotic milk drink made from adding Kefir grains into cow, goats or sheep’s milk and the beverage, originally from the Caucasus Mountains in the former Soviet Union is set to go down a storm over here. Loosely translated Kefir means ‘pleasure’ or ‘good feeling’ – but does it live up to its promise? Dr Perricone raves of its benefits saying that ‘in addition to kefir’s ancient reputation as a healthy drink, it has been famously credited with the extraordinary longevity of people in the Caucasus.’ It’s also a potent remedy for stimulating a weak immune system, beating the bloat, and helping to ease IBS and other digestive complaints.
How: Pour onto your cereal as a nourishing alternative to regular milk, grab a banana and some berries and whizz up a drink, or pour it over a fresh fruit salad. Introduce it into your diet every day for maximum benefit.
Kefir, 1 Case (6x500ml bottles) £13.50 by Nourish Kefir
Acai Berries
Why eat them: ‘This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world’ says dermatologist and nutrition expert Dr Nicholas Perricone. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) taste delicious, like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate and are packed with antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids – they contain ten times more antioxidants than red grapes – and ten to thirty times the anthocyanins of red wine. Anthocyanins help promote cardiovascular health, digestive tract health and are vital to muscle function – so great for when you’re hitting the gym.
How: You can buy it in powder form like Super Berry Powder, or ready-made acai drinks like Age Defence from Together Health, but what really packs the best nutritional punch is Dr Periconne’s recommended way to eat acai - as an unsweetened pulp – just mix it into a smoothie.
Super Berry Powder, 30 servings for £42 by Dr NV Perricone. For stockists call 020 7903 5067.
Age Defence Drinks, ££1.79 per 150ml bottle by Together Health available at leading health food stores, cafés and soon at leading department stores.
Acai pulp available from Whole Foods Market, click here for more information
Water (with added benefits)
Why drink it: We all know we should be drinking our recommended two litres of water a day, so what’s new? Well, Willow Water has even more benefits than your run of the mill tap water. Sourced from the Lake District it’s a bottled water that contains a unique blend of minerals including salicin (a derivative of willow bark that’s known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties) and high levels of calcium, so it’s a real skin brightener.
How: Devotees (including Geri Halliwell and beauty editors) swear that drinking it makes you blemish free with bright, radiant skin. Keep a bottle of this on your desk for constant rehydration.
Coconut Oil
Why eat it: This super-oil is slicker than your average vegetable oil, it has incredible health benefits from fighting viruses and boosting your immune system to aiding digestive disorders and helping your body to burn fat. No wonder Jennifer Aniston loads up her shopping trolley with coconut oil. ‘It’s rich in medium chain fatty acids (MCFs), such as caprylic and lauric acid that are used by the liver as a fuel, and are not usually converted into body fat, so they help to increase energy levels and may aid weight loss,’ says Dr Sarah Brewer, author of the Natural Health Guru books.
How: ‘Select virgin coconut oil (not odourless, hydrogenated versions) for health benefits,’ adds Dr Brewer. ‘It has a wonderful light flavour and is great for high-heat cooking like stir fries, in Thai cooking and in baking.’
Coconut Oil, £9.95 by Doctor's A-Z at Victoria Health
Manuka Honey
Why eat it: Manuka honey is a natural superfood and according to Hayley Marson, Rowse Manuka Honey nutritionist, its benefits include, ‘boosting energy levels, supporting your digestion, soothing a sore throat and helping ward off cold and flu symptoms – thanks to its antibacterial properties’, Plus, Manuka honey also has natural antioxidant properties, so a spoonful a day will keep pesky aging and cell damaging free radicals at bay.
How: Make sure you buy Manuka honey that has a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating of 10 or more as this type is antibacterial and has an anti-inflammatory, so it’ll be hugely effective relieving sore throats and colds. A spoonful of honey each morning is enough - drizzle some onto your porridge, or you could try a home-made hot water and lemon drink with a dollop of Manuka honey. This will sort out a sore throat. Like all honey, it’s delicious on toast and in smoothies.
Try Rowse Manuka Honey £9.99 available from most supermarkets.
Umeboshi Plums
Why eat them: These Japanese pickled plums, have remarkable medicinal qualities. ‘Their powerful acidity has an alkalinising effect on your body, neutralising fatigue, stimulating digestion, and promoting the elimination of toxins,’ says Ester Blum, New York nutritionist and author of Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous. ‘This is the Far Eastern equivalent to both aspirin and apple; not only is it a potent hangover remedy but an umeboshi a day is regarded as the best preventive medicine available,’ she adds.
How: Umeboshi plums taste very salty. Japanese herbalists say the saltiness helps put the body back into balance by contracting the tissues that have overexpanded from too much alcohol. For a normal hangover, bite off about a quarter of a plum and keep it in your mouth until it dissolves. For a killer hangover, herbalists recommend popping a whole plum in your mouth (they’re only small) and suck on the stone for about an hour after the plum fruit has dissolved.
Clearspring Umeboshi plums are available from health shops nationwide, click here for details.
Matcha tea
Why drink it: We all love our herbals but instead of going for your regular peppermint infusion reach for the hip new tea everyone is raving about - matcha. ‘Even more potent and benefit-rich than green tea, Japanese matcha is highly concentrated and packs in 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice,’ says nutritionist Vicky Warr. Anti-oxidants fight free-radical damage and are essential to keep your skin looking flawless. Plus, matcha contains theophylline and theannine – a dynamic duo that together give you an energy boost lasting upwards of three hours, while keeping you calm and focused.
How: Add to hot water or milk, sprinkle it on fruit or in your cereal or whip it up into a fruit smoothie. As well as being ultra versatile, you only need ¼ teaspoon of 100% matcha powder per serving, and one shot a day will have you feeling the benefits.
Matcha Tea, £25 by Tea Pigs
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