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Hi,

We’ve talked before about how important it is to boost your energy. Not just the spiritual kind of energy (that’s important too), but good old-fashioned physical energy. If you don’t have physical energy, it’s like tying your own hands – and a way to guarantee yourself bad moods, negativity, and a cynical outlook.

With physical energy, you become a warrior for our own cause. Your thinking stays sharp, you are able to be objective and stay positive in the face of challenges. When you fill up on good foods, you hunger for life.

Not all food is created equal. Some have spectacular results. These are the Superfoods, and include some of nature’s superheroes (like garlic, one of the most powerful antibiotics on the planet).

There are hundreds of superfoods, but after my experience with this season’s little agent of change, let’s talk about a subset of these foods… Superfruits!

Fruit is basically a powerhouse of nourishment. It is the thing a plant uses to feed the seed inside it when it falls from the tree. That seed is not yet able to grow roots and leaves of its own – and as fruit breaks down, it releases everything that a seed needs to flourish in its first weeks of life. Imagine how powerful that fruit needs to be to kick-start a whole new tree. And you can eat that power.

There are some fruits that are even more powerful than others. These go above and beyond the normal selection of apples and bananas (although these are great too). Here are a few of my favourites:

Blueberries
Loads of nutrients and a sweet (or tangy) flavor, and yet low in calories. A multivitamin in a delicious package.

Blueberries are packed with everything you need to fight off aging. We’ve all heard of antioxidants, but if you don’t know what that means, think of these two every day examples, like when metal rusts (oxidation of iron), or how a bitten apple browns when you expose it to air. This is also what happens as we age – our cells rust…

…Your cells get exposed to chemicals called free radicals that chip away at our protective coatings until there’s nothing left. This is where antioxidants come it… antioxidants ‘repaint’ your cells with protective coating. Result: we stay younger and healthier, longer.

Blueberries are said to decrease the chance of cataracts, varicose veins, peptic ulcers, and heart disease. They have also shown promise in protecting against macular degeneration and improving digestion. With a simple blueberry!

Cranberries
You probably know cranberries can reduce the chances of urinary tract infections. However, did you also know that these berries have natural compounds called proanthocyanidins that can “disable” certain harmful bacteria in your body so the bugs don’t stick or spread?

Cranberries too are packed with antioxidants. They are also red. Not just pretty, red is the color of betacarotene, the chemical our body turns into Vitamin A. This vitamin keeps our eyes in top shape, and has been strongly associated with good moods, good physical balance (like standing on one leg) and muscle strength. If you are strong, you stay vibrant, so including cranberries in your daily diet is a simple way to add years to your life.

Golden Berries
These are delicious when they’re fresh or dried. Easy to scoop and eat and also have some nice health benefits. Golden berries are an an amazingly powered superfruit packed with bioflavonoids.

Bioflavonoid are kind of like a vaccine against cancer. They are the bricks that rebuild our cell walls and give the powerhouses inside those cells the fuel they need to keep running smoothly. Countless studies have shown that bioflavonoids possess antiviral, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine and antioxidant activities. Makes me wonder if this superfruit can help any ailment in the body?

Also, name a vitamin, and golden berries probably have it: A, C, B1, B2, B6 and B12, for feelings on well-being, stress-busting and fast healing. Golden berries are great for vegetarians too, as these little babies are 16% protein.

Goji
Goji’s are a little bit like sultanas. This fruit from the eastern world contains carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, fats fiber and nineteen types of amino acids. Most people prefer to eat them mixed with something else – a handful of nuts, in cereal, or with cheese – as they are sweet.

Goji’s have a hundred benefits, but the main ones are their polysaccharides: These feed the sugar needs of your body’s cells, making them rev up to power you through your day (hence its popularity on the sports field). Polysaccharides also encourage quick and strong cell growth, which means they reproduce more often and make stronger copies of themselves. In other words, you stay young longer. More youth means more energy.

Figs
These Mediterranean delights are called Nature’s Meat by vegetarians. They are high in protein, and loaded with potassium. Potassium is ‘brain food,’ and is also a bit of an antidote to sodium, or salt. We all tend to eat too much salt, and potassium balances it out.

Figs are sometimes called the Diabetics Fruit, because they contain properties that increase natural insulin production. This is especially effective for preventing diabetes. Figs are packed with fiber too. Fiber is a weird thing. It has no calories, and yet it makes you feel fuller for longer. A high-fiber diet is almost guaranteed to make you eat less, and still feel the same levels of satiety. And figs taste so good. By the way, did you know that fig leaves are also edible?

Lychee
Lychees aren’t so common in the United States, but they are available everywhere in other Western countries, Europe, and of course Asia. Lychees have been determined to be the second best fruit for polyphenols, which help your heart. They have 15% more polyphenols than grapes and are able to help prevent degenerative diseases including cancer.

When I’m at the fresh market, I pick up a few bunches. Their light, sweet, tart flavor is wonderful by itself, on ice-cream, or in a mixed fruit salad. Lychees are full of antioxidants, and some other things that scientists haven’t really identified yet – they just know that they’re good for us!

Noni and Acai
These are great in smoothies. Both are packed with antioxidants.

I understand Noni is from tree related to the coffee tree. It has a long use as a traditional medicine in Polynesia, Tahiti, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Hawaii. Taken by itself, it’s pretty pungent and bitter so I mix it with another juice or add it to a smoothie.

Acai berries are another one of nature’s heart helpers: they’re loaded with Omega-6 and Omega-9, which are fatty acids that optimize the walls of the heart, lungs and brain. I get it frozen and you can also get it in powder form. Either way, you get plenty of carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein. Acai also shows promise for preventing cancer development, alleviating menstrual cramps in women and treating various urinary problems.

Well, there you have it.

When looking for energy from your foods, the idea is to get a lot of variety. I know that grocery shopping is easier on automatic pilot – when you get into the rhythm of reaching for four kinds of vegetables and three kinds of fruit.

But when you find out things like how a serving of Omega 3 each day can increase a child’s IQ by up to five points, a teaspoon full of brewer’s yeast taken with a calcium supplement each day increases your metabolism by 15%, and the folic acid in green leafy vegetables decreases behavioral problems, it makes a little extra thought worth it, don’t you think?

What are your favorites?

Ciao!

Taylor