Best Superfood Powders To Boost Vitality & Longevity

We all want to feel better, live longer, and be healthy, but it can be challenging to consume a diet rich in the nutrients needed for ultimate health. Luckily, superfoods contain elevated amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help the body thrive and perform its best. Superfoods come in many different forms, but an ultra-convenient, natural way to reap superfoods’ benefits is to utilise superfood powders. Powdered superfoods can be easily added to a favorite dish or beverage for a boost of nutrients. Here are seven powdered superfoods that take your health to the next level:

Chlorella Powder
Chlorella is a single cell microalgae that rapidly grows and reproduces in fresh, mineral-rich waters, and contains more chlorophyll than nearly any other green food. First studied by Japanese scientist in the ‘60s, it’s believed to be one of the oldest living organisms on Earth.

Boasting an impressive nutritional profile, this superfood contains a substantial amount of vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, lutein, B vitamins, and nucleic acids, which offer a rich energy source. Its high content of vitamin A, beta-carotene and lutein is especially beneficial for eye and skin health. Antioxidants, C and B vitamins, along with nucleic acids help strengthen the immune system and promote vitality and energy.

How To Eat It:
Chlorella powder can be easily added to a smoothie, beverage or favorite savory recipe. Many chlorella users note an earthy, somewhat salty taste and find the powder to mix nicely in with a sauce or seasoning. The superfood powder can also be encapsulated and taken through pill form.

Maca Powder
Maca is a small, nutrient-dense root belonging to the radish family. The superfood is native to the elevated Andes Mountains of Peru where it’s exposed to the harshest of elements. Natives of Peru have long cultivated maca root for its long list of benefits— from improved sexual vitality to increased endurance to better skin—maca root is a widely coveted superfruit with boundless health properties.

Maca powder is packed with vitamins, amino acids, protein, fatty acids, and minerals that support an array of health functions. Inca imperial warriors traditionally used maca root to prepare for battle in order to increase endurance and strength. Also supportive of hormones, maca benefits libido and healthy immune system.

How To Eat It:
Many individuals enjoy adding maca into a smoothie and hardly taste the Peruvian superfood. Maca benefits many bodily systems and has a mellow, earthy flavour with subtle notes of caramel and a slightly bitter after taste. Maca powder mixes easily in favorite recipes and works especially well in soups, sauces, dressings and mixed with seasonings. The Peruvian superfood powder benefits can also be encapsulated and taken through pill form.

Spirulina Powder
Spirulina grows in warm lakes and ponds that have such high alkaline levels that no other harmful organism can survive. Spriulina has been consumed for hundreds of years by Asian and African natives, and has recently become popular among western cultures due of its rich nutritional makeup.

Spirulina has a higher antioxidant capacity than most fruits and vegetables, and is packed with amino acids, phycocyanin, beta-carotene, and more phytonutrients. Spirulina benefits muscles, since it is packed with amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Also supportive and protective of eyes, spirulina benefits eye health and skin, and may also boost the immune system and energy levels.

How To Eat It:
Spirulina has a subtle but distinct marine taste. Many individuals recommend adding a small amount (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) to a smoothie or adding a small amount on a savory dish in addition to another seasoning. Spirulina powder can also be encapsulated and taking through pill form.

Camu Camu Powder
Native to Peru, camu camu is a bush that bares small fruit that contain more vitamin C than most any other fruit. In fact, in just one teaspoon of camu camu powder, you receive more than 1000 percent of your daily-recommended amount of vitamin C. Natives of Peru have consumed camu camu for centuries, not only for its pleasant taste, but because camu camu benefits the entire body with its strong nutritional punch.

Camu camu benefits are not limited to vitamin C, it is also packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, amino acids and minerals that support vitality and longevity. Its unique blend of nutrients offers full spectrum immune system support, while tasting delicious.

How To Eat It:
Camu camu powder has a pleasant, berry flavour with notes of hibiscus and citrus. This superfruit powder is an easy, nutritious addition to any smoothie, beverage or dessert. The powder may also be encapsulated and taken through pill form.

Purple Aronia (Chokeberries) Powder
Traditionally called chokeberries, these deep purple berries are native to North America and have a greater antioxidant capacity than any other berry. Its makeup of rich phenolic compounds gives the berry its dark purple colour and dense nutritional makeup.

Containing huge amounts of free radical fighting antioxidants, purple aronia is a potent anti-ageing superfruit. Also containing substantial amounts of iron, vitamins, and antioxidant-dense phytochemicals, the superfruit powder fully supports the immune system, digestion and overall vitality.

How To Eat It:
Purple aronia berries have a sweet, slightly sour taste with notes of cherry and blackberry. This superfruit powder is a great addition to a fruit smoothie or beverage, and may even be added to dessert recipes. The purple aronia powder may also be encapsulated and taken through pill form.

Red Reishi Mushroom Powder
Cultivated in traditional Chinese medicine for more than two thousand years, red reishi mushroom has coined the name “the mushroom of immortality” for good reason: the antioxidant-rich mushroom promotes longevity and vitality. Red reishi mushroom is composed of amino acids, antioxidants, proteins, polysaccharides, triterpeniods and complex carbohydrates. Its dense makeup of nutrients has been long used to help individuals maintain healthy blood pressure and strengthen immune system.

Red Reishi has a subtle, bitter taste that comes from ganoderic acids. Ganoderic acids are naturally bitter, and the amount of ganoderic acids can be judged by the intensity of the bitterness. Ganoderic acids are supportive of oxygen utilisation, circulation and may help relieve allergy symptoms.

How To Eat It:
Historically, Chinese natives would add red reishi to tea, and many still do so today. The superfood powder adds a mellow, slightly bitter taste to tea or any beverage. Some individuals enjoy adding red reishi to a smoothie or recipe and hardly notice its presence. You may also encapsulate red reishi and consume through pill form.

Resveratrol Powder
Found in red wine and becoming increasingly popular worldwide, resveratrol is an antioxidant-packed superfood that benefits the body from head to toe. Naturally made by plants to combat bacteria and to help tolerate long periods without nutrients or water, resveratrol is a compound found in grapes, cranberries, blueberries, mulberries, peanuts and pistachios. [1]

Resveratrol’s rich content of antioxidants and polyphenols support the circulatory, reproductive, digestive and respiratory systems, along with supporting healthy ageing by warning off free radicals. Resveratrol benefits the entire body, and consuming a resveratrol powder gives you the intense resveratrol benefits without giving you the calories you’d get from wine.

How To Eat It:
Resveratrol is nearly tasteless when it’s in its purest form. The superfood powder benefits can be easily mixed into any smoothie, or added to a favorite dessert recipe for a boost of antioxidants. Resveratrol powder is also commonly encapsulated and taken through pill form.

References:
Skerret, P. J. (2012, February 03). Resveratrol-the hype continues. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from Harvard Health Blog: www.health.harvard.edu