The Next Big Superfood?

If you seen the Disney movie, 'The Lion King,' then you have seen this tree that produces an exquisite nutrient rich fruit.  This fruit is deemed by experts to be the next big superfood in the US!  It has already made a big hit in Europe, and in my opinion, Europe is a leader when it comes to policies for a more natural, healthy food chain.  So, will be interesting to see how it fares in the US.


It's the baobab tree!!!  Pronounced as either bay-o-bab or 'bäo-bab.  A picture of the interesting fruit in the picture on the right side.










 The tree was very memorable to me when I saw 'The Lion King' movie, I thought the producers were so creative in coming up with a never-seen looking tree!  Haha, I gave them too much credit, if only I knew nature got it first and was their inspiration.

When harvested, the baobab has a dark chocolate shell, and it is really hard to open.  I had to open it with a table saw! (or I should say *someone else* had to open it with a table saw, I am not that handy :) ).

The taste of this fruit is chalky and tangy.  To me, an acquired taste, but I am getting more used to it.  Definitely something to be combined with other foods.

Baobab is a super, superfood.  It is chock-full of antioxidants.  It has more antioxidants than pomegranates and even acai berries!  More than goji berries, more than blueberries.

Baobab's fiber content is HUGE.  Half of the fruit is fiber!  Compared to an apple, baobab has 10x more fiber.  This stuff should help anyone with constipation, and if you have read my previous article Who Doesn't Want a Flatter Stomach?, then you know going #2 is part of looking good :) .  

More to come on this cool fruit!

Source: Wikipedia

Paper Airplanes

Another video done by my friend, Samantha. This one is about past relationships, folded up in paper airplanes.  Enjoy!

Alkaline vs. Acid Foods

I was reminded of the importance of a balanced diet, and not just in terms of different food groups and colorful foods (the Japanese have a 5 color principle: white, black, red, green and yellow), but also a pH balanced diet.  The pH balance of food directly impacts the pH balance of our blood.  Healthy blood means healthy organs and disease/cancer free.  Too acidic or too alkaline (too alkaline is pretty unlikely for the average American) can cause disease, the body is not able to detoxify and absorb the nutrients it needs.

The scary part?  Most American diets are WAY TOO acidic.  First of all foods like white flour, sugar, processed foods, caffeine, drugs, most energy drinks, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet, Sweet N Lo, sucralose, are all very acidic!  Put on top of that emotional stress and lack of sleep, and that sounds like a recipe for disaster (and disease?)!  The poor organs are on overcharge everyday, and cannot detoxify all the bad. 

Blood pH is regulated to stay within the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45, making it slightly alkaline.^[8][9] Blood that has a pH below 7.35 is too acidic, whereas blood pH above 7.45 is too alkaline.  (Source: Wikipedia)

So it is important to eat alkaline foods as much as possible, particularly since it is so easy to eat an acidic diet in the US.  But of course, we can't be too alkaline in our diet, the balance is most important.

Examples of Alkaline Food:

Extremely Alkaline: Lemons, watermelon.  

Other Alkaline foods: figs, kelp, limes, papaya, parsley, seaweeds, watercress, asparagus, avocados, bananas (ripe), garlic, herbs (leafy green), lettuce (leafy green), pumpkin (sweet). 

Examples of Acidic Food:

Artificial sweeteners, beef, beer, breads, carbonated soft drinks, cereals (refined), milk chocolate, cigarettes and tobacco, coffee, drugs, flour (white, wheat), fruit juices with sugar, jams, liquor, pasta (white), pastries and cakes from white flour, pickles (commercial), tea (black), wine. 

Many acid vs. alkaline lists exist, and I don't have a perfect one.  Read with caution, but can be useful as a guidance.

One example list: A List of Acid/Alkaline Forming Foods

(note: there are a few contradictions in the above list)