Food Feeling-Super(foods)

So we've all heard of Superfoods, the term has mainly been used in an unofficial marketing context to describe anything from algae to chia seeds and even salmon and dog hair. (-link to article about dog hair-) The general meaning is food that offers a general feeling of well-being and nutrition. Yeah, it's ambiguous, generic, and gimmicky. But there's something to be said for foods that leave you feeling super.

While I despise the term "superfood", I love the concept. It's a reality. Every once in a while I come along some combination of foods that make me feel absolutely energized, that seem to make me healthier and happier overall. Today my feeling-super(food) was great northern white beans with taco seasonings and cheese. It was packed full of energy and flavor, it was exactly what I needed to make me smile and keep me going for the rest of the day.

What foods leave you feeling super?
They don't have to be particularly healthy, but if they are, even better.

Do you carry around a juicer in your trunk like Joe Cross from the documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead"?

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv3vEXy_EwU

Or maybe your superfood is something more mainstream. Please share!

 

Anyone who drinks too much coffee should consider doing an experiment. This applies mostly to those who know they're feeling the negative effects, such as nervousness, jitteriness, mid-afternoon crankiness, anxiety, and general stress.

I suggest trying switching completely to matcha tea, my superfood of choice (drink, really). If you are a heavy coffee drinker, consider having a matcha in the morning and one after lunch. This means about one teaspoon of powder each. Try to avoid dairy, as there is evidence that it can interfere with the antioxidant power of the tea (i.e. opt for a soy matcha latte at Starbucks instead of a dairy one; I tend to get unsweetened soy matcha lattes, as the soymilk is bit sweet to begin with).

What's great about tea, and especially green tea (and for certain matcha tea in particular), is the amino acid theanine, which isn't found as readily in a lot of food. Higher intakes of theanine are associated with a calming effect, which helps bring the wavelengths of one's brain closer in tune with the wavelengths associated with meditation. (This is also why matcha tea is important to the Zen Buddhist tradition.)

Theanine also mitigates the effects of caffeine (which in matcha is higher than most tea because the whole leaf is consumed) by counteracting it over a long period of time. This means you don't get the same buzz, spike, then crash that the caffeine in coffee gives you. Instead, you get a sustained level of energy. However, it is more of a "relaxed alertness."

I suggest trying this for a couple of weeks, preferably for a month, as you may have a bit of a caffeine withdrawal phase if you go from four cups of heavily brewed coffee down to two matcha teas. Consider also drinking regularly brewed green tea in between matcha servings if you want more caffeine overall.

I have other superfoods that I love, but I don't want to blow my load here with a wall of text. This is a great thread, and I'll certainly add more over time!

 

Kale, spinach, black beans, broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage (any kind), tofu, brown rice--these are all things I love, and I like them all together. There's a chain of restaurants here called Cafe Yumm that makes bowls--my favorite is the Chilean Zucchini (vegan version). It manages to mix together brown rice, black beans, their signature Yumm sauce (nutritional yeast based and delicious), their Chilean Zucchini stew (zukes, toms, corn), salsa, carrots, cabbage, and avocado. Soooo good. Now I want one for dinner.

 

Dinner tonight featured brown rice, black beans, orange peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and kale. So yummy.