Superfoods

Food as Medicine column by Lynda McFarland

Every nutrient in every possible form is pretty much available to us these days in supplements, but for thousands of years humans got the nutrients they needed from their food. At certain times in our lives our nutrient requirements may be higher than normal, for example if we are stressed, tired or feeling burned out we may need extra vitamins A and C. Often elderly people need more calcium and men can need high amounts of zinc. Below is a list of essential nutrients and the best foods to find them in, from my favourite and most referenced book 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon Morrell.

Calcium: raw dairy (easier to digest and higher nutrient content especially pasture fed).

Magnesium: fruit, veg and unrefined salt.

Iodine: seafood and seaweed.

Iron: liver and red meat.

Zinc: red meat and shellfish e.g. oysters, scallops and wild prawns.

Vitamins A and D: liver, cod liver oil, egg yolks, butter and animal fats.

Vitamin C: fermented foods e.g. sauerkraut, kimchi and beet kvass, fruit and veg, dried fruit, organ meats.

B Vitamins: fruit and veg, organ meats, raw dairy, shellfish, fermented grains e.g. sourdough.

Vitamin K: mature raw cheese, butter, cream, egg yolks.

The main supplements or superfoods I recommend are a good cod liver oil and a good vitamin C from a food source such as amla (Indian gooseberry), moringa, camu camu or acerola, these are usually readily available in powder form and can be added to smoothies.

Fresh herbs are also amazing and can be grown in the garden or in pots. I had a customer in the shop tell me recently that her daughter's bloods improved greatly after she started eating a little fresh parsley every day! So easy and so cheap to do. I try to make a pot of fresh herb tea every day from thyme, oregano, nettles and mint and whatever else is growing at the time for a daily dose of alkalising superfoods, it is great to sip on all day for hydration and minerals.

Superfood Smoothie - pretty much incorporates all the essential nutrients we need so makes a good breakfast if you're in a hurry, or do as Marilyn Monroe famously did and have 2 egg yolks whisked in to a glass of milk every morning!

2 cups raw milk or raw kefir

1 banana

1 cup fresh or frozen berries

1 egg yolk

1 tsp amla powder

1 tsp local honey

Lynda McFarland is a local nutritional therapist, cheft and co-owner of Lowe. & Co Organic Grocery on O'Connell Street, Athlone along with her partner Eddie Lowe. Lowe & Co. opened in 2016 to provide nourishing chemical free food that Lynda's nutrition clients were finding it difficult to source locally, such as sourdough breads and other fermented foods, organic vegetables, meat and dairy. Lynda manages the shop and Eddie manages their small-holding where they grow vegetables and keep chickens and pigs, and hopefully this year, bees for honey. Lowe & Co. is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm.