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Add these to your diet for health and vitality.

There are many foods out there that people just don’t understand. Either they sound weird, get bad press, or just aren’t passed around much. I’m going to help you clear up the confusion, and separate fact from fiction.

All the foods we cover are gigantically good for you. Starting with these four:

Cacao (Raw Chocolate) – “Food of the Gods”

Misunderstanding: It’s fattening!

Chocolate is truly irresistible, tantalizing, full of antioxidants, minerals, and possesses neurotransmitter rejuvenating properties (i.e.: makes you feel good allover). Raw chocolate consists of just one ingredient—cacao—no milk, no sugar, no chemicals.

Cacao is the seed of a fruit found in the jungle and grows in pods. Each fruit contains 20 to 50 seeds surrounded by a sweet, thin pulp. These seeds were so revered by the Mayans and Aztecs that they are often called  “the food of the gods.” They used them instead of gold as money!

Cacao has shown promise in so many areas. It offers cardiovascular cleaning compounds, zinc, magnesium, iron, chromium, antioxdants, vitamin C, phenylethylamine, omega-6 fatty acids, copper, serotonin, fiber and tryptophan (a powerful mood enhancing nutrient). Also of note is a substance found only in the Cacao plant—anandamide—a cannabinoid endorphin that the human body naturally produces after exercise.

Since cacao has a bitter, unpleasant taste alone. Try it in your favorite recipe. This one is delish:

CACAO BITES

1 serving of dark 100% chocolate sauce (raw cacao)

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut, finely grated

1 cup pecans

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

Blend everything in food processor and pulse, until dough like, then spoon out small portions at a time and roll in the palms of your hands into little bite-size balls. Makes10-15 gorgeous little bites.

Goji Berries – The Longevity Fruit

Misunderstanding: Weird name. They must taste weird too!

Ningxia Province in China, where goji are grown, has more centenarians than the rest of the country, and their residents are said to age more gracefully. They are more active, healthy and vibrant than elderly people in Western countries. Could it be due to the humble goji berry?

Goji berries are called “longevity fruit.” There is evidence that they increase longevity because they are high in sesquiterpenoids, which are known to produce anti-oxidative, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory activities. They have also been shown to stimulate the pituitary and pineal glands, increasing the glandular production of human growth hormone. Other impressive benefits of goji berries include enhanced libido and sexual function and improved vision.

Try my goji thirst quencher:

GOJI LEMON AID

1cup goji berries soaked 2-4 hours in ½ gallon of water.

Strain through mesh and use liquid

Add 1 lemon, freshly juiced and 1 pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

Sweeten with agave nectar if desired

Hemp Seed and Hemp Milk

Misunderstanding: Isn’t this marijuana?

Superfood of the future, hemp belongs to the same family as the mulberry plant and can be grown in practically any ecosystem in the world. Leading researchers and medical doctors consider hemp to be one of the most nutritious food sources on the planet. Hempseed could significantly address the plant’s protein needs and starvation problems.

With all the artificial chemicals, saturated fat and injected hormones found in meat, more and more people are choosing not to eat so many animal products. Plus, choosing more humane and sustainable protein alternatives is wise. Awareness of the brutality of factory animal farming is also something to consider when getting your daily protein allowance.

Hempseed protein builds muscle, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, body fluids, and nearly all aspects of microscopic cellular machinery. Essential fatty acids nourish and feed the brain and eyes, and also lubricate our cardiovascular system, reducing the threat of heart disease and stroke. Hempseed is rich in omega-6 and omega-3. Hemp excels at absorbing minerals from the soil and contains the following important minerals: phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, sodium, silicon, copper, platinum and iodine.

So many products are made with hempseed; my favorite is hempseed milk. Also try hempseed butter, raw hempseed chocolate bars, protein, and energy bars, hempseed salad dressing, hempseed beer, hempseed bread, raw hempseed ice cream, and they are great to eat as a snack or sprinkled on salads. They blend and add richness and flavor to smoothies. Try hempseed oil capsules as a dietary supplement, and hemp body care products like shampoo and soap.

Make your own delicious hempseed milk:

HEMPSEED MILK

1 cup hempseed, soaked overnight in water and drained

4 cups filtered water

1 pinch Celtic sea salt

½ vanilla bean

Blend all ingredients in blender and filter through a strainer or other fine mesh bag.

Add 1-3 tablespoons of a natural sweeter—I like agave nectar, honey and maple syrup.

Super Blue-Green Algae

Misunderstanding: I try to kill that stuff in my swimming pool, and I’m supposed to eat it?

Klamath Lake blue-green algae is a form of microalgae phytoplankton—different than the stuff in your pool! Though it does prefer to grow in fresh water, unlike spirulina (another super food), that prefers brackish and salt water.

Blue-green algae builds the immune system and is loaded with chlorophyll, which helps fight leukemia, as well as certain forms of skin and liver cancer. It is an excellent source of B vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12, which fight stress by helping to more efficiently convert polysaccharides and other carbohydrates into glucose for immediate available energy, endurance and stamina.

Try it in one of my green foods:

PRAISE THE LORD MIRACLE GUACAMOLE

2 large ripe avocados, mashed

3 large ripe red tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

3 cloves finely minced garlic

2 pinches Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

¼ cup of red onion, finely chopped

1-½ teaspoon of blue-green algae powder

Mix all together and eat it with raw carrot chips or healthy blue corn chips.

Next month we’ll learn more about:

Bee Products –Honey, Pollen, Royal Bee Jelly, Proplois; Goya Bitter Melon,

Shitake Mushroom, Coconut Oil and Palm Oil, Seaweed, Maca.