Most health problems can be avoided with exercise, good diet and by including few powerful super foods in your daily food. One such super food is Moringa Oleifera. It is a genus of flowering plants from Indian subcontinent. It gets it’s name from the ancient Dravidian language “Murungai” commonly known as drumstick.

Moringa is the most nutrient rich plant ever discovered. Grows in tropical and subtropical climate and it is more accessible and cheaper to produce because it is a tree that does not require any special care. It is usually grown in home garden and is used as food preparation, medicine and as living fences.

Moringa in Ayurveda is called as Shigru, all parts of this are edible or medicinal. In Ayurvedic medicine these leaves are used to prevent and treat over 300 diseases. It is a leaf packed with nutrition.

Moringa leaves contain:

The national Institute of Nutrition’s book published in 1989 shows the importance of Moringa leaves by comparing it with other food as below:

• 4 x calcium of milk
• 4 x vitamin A of carrots
• 2 x protein of yogurt
• 3 x potassium of bananas
• 7 x vitamin C of oranges
• 3 x vitamin E of almonds
• 3 x iron of spinach

In addition it has 46 anti-oxidants, 36 anti-inflammatories, zeatin which has the ability to induce cell division, cell growth and delay cell aging. The list doesn’t stop here it also has omega 3, 6 and 9, 18 amino acids and 9 essential amino acids that our body do not produce. What else? More than 90 positive health benefits are associated with Moringa.

Reasons to add moringa in your daily diet

• Excellent source of vitamins and minerals
• High in vitamin A,C and iron
• High anti-oxidants
• Helps in lowering blood pressure
• It moderates blood sugar levels after meals
• It reduces inflammation and lowers cholesterol

(It is always good to know about these and it is best to talk to your doctor before thinking of adding anything new to your treatment/regimen/diet)

The seeds of Moringa also offer a surprising benefit for people who do not like to drink water. Chewing the raw seed coats your mouth and esophagus with a sticky secretion that sweetens water.

Now we know the nutritional benefits of Moringa. The question is, how can we integrate more of this into our diets?

How to include moringa into our daily diet?

If you want to start your day with caffeine free drink then Moringa Latte is the best one. Loaded with vitamins, nutrients and healthy fat the moringa latte is best for energy boost. Many cannot have fresh leaves so dried moringa leaves can be included like kasuri methi in North Indian curries, can be stuffed along with other veggies into a parata, you can also integrate the leaf powder into smoothies and even as a topping on salads. Best use of fresh moringa leaves is done by south Indians in preparations of Sambar and Thambli and Moringa tea is an excellent detox tea says Dr.Vidya.

How to prepare moringa powder at home?

Moringa leaf powder and seed powder is available at health food store. It is very easy to make moringa powder at home. Pick some fresh moringa leaves and wash them and let it air dry completely. Then put the dried leaves into the oven and dry below 80C for about 75 min and then blend it until the leaves turn into a fine powder. Sieve this powder and store in airtight container. Use whenever required, it lasts for long period of time.

They are known for their exceptionally nutritious leaves, delicious pods and spicy roots. The green pods, leaves and flowers are used in curries, stir fries, soups and salads. The seeds can be roasted and consumed like nuts. Crushed seeds are used as a clarifying agent to decrease the bacterial concentration in drinking water.

This is one super food that lives up to the hype! I have made my choice of using it in my diet are you up for it.

Acknowledgement– I want to end this post by once again thanking my dear Sister-in-law Dr.Vidya K.V for providing me ample of information that makes me read more and write on such unsung super food.