Moringa is the new superfood you should be eating

SINGAPORE — Superfoods have been part of a huge wellness movement in recent years. But it’s time to give your kale salads and acai bowls a break. There’s a new superfood ingredient making waves.

Called moringa — aka the “miracle tree” or “tree of life” — it’s a plant that grows exceptionally fast in hostile environments where most others cannot survive. Think dry, semi-arid places like Darfur and Senegal, in addition to tropical climates (the tree is native to North India).

Here’s why you should be loading up on moringa:

IT TRUMPS OTHER NUTRITIOUS FOODS

A small serving of moringa leaves has seven times the amount of Vitamin C found in an orange, four times the calcium in milk, and four times the Vitamin A found in carrots, according to nutrition researcher C Gopalan’s Nutritive Value of Indian Foods. Moringa is also a rare plant that contains all nine essential amino acids (which is typically only found in animal foods) — making it an incredible source of protein.

EVERY PART OF THE TREE IS EDIBLE

Moringa has a remarkable nutritional profile, and every part of the tree is edible: The leaves are similar to spinach, the pods taste like string beans, the seeds have a peanut flavour, and the roots are reminiscent of horseradish.

ITS OIL HAS ANTI-AGEING PROPERTIES

Moringa oil contains a high level of anti-oxidants, and is also anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. It can be used as a moisturiser as well, and in fact, in Japan and Korea, many use moringa oil as a facial cleanser — it’s believed to be able to gently remove dirt from the skin, while leaving a healthy glow.

IT CAN PURIFY WATER

This is perhaps the most amazing quality of the superfood. Researchers in Uganda have found that they can purify a bucket of dirty water by dropping in crushed moringa seeds — and have it safe for drinking within an hour. “Moringa seed powder can remove 80 to 90 per cent of dirt from the water,” revealed researcher Robert Natumanya, from Uganda’s Makerere University. Now if that’s not super, what is?

This story first appeared on http://www.elle.sg