The 10 trendy ingredients you still don’t know

Exotic, healthy, attractive and super nutritious. These are the hallmarks of the seventeen ingredients that are gradually creeping into our diet according to a study recently prepared by the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (CNTA).

En Summum, we have selected the ten most powerful, curious and exclusive. If what you want is to keep up to date with new foodie trends (and eat a healthy diet!), take note.

Tetraselmis chuii: la microalga de moda

The fact that in a restaurant they serve you algae It doesn’t cause much of a stir anymore, it’s true, but there is a difference between eating seaweed and knowing why we should eat it more. Algae contain vegetal protein of high biological value (all essential amino acids are present in high amounts), few fats and many minerals. They also provide a adequate intake of vitamins –Among them those of group B, A, C, D, E and K– and they are very rich in fiber, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant substances.

La Tetraselmis chuii It is a variety of microalgae that stands out for its smell and taste. This ingredient has become a new food and is used in cooking as a coloring, seasoning and nutritional supplement. It boasts a high content of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Add a toque de pure mar to your dishes.

Camu-camu: pure vitamin C.

It is native to the Peruvian Amazon jungle, it is cherry-like and about 3% of its weight is pure vitamin C. Thirty times more than oranges. No more no less.

El camu camu fattens the list of fashionable superfoods also because it is a source of amino acids, B vitamins, minerals such as potassium and antioxidants such as beta-carotene. The European Union recognizes it only as dietary supplement and the most common is to add it in the form of lyophilized powder to juices, smoothies, sauces, desserts or shakes.

Teff: the cereal of the moment that comes from Ethiopia

El teff It is grown almost exclusively in Ethiopia, but, on this side of the world, it is becoming one of the most attractive cereals. Their tiny seeds they are about 1 mm in size and can be of a variety of colors, from black to red and dark brown to white.

From a nutritional point of view, the teff It has a low glycemic index, it is very rich in proteins, fibers, minerals such as calcium and iron, and amino acids and some vitamin C. And it does not contain gluten, a point in its favor if you must follow a diet that does not contain it. In stores Ruiz House, in Barcelona and Madrid, it can be purchased both in grains (9.90 euros per kilo), as flakes (10.90 euros per kilo) and in flour (12.25 euros per kilo).

Noni: the fruit of paradise

El noni It is native to Southeast Asia and belongs to the same family as coffee. This somewhat peculiar looking fruit stands out for its antioxidant content. In fact, it boasts a high score on the ORAC index, which measures the components of a food according to their antioxidant capacity.

Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and immune-strengthening properties are also recognized. As the nutritionist explains Carla zaplana in his book ‘Superfoods’, Noni is usually taken as a fermented juice mixed with lemon and some sweetener, while its leaves are used to make tea. New ingredient for us, noni is a fruit much loved by traditional Polynesian medicine that echoes its benefits for a long time more than 2.000 years.

Maca: ready for “battle”

La maca It is a root or tuber of Andean origin that belongs, although it does not seem like it, to the same family to which broccoli belongs. His properties Energizers are no secret in their area of ​​origin: they say that the Inca warriors had a great ally in maca when facing a battle.

This root provides many minerals (among them: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, zinc, iodine, copper, selenium), amino acids, vitamins of group B, C and E, sterols, carbohydrates, proteins and fiber. It is usually marketed in powder. Ready to add to juices and other liquid preparations. Easier, impossible.

Lucuma: the gold of the Incas

It is sweet, low in sugar and very exotic. In other words, you have all the ballots to become your new favorite fruit. The lucuma It is originally from Peru and, in addition to the aforementioned points in its favor, it also provides us with beta-carotenes, vitamin B3 and minerals such as zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. It is not uncommon that it is increasingly present in the stores of healthy food.

Two facts that can bring lucuma a little closer to your life. It begins to be cultivated, like other tropical fruits, in Malaga and in Tripea, in the Vallehermoso Market, in Madrid, we find it in the dessert Chocolate Mix, a brownie of tamarind, coffee, chipotle, kiwi and lucuma.

Moringa: around the “tree of life”

It is another of the fashionable superfoods, which also has the support of authorities such as FAO or WHO. Moringa oleifera is a tree native to India that is grown mainly in the tropics. It is rich in beta carotenes, contains vitamin A (four times more than carrots), B, C (seven times more than oranges) and E. It is also four times richer in calcium than milk and three times more in potassium than bananas.

Stands out for the amount of iron, superior to spinach, and proteins. Its leaves contain all the essential amino acids and it has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic properties. It is not surprising at all that among his nicknames is that of “tree of Life”. It is purchased in the form of a powder, capsules or dried leaves to add to juices, smoothies and soups. You can also take in infusion.

Chaga: the antioxidant super-fungus

In the world of the superfoods, mushrooms deserve a separate chapter. Traditional Chinese medicine has recognized for centuries beneficial properties to mushrooms like shiitake and reishi, while kombucha, the fashionable fermented tea drink, is made possible by a mushroom.

The chaga, Another emerging food according to the CNTA study is a parasitic fungus that grows on birch trees in countries such as Russia, Korea, the United States or Canada. An old acquaintance of traditional medicine, chaga provides us with more than two hundred phytonutrients and, compared to other medicinal mushrooms, it boasts one of the highest rates of superoxide dismutase, a powerful antioxidant.

Can be found in capsules or extracts (The EU recognizes it as a food supplement) and is traditionally taken as an infusion.

Ashawagandha: the treasure of Ayurveda

El Ayurveda the flame “Indigo Ginseng” and takes advantage from its roots to its berries to “squeeze” all its benefits. The Ashwagandha It is a spice that contains antioxidant chemicals and boasts, among others, calming and anti-inflammatory properties.

It is also known to act positively on the immune system. It is recognized as food supplement by the EU and the most common is to take it in tea or capsules.

Monk fruit: the next natural sweetener?

El monk fruit o monk fruit It is a fruit native to Asia that claims to be 150 to 300 times sweeter than white sugar, while being less caloric. It also stands out for vitamin C and flavonoids.

Its extract rich in mogrosides (a type of glycosides) is used as natural sweetener. Everything indicates that it could become the next fashionable natural sweetener after stevia and without stevia’s main flaw: its strong flavor. For now it is important to note that in the European Union its use is not yet authorized.