Whether you’re new to superfoods or you’re just looking for a new one to try, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Well, to make your decision a little bit easier, we’re going to tell you about 5 of the most popular superfoods we offer here at Superfoods Australia.
Our most popular superfoods include a wide variety of options – so keep reading to find your next new superfood today.
Our 5 most popular superfoods
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Chances are, if you know anything about superfoods, you will have heard of the Lion’s Mane Mushroom. This super mushroom is a staple of many superfood lovers because of the various benefits it offers.
But before the benefits, let’s talk a little more about where the Lion’s Mane mushroom comes from.
Lion’s Mane has been widely used for more then 2,000 years, with it first being discovered in China and Japan.
One of the reasons Lion’s Mane mushroom is so well known is because of its unique appearance – it resembles a shaggy lion’s mane and is white in colour. It’s also sometimes referred to as the bearded tooth mushroom and the pom-pom mushroom, with each of these nicknames being appearance based.
These days, Lion’s Mane is grown all over the world, including right here in Australia. Our Australian-grown Lion’s Mane is grown in the Yarra Valley in Victoria.
Benefits of Lion’s Mane:
Lion’s Mane mushroom has been the subject of many research and testing projects to determine its health benefits. Some of the potential health benefits you could experience when you add Lion’s Mane to your diet include:
- Improved cognitive functioning. According to studies, the Lion’s Mane mushroom contains two compounds – hericenones and erinacines - that may aid in the stimulation of brain cell growth.
- Improved digestive health. Lion’s Mane could help to prevent stomach ulcers from developing thanks to the polysaccharide fraction.
- Regulation of inflammation responses. While a little inflammation is a good thing – it’s the body’s natural response to fight illness, too much o chronic inflammation can lead to health issues. Some studies have shown that Lion’s Mane has been effective in reducing the levels of inflammation in rodents.
Lion’s mane is available in powdered extract form, as well as tinctures, capsules, and fruit.
Learn more about the benefits of Lion's Mane Mushroom here.
Chaga Mushroom
Another super mushroom on the list – don’t worry, the whole list isn’t mushrooms – but there are two on here for good reason!
The chaga mushroom is known for its strange appearance and its incredibly nutritional value.
The chaga mushroom resembles a clump of dirt or a burnt patch on a tree. It grows on trees and in particularly cold climates, like in Russia and other Northern European countries.
The chaga mushroom has been used for centuries as a medicinal mushroom in Eastern herbalism, and now it has become a force in the superfoods world because it is extremely high in antioxidants, which can provide us with a whole host of benefits.
Benefits of Chaga Mushroom:
The chaga mushroom is still in its somewhat early stages of research and testing, however, some potential benefits have become apparent. These include:
- Can promote a healthy response to stress. As an adaptogen, the chaga mushroom can help the body manage stress. Adaptogens essentially help fil in the gaps where the body needs the help. This helps to fight off illness and keep the immune system intact.
- Strengthen and support the immune system. As we mentioned above, the adaptogenic properties of chaga mushroom can help to fight off illness by not letting the body become overwhelmed when it is lacking in something. In addition to this, the high level of antioxidants means that the white blood cells of the body can help fight off free radicals present in the body, and the production of cytokines, which are the chemical messenger of the immune system is also regulated.
- Supports regular inflammation responses. Cytokines, the chemical messengers of the immune system help to regulate the inflammatory response of the body, and with the production of cytokines being supported by chaga mushroom, this could help to improve the way your body handles inflammation.
Chaga mushroom is available as a tincture, powdered extract, and capsules, making it super easy to add to your diet.
Read more about chaga extract here.
Shilajit
Upon first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that there is no way that shilajit should be digested – but this sticky, tar like compound is actually formed from plant matter and minerals and is an absolute powerhouse compound.
It’s known as being a potent source of fulvic acid, which is why it has become a popular superfood. In the West, this popularity is pretty recent, however, this black gold has been a staple of the ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine world for thousands of years.
Shilajit was first discovered in the Himalayas Mountain Range and is believed to provide a lot of different health benefits.
Benefits of Shilajit:
The long history of shilajit use means that there are many different health benefits that have been associated with it, so we’ve tried to cull the list down to just a few, which are:
- Improve gut health. The fulvic acid component of shilajit makes it desirable to those who suffer from gut problems, like ulcers. Fulvic acid can help to reduce the levels of acid and pepsin secretion, which is what helps to reduce the likelihood of ulcers developing.
- It may keep you looking and feeling younger. We don’t necessarily want to keep going on about fulvic acid, but we kind of have to because it has also been shown to have the ability of acting like an antioxidant and it’s anti-inflammatory. This means that it could help to reduce ageing by reducing the free radicals in the bodies and slowing down cellular damage.
- Could increase iron levels. Again, we’re talking about fulvic acid because it is pretty great. In the case of improving iron levels, it can help with this by acting as a catalyst that helps the cells in the bone marrow to absorb iron better. Better iron levels mean that oxygen can move around the body better and keep your body functioning better.
Check out our range of shilajit products available here.
Cod Liver Oil
When you think of cod liver oil, you’re most likely going to think about fish oil, and while cod liver oil is technically a fish oil, however, the very specific extraction method is what separates it from fish oil.
Cod oil is harvested from Atlantic codfish, and from their liver specifically, while fish oil is extracted from the fatty meats of fish species such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel.
Both fish oil and cod oil have been used medicinally for a long time – commonly to fight off illness and infection – however, cod liver oil has the added benefit of Vitamins A & D, amongst the great levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are the good kinds of fats that the body just can’t make on its own.
Benefits of Cod Liver Oil:
Besides being used to fight off common colds and illnesses, cod liver oil is also believed to promote the following health benefits:
- Feeds your brain. Diet plays an important role in the health of the brain and cognitive function. Cod liver oil is believed to help improve memory and maintain proper brain function. The Vitamin D component helps in neurodevelopment.
- Keeps your eyes healthy. The vitamin A and omega-3 components of cod liver oil is thought to protect the eyes from diseases like glaucoma, eye pressure and nerve damage, which can develop as we age.
- Improves bone health. Vitamin D plays a lot of important roles in the body and one of them is reducing the risk of bone-related diseases that can develop as we age. One of the ways it can help with this is by improving the way our bodies absorb calcium, and calcium helps to fortify bones.
At Superfoods Australia, we offer Rosita Cod Liver Oil to our customers. Check it out here.
Pine Needles
If you’re new to the superfood world, you’re probably wondering if we mean the pine needles from a tree – like a Christmas tree – and we do.
Pine needles, well, the entire pine tree, has long been used medicinally in many different cultures. European, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean herbalists would use the pine needles, the sap, and the pinecones in different ways to promote health and vitality.
The reason the pine tree has been used to promote health is because it contains lots of different antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory properties and vitamin C – especially in the pine needles.
One of the most common way to use pine needles is as a tea, and it has been documents as far back as the 16th century as having been used to promote health. In fact, it was used to fight off scurvy because of the high Vitamin C content. Sailors were often ill because they were often undernourished due to the lack of food availability while they were out on the sea for long periods of time.
If scurvy isn’t too much of a concern for you, don’t worry, because pine needles have loads of ither associated health benefits.
Benefits of Pine Needles:
The research into the health benefits of pine needles is admittedly in its early days, however, the long-standing use by European, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cultures have suggested a variety of potential health benefits, including:
- Help to maintain proper bodily functions. Pine needles contain all 9 of the essential amino acids that are required for body functions such as tissue repair, protein synthesis and nutrient absorption, to name a few. The body cannot actually product all of the amino acids on its own, so pine needles are a great source of them.
- Keeps the immune system strong. The high levels of vitamins, including vitamins A & C, minerals and antioxidants in pine needles are thought to help strengthen the immune system and fight off illnesses.
- Slows down ageing. The high levels of antioxidants also help to reduce the chances of damage to cells in the body that is caused by oxidative stress, illness, and infections. They do this by helping to fight off free radicals that cause damage.
You can get pine needle tincture as well as pine needles for tea right here at Superfoods Australia.
Try one of our most popular superfoods today
You can shop our entire range of superfoods – not just the ones mentioned today – from anywhere in Australia. We offer free, Australia-wide shipping and we dispatch our orders fast, so you don’t have to wait too long to discover your new favourite superfood.
Shop online for superfoods today.
