March 13, 2018
4 Tips For Cooking With Powerphenols
Writen by Naomi Whittel |
Published on: March 13, 2018
A dietary identity is something most women want. Instead of always wondering what the best diet out there is, wouldn’t it be so much easier to know this answer based on what’s in you? Finding the right way to eat is highly personal and takes a lot of trial and error. Since each of us responds to food differently and we each have a lifestyle that’s unique, it’s next to impossible to assume there’s a 1 – sized fits all approach that’s going to work for everyone. For this reason, I’ve learned to not attach myself to anyone single diet. I like to pick and choose pieces of the hottest dietary trends and infuse them into a diet that works for my particular needs and lifestyle. While dietary trends come and go, the one part of nutritional wisdom that never changes is that a plant-centric diet is key for good health. While I love all kinds of foods, polyphenols or rather their super-charged versions I call Powerphenols excite me the most!
Pow·er·phe·nol
ˈpou(ə)r fēˌnôl,-ˌnōl/ (noun) — the ability of an autophagy activating polyphenol in a nutrient dense form to do or act in a way to defy aging and improve health.
These are specific, potent antioxidants that not only protect your cells but also activate autophagy to repair them, for the ultimate youth-boosting benefits
But they do more than provide medicinal value to your meal – they add color and flavor as well. My Powerphenol lineup includes EGCG from green tea, curcumin from turmeric, berberine from plants like barberry and goldenseal and also trans-resveratrol found in red wine and chocolate. Truth be told, to reap their medicinal benefits, you’d be better off taking a high-quality supplement. To learn more about the best practices I recommend for including these in your diet please check out my new book, Glow15, just released a few days ago. And while I am a big proponent of the use of smart supplement practices, what I care equally about is a food-first mentality. The ultimate way to reap the autophagy- inducing benefits of Powerphenols is to use them in your meal prep in conjunction with smart supplementation. Here are five ways to get more of these Powerphenols in your diet.
I coined the word Powerphenol because I’ve found that a high potency of the active nutrient polyphenol is one of the best ways to take years off your age.
4 Ways To Eat More Powerphenols:
1
EGCG: I love using high-grade matcha powder in desserts or fat-bombs. It has a gentle earthy flavor that blends well with a healthy fat like coconut cream or butter. You only need 1/2 – 1 teaspoon too so a little goes a long way! One of my favorite treats is to blend matcha powder with coconut cream and a little monk fruit to make a matcha-infused whipped cream. I particularly enjoy it with some wild organic blueberries or strawberries on days when I’m hankering for some fruit.
2
Berberine: The best way to take advantage of berberine is to include it in a super smoothie! Since berberine isn’t readily available in foods, this is the optimum way to enjoy using it in your kitchen. Find a smoothie that layers on the polyphenols – ingredients like nuts, dark leafy greens, herbs, spices like cinnamon or clove and maybe even a little cacao. Open and pour the contents in one capsule of a 500 mg berberine supplement into the blender and blend as you normally would. This is especially helpful if your smoothie has carbohydrates in it since berberine helps buffer the rise in blood sugar from carbohydrates.
3
Curcumin: That poignant, bright yellow color brings scrambled eggs to life as well as sauces and curries as well lunch salads like chicken, shrimp or salmon salad. I try to add between 1/4 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon of either freshly ground or powdered turmeric to whatever I’m cooking and include some black pepper since the piperine found in pepper may help increase absorption of curcumin.
4
Trans-Resveratrol: This one is so fun to talk about because telling an adult woman that her daily red wine or chocolate is a healthy part of her daily diet is like giving candy to a child. But it’s true – a moderate intake of both of these. While a supplement is a better medicinal supply than dietary intake alone, you can still feel good about cooking, drinking and eating with your wine. Choose an organic dry red like a Pinot Noir and if you’re cooking with it, opt for the same high quality you would use to drink with. Same idea with cocoa – choose organic, raw chocolate made from minimally – processed cacao. You can add cacao to sauces for your protein (like a mole sauce), or you can add to coffees, smoothies, and hot cocoa of course.
