Goji Berries

Super Nutrient Gal is about super thoughts, super actions and super foods. So I thought I would take some time to talk about one of my new favorite super foods - the goji berry.

You can read all about the goji berry in David Wolfe's book, Superfoods. I'll give you the cliff notes.

The goji berry has a very long history dating back thousands of years ago to Asia - primarily China and Tibet. Goji berries can be eaten straight off the bush however, they are often dried and end up looking a lot like an orange/red raisin.

This berry has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food in the world. Antioxidants are what neutralize free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells, cell membranes, vessel walls and even DNA leading to many of the diseases we face today - Alzheimers, Diabetes, Obesity, Stroke, Heart Disease and more. The more antioxidants we supply our body, the healthier our body.

Goji berries are also a complete protein. They have 19 amino acids and all eight essential amino acids. No other berry, as far as I know, can claim that. Goji berries have at least 21 trace minerals, vitamin B2, B6 and E as well as iron.

Goji berries support the adrenals, the kidneys, the liver, the immune system and help to improve eyesight. But of even more interest to most folks, goji berries turn back the clock. These berries stimulate the release of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH), a hormone that diminishes in the body over time. The decrease of HGH parallels the degeneration of the body. As we increase HGH levels we increase our longevity. Goji berries are truly amazing!

Thanks to the passion of David Wolfe and others you can now get goji berries at your local health food store. However, it is important to buy organic berries as you don't want ones sprayed in pesticides. I get my berries online from Elements for Life.They are an amazing company with a very high level of quality.

In Superfoods, David recommends 15-45 mg/day. 4-6 berries are about 1 mg. In other words at least 2-3 tablespoons a day.

I like to add goji berries to my smoothies but my favorite method for consuming this beautiful berry is to put about 3 T. in a quart of water. Let soak for about an hour and then drink. (the picture below is an example of me getting a little artistic).

Soaking takes the bitterness out of the berry while sweetening the water. I love it. One warning on the water recipe - don't forget about the drink, let the berries soak all night and then eat one in the morning - yuck! Trust me on this one.

Enjoy! And if you have any questions about purchasing, selecting or using goji berries, please don't hesitate to let me know.

David Wolfe and Julie and Julia

Two very inspiring events have recently transpired in my life. The first - I interviewed expert nutritionist David Wolfe last night for my Wisdom of Wellness series. He is so amazing. A wealth of information, backed by integrity, fueled by an unceasing passion ignited by love and truth. What more could you ask for in a nutritionist? If you want to hear the interview click here, register and then click on the link below David's picture. It's available for another 18 hours or so. I would go into more detail but I'm tired, and quite frankly, unsure whether anyone out there is even reading this. I will say just one more thing - I offered an incredible deal on David's lastest project LongevityNOW ($150 off!). To learn more click here.

The second inspiring event was going to see the film Julie and Julia. Ahhh...I could relate in so many ways and the thought of picking up a cookbook and cooking every recipe in it from start to finish (and not an easy cookbook either) intrigued and delighted me from the moment I first heard of the idea. I loved her passion and of course in the end, fame. so much to say but I'm just too tired. Have to do more in the morning.

Raw Food and Emotional Eating

For years I have struggled with emotional eating. I think it is one of the things that drew me to studying nutrition (that and my passion for everything having to do with anything edible). I would swear off of sugar only to binge three or four days later. Feel terrible for four days and then repeat the cycle. As much as I loved breads, cereals, cakes and cookies I felt imprisoned by their allure and my desires.

I tried many things to break this cycle. I fasted, cleansed, journaled and meditated. Everything helped in its own way but the song of sugar always rang loudest and in the end, the box of cookies prevailed. How could someone like me, who knew so much about food, still fall prey to ingredients?

And then raw food came along. And I was doing my Wisdom of Wellness series. And as part of the series I was interviewing David Wolfe. And I love nutrition. And I love David Wolfe. And David Wolfe is raw.

So I took up the challenge to go 100% raw for three weeks. Well, I didn't make it. I haven't been 100% raw but man, what a journey it has been (and in such a short time!!). The most amazing thing, apart from how alive I feel, is that my cravings, my emotional eating, is gone. Gone.

Now, I'm not saying it is gone for good. I've been down this road too many times to make a statement like that. But for now, right in this moment (which is all I really care about), I have no cravings. Don't get me wrong - I am still eating sweet things. The only difference is they are foods sweetened with dates and agave. Foods that don't encourage insulin spiking that lead to stress on the system resulting in a stronger desire for the very foods that wreak the most havoc on my system. They are foods that feel good. That nourish me. And I feel nourished.

I don't have to resist eating chips at 10 pm or frying up a tortilla with butter just before bed. I don't need to force myself to stop eating the chocolate chips or deny myself that second piece of cake. I don't have to do any of this because I don't even want it.

If I had known that raw foods would lead me here, I would have walked this road years ago. But all in its own perfect time. And that time seems to be now.

Raw food diet challenges

O.K. I admit it. Day 8 was not easy.

Now, granted I have been working very diligently for the last several days to get my 8-week teleseries The Wisdom of Wellness off the ground so my energy level is lower, I believe, than it normally would be. However, and here is the big however, I don't know what to eat!

I've spent so many hours in front of the computer I haven't had the time to peruse all the recipes and come up with exciting new possibilities. As a result, ready to eat, I open the fridge and what do I see? Lots and lots of veggies. Now, I do love veggies but when you really want something soothing and satisfying a carrot just ain't going to cut it - not right now anyway.

So one of the biggest challenges? Snacks - comfort food snacks. Snacks like chips, toast, quesadillas, popcorn - you know, starch. Somehow flax sunflower seed bread just doesn't qualify. So today, somewhat low on energy and looking for that quick fix, proved rather challenging.

If I didn't have this interview with David in two weeks I would have caved today - I admit it. My pride is the only thing keeping me from grabbing that last tortilla, spreading some feta on it and a slab of turkey and frying it up in the pan. Pride. To be able to say to David - in honor of our call, I have been raw the last three weeks. Damn pride.

So now what? I have my kale, garlic, lime, avocado and date smoothie sitting next to me on my bedside. Mmmm - not quite what I had in mind. So what I'm really saying, yet another time, is if you plan on going raw either have loads of time on your hands to really get down and dirty in the kitchen or be prepared to spend a small fortune on the myriad raw food snacks and goodies now available online. Either that or just dip your toe in, have a salad and eat the quesadilla on the side.

Longevity Now

I think I'll keep it short today. I have a whole slew of in-laws visiting. I'm realizing it takes more than super foods to keep me going with a full house of relatives.

So far it has been really easy to eat well (apart from the bite of hamburger, one of my children's "chicken" nuggets, and a few pieces of challah - essentially a fancy Jewish name for white bread with eggs). I have never experienced having so few cravings, ever. And believe me, I have tried just about everything. Sugar in the form of breads, pastas, cereals, cakes and cookies, has been like a dysfunctional lover I just can't seem to shake. But now... it's a whole different story. Now the challenge is what to do with the emotions that I no longer stuff with sweets. It's not that I wouldn't prefer to stuff the emotions at times, but the sweets don't appeal to me at all. The other day I found myself wishing I craved sugar just to have something to ease the loneliness I was experiencing. Amazingly enough I couldn't even bring myself to indulge for the sake of escape. The sugar held no allure whatsoever.

I can only attribute the lack of desire to the foods I am eating. As I eat more raw foods, I absorb more minerals and activate more enzymes. Instead of empty nutrients, my body is full and totally satisfied. As a matter of fact I drank a smoothie today (it made a whole quart), had a salad for a late lunch and now, two hours later, am still full. My appetite continues to decrease as my body gets everything it needs with very little effort.

In a few days I am going to embark on a new program, LongevityNOW by David Wolfe. You will hear me mention herbs, superfoods, supplements, all sorts of things I am only now learning about. I want to take you on this journey with me because my hunch is that it will be one of the most physically (and by extension emotionally) transformative adventures I have ever taken. I will be detoxing with different herbs, eating lots of healthy veggies, fruits and other foods, and doing whatever else David recommends.

Now David also takes the go it slow approach but once again, I am going to jump into this full force, if only to have something interesting to report to you. I would love to start tomorrow, being as it is my birthday and all, but I am still waiting on a few key herbs. I'll let you know what they are and I'll definitely let you know when I start.

Wow, even with a house full of in-laws I managed to go on for a bit. Well, read what you want. I'm gonna take a nap.

Day Four: Hemp Protein Powder

So, would you like to know why I put so many ingredients into my smoothie and what on earth for? In all honesty I'm just figuring out some of it myself. I like to jump first and think later - a strategy that keeps life exciting, to say the least. Fortunately I am married to a very practical man so I never jump too far (well, almost never).


I thought I would start with hemp protein powder being as it is so misaligned in the media and, as a result, in the minds of the American people. Hemp, often confused with marijuana, began its tragic downfall in the early 1930's. A few highly influential men with profit-driven motives embarked on a crusade to bring the mighty hemp plant to its roots. The plan - guilt by association. The result - one for big corporations, zero for the public and the planet.

Marijuana is a sub-species of hemp. The THC in marijuana is known for it's psychoactive properties. The THC in hemp is hardly known. But guilt by association prevailed and this amazing plant - capable of producing paper,textiles, fuel, oil, rope, plastics (to name just a few) - was outlawed.

Fortunately for us, although still illegal to grow, we have access to this incredible superfood. Hemp is considered by many researchers and doctors to be "one of the most nutritious food sources on the planet." (Super Foods, David Wolfe) Hemp is 35% protein, 47 % fat and 12 % carbohydrate. (But wait...don't freak out about the fat content. Hemp contains a type of fat that actually turns on the fat burning genes!). Hemp contains all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids in an extremely digestible and accessible form.


Hemp contains an ideal ratio of Omega 3's to Omega 6's. The fiber content is the highest of all commercially grown seeds! It is a major source of minerals, contains chloryphyll and valuable vitamins.

Hempseed can be eaten alone as a snack, sprinkled on foods or added to smoothies and dressings. I like it as a protein powder because it is easy to add to a variey of foods, particularly smoothies.

The recommended dosage for adults is 50-75 grams a day. I must say I don't find the flavor all that delectable so I prefer to throw it into something with a million other ingredients (like my smoothie) as opposed to popping a few seeds between meals. But to each her own... so I recommend that you experiment and see for yourself.

Day Three: Super Green Smoothie

So I decided to go for it. But I realized in hindsight that although it is not a small step, it isn't really as big as I'd made it out to sound. For years I have been modifying my diet, slowly cutting back on foods that don't benefit me and adding more of those that do. Nonetheless, it is still a step. And today's journey began with a super green smoothie. I took a picture of all the ingredients that went in to the smoothie so you could see exactly how I began the day. I have posted the recipe below (I left the bee pollen out of the picture - by accident).


I recently bought one of those super dooper VitaMix blenders that can do just about anything but mow the lawn. It is in this blender that I make my morning smoothie. If you don't have a strong blender then you may want to cut up some of these ingredients into fine pieces so that they can blend well. If you do have one of these mixers, well then... have a blast.

Here's the recipe:

1 T. Maca powder
1 T. Hemp protein
1 T. ground flax seed
1 T. Cacao nibs
1 T. Raw Cacao powder
1 T. Inca berries
2 T. Goji berries
1 t. bee pollen
1/4 tsp. blue green algae
1/4 tsp. cordyceps mushrooms
1 T. coconut butter
1 banana
1 cup mixed berries
2 dates
1 small beet
1 small zucchini
3 kale leaves (without the stem)
1 chard leaf
1 small piece ginger
2 cups water

Throw it all in the blender and blend till smooth. You may need to add more water to thin it out.
Yumm!

As the days go on I will go into more detail about the ingredients so you can understand why I am throwing all these crazy ingredients into one drink. For now you can go to: www.elementsforlife if you want to learn about the dry ingredients.

In all honesty I felt great for much of the day but started to crash around dinner time. I don't know why that is but at this very moment I am definitely feeling tired and a little down. Granted my mother-in-law is visiting for the week, but apart from the fact that her hearing is going (so you have to yell everything), she is really a lovely woman. Don't think that would explain the mood swing.

As I'm tired I am going to leave things for now and fill you in more in the morning.