Healthy food with nutritious moringa
In the modern world, our lives are inevitably moving to the fast track and we have less and less time to think about a healthy diet. A sandwich here, a pastry there, and if we feel guilty enough, a fast salad (complemented later by something sweet). Who has the time to pack an apple to eat at work or enjoy steamed vegetables (CNN)? But don’t worry. Superfoods are here to come to your rescue. They can provide you with healthy nutrition as they are full of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, antioxidants, and more. And if you struggle with your weight — they are also low on calories. Superfoods can be eaten as food supplements, but can also be prepared as the ingredients of a delicious meal.
Moringa Bread (Prillytee, CC BY-SA 4.0 <)
Moringa bread (Prillytee, CC BY-SA 4.0 <)Moringa is one of the plants that are high in nutrition and beneficial compounds. It has been successfully used to fight malnutrition due to its nutritional value and is already available on the market, mostly in a form of leaf powder (Minimalistbaker). It has also been used for the so-called food fortification, an enrichment of “empty” foods like fluor products by adding nutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins). Many studies have shown the potential use of moringa leaves, pods, stems, flowers, and seeds in food, like soups, weaning foods, amala, a stiff dough, biscuits, bread, cake, yogurt, and cheese (1). The research made on food fortification revealed the potential beneficial effects of moringa addition. Noodles made from wheat flour with the addition of moringa powder (6%) had significantly enhanced nutritional composition, particularly energy content, crude fat, crude fiber, and carbohydrate (2). There was also a significant increase in magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc (2). Total essential amino acid concentration increased from 34.1% in the pure wheat noodles to 34.8% in moringa noodles (2).
Moringa taste has been described as a bit bitter, spinachy, sometimes with horseradish-like heat. It’s your choice how much moringa you add to your food to enjoy a tasty meal. But with powder or another kind of food additives, it’s always important to follow the instructions of the prescribed quantity. In any case, a number of recipes already exist for preparing a good meal or drink with a fresh or dried moringa. Check some of them below. Bon appétit!
Moringa recipes Moringa leaves stir-fry with coconut Moringa Dal (drumstick leaves lentil curry or Murungai) Potato salad with moringa leaves Moringa Pancakes with Spinach and Mushrooms Pancakes, bread, cupcakes, smoothies, soup, ice cream Moringa Soup Moringa Oatmeal Moringa Smoothie Moringa Latte
Want to know more about moringa? Check our other blogs: Moringa in natural cosmetics Moringa in animal feed Agricultural cultivation of moringa Moringa — a gift from nature
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Sources and further reads:
Masih LP, Singh S, Elamathi S, Anandhi P, Abraham T (2019): Moringa: A multipurpose potential crop — A review. Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 85(3): 589–601; doi: 10.16943/ptinsa/2019/49579
Hussin H, Gregory PJ, Julkifle AL, Sethuraman G, Tan XL, Razi F, Azam-Ali SN (2020): Enhancing the Nutritional Profile of Noodles With Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea) and Moringa (Moringa oleifera): A Food System Approach. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4:59; doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.00059
New Food Magazine Meireles D., Gomes J., Lopes L., Hinzmann M., Machado J. (2020): A review of properties, nutritional and pharmaceutical applications of Moringa oleifera: integrative approach on conventional and traditional Asian medicine. Advances in Traditional Medicine; doi: 10.1007/s13596-020-00468-0