So today I wanted to do another post on a superfood and I have chosen lucuma. This is one of the cheaper superfood powders out there and is known as natures caramel. Lucuma is a subtropical fruit native to Ecuador, Peru and Chile and has been used as a sweetener and base in Incan food for centuries. It is consequently known as 'gold of the Incas'. The flesh of the fruit is a gorgeous yellow/orange colour, which can be seen on my lucuma packet below. It is turned into a powder so that we, on the other side of the world, can benefit from this amazing fruit. It is dried at low temperatures so that all the nutritional value is retained, and then milled into a superfine powder.
It has this delicious sweet citrus taste and is a fantastic substitute for sugar. Yes, there is actually a superfood alternative to sugar which will not give you a blood sugar spike and a sugar crash half an hour later! For everyone with a sweet tooth, it is the perfect way to get your dose of sweetness whilst staying well away from sugar!
Now for some of the benefits of lucuma. It is rich in antioxidants, which I have spoke about in detail in a previous superfood post on cacao if you want to read more about what these do in our bodies.
It is full of complex carbohydrates, which are the kind of carbs we like and want in our diet. I know some people steer clear of carbs when trying to lose weight, but complex carbs really are important in your diet for providing you with energy throughout the day, and you definitely should not deprive your body of them.
Here is a list of some of the other important nutrients that lucuma contains, and a few things they do in our bodies. These nutrients play a role in many functions within our body, so please note this list is not exhaustive. They actually do lots more for us too!
Potassium - Ppimarily it builds muscle, synthesizes proteins, controls the electrical activity of the heart and maintains acid-base balance.
Fibre - assists digestive processes
Iron - transports oxygen to our cells and reduces tiredness and fatigue
Zinc - required for the immune system to function, as well as a role in cell division and growth, healing wounds and is great for our hair and nails ladies!
Calcium - strong bones and teeth, ensuring blood clots normally, regulates muscle contractions
Carotene - great for our eyesight and reducing the effect of ageing
Vitamin B3 (niacin) - keeps nervous and digestive systems healthy, helps produce energy from the foods we eat. It's generally found in meat, so lucuma is a great source for vegetarians
Importantly, it is super easy to get it into your diet. It is all well and good having these superfood powders, but some of them really do not taste very nice. That's why when one tastes so good, there are all sorts you can do with it and you will want to put it in everything! Which leads me nicely on to two recipes I have to share with you that use lucuma: ice-cream and of course, a smoothie. Smoothies are a great easy way to incorporate superfood powders into your diet.
Lucuma ice-cream
Despite the name, this recipe contains no cream. In Peru, this flavour of ice cream is a well known favourite.
Ingredients:
60g lucuma powder
160g cashew nuts
250ml water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
First you need to blitz the cashews in a food processor and get them as fine as you can. Then add all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Place in a suitable container and place in the freezer to freeze. You will need to take the container out of the freezer quite a while before serving for it to thaw out if it has been in the freezer for a long time. If you can catch it at the right time once you have put it in the freezer for the first time, bonus!
Lucuma smoothie
This smoothie is a fantastic way to kick start your day. It contains two superfoods (lucuma and chia seeds) and two fruits. Bursting with antioxidants, fibre and many other nutrients.
I will be doing a superfood post on chia seeds in the future, which are great as they have a super high nutritional value, with very low calories.
Ingredients:
2 tsp lucuma powder
1 banana
100g mango (fresh or frozen)
300ml milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
As with most smoothies, add all ingredients and blitz!
You can see my other superfood posts here. This is only my second superfood post, but I will be doing plenty more! I can't get enough of incorporating all these wonderful powders into my food, their nutritional value is just too high to ignore. They really do make you feel amazing! My favourite shop for them is Planet Organic as I have one really close to me. The internet is of course a great place to buy them too. I know they are not the cheapest thing in the world, but you do not have to use much of them (1 tsp) in order to reap all their benefits. A little goes a long way!
Make sure to always look out for labels which read raw! These will provide higher levels of health benefits to you.
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