Enrich Your Nutrition with Moringa Leaf Powder

 

Moringa Oleifera leaves powder is a superfood. It is one of nature’s most nutritious (nutrient-dense) foods and boasts of notable medicinal properties as well. 

 

Moringa leaves various nutritional components are ideal for helping us meet our required nutrition amount in order to sustain good health. 

 

Moringa plant parts also offer plenty of other useful benefits ranging from water purification to food preservative and cosmetic uses.

 

Scientists are continuously investigating the reputed health and medicinal benefits of moringa leaves powder.

 

You can thank science for the sudden interest in moringa powder, says Robin Foroutan, RDN, an integrative dietitian-nutritionist and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “When something has [any] research behind it to show that it has a really good health impact, people get excited about it,” she says.

 

You are supposed to live a healthy, vibrant, and productive life till the very end. In fact, you are supposed to live your life to your full potential.

What is Moringa Oleifera

 

Moringa oleifera is a plant that is also called the drumstick tree, the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, or the horseradish tree.

 

Moringa tree is commonly called ‘miracle tree’ and there is a good reason why. The leaves, fruit, sap, oil, roots, bark, seeds, pod and flowers of the tree all have nutritional value and medicinal values, as well as for commercial applications. 

 

It is found mostly in Asia, Africa, and South America, but it's being grown around the world now.

 

Moringa leaves are rich in quality and contain high volume of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, fats, and phytochemicals, which are of crucial importance in healing and promoting sound health.

 

The variety of medicinal properties of moringa leaves are well scientifically researched and documented.

 

Like many natural remedies, moringa is a tempting alternative to prescription drugs. “A lot of people are averse to going on medication, and as chronic disease continues to be an issue, [natural remedies] seem like a cure-all,” says Ginger Hultin, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

 

Food Safety Research Center (FOSREC), Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia study shows that phyto-medicines are believed to have more benefits over conventional drugs and are regaining interest in the natural health community. The study proves that moringa oleifera is a multi-purpose herbal plant used as human food and an alternative for medicinal purposes worldwide. 

 

Additionally,  the study shows that moringa oleifera contains amino acids, carotenoids in the leaves and components with nutraceutical properties, supporting the idea of using this health-promoting and health-protecting plant products as a nutritional supplement or constituent in food preparation.

 

People in developing countries sometimes lack vitamins, minerals and protein mostly due to their busy schedules and/or frequent fast food options. In these countries, moringa can be an important source to restore many insufficient essential nutrients, improve the quality of health and life. 

 

Moringa high nutrient composition is greatly beneficial for people who are lacking essential nutrients or those that need to meet their adequate nutritional requirements.

 

Consuming moringa leaves powder as a part of a regular diet has also been used to restore nutrition in cases of malnutrition or poor health.

WATCH this video to learn how what you eat impacts your health, creativity, productivity, and entire life. 

 

We Are What We Eat  - Documentary

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpbfOJ4bJU&t=38s

Here're a few Scientifically-Proven Evidence of Health Benefits of Moringa Oleifera leaves

Moringa nutrition value

 

Moringa oleifera leaves powder is a nutrition powerhouse! 

 

Moringa leaves provide 30% plant-based protein, 90+ all-natural vitamins and minerals, essential trace minerals, all 8 essential amino acids, 46 antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, antioxidants, omega 3, 6 and 9. 

 

The leaves of moringa are rich in minerals like calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron and copper. Vitamins like beta-carotene of vitamin A, vitamin B such as folic acid, pyridoxine and nicotinic acid, vitamin C also present in M. oleifera.

 

Moringa has plenty of minerals that are essential for growth and development among which, calcium is considered as one of the important minerals for human growth. While 8 ounces of milk can provide 300–400 mg calcium, moringa fresh leaves can provide 1000 mg and moringa dry leaves powder can provide more than 4000 mg.

 

Moringa powder can be used as a substitute for iron supplement, hence as a treatment for anemia. Beef has only 2 mg of iron while moringa leaf powder can provide 28 mg of iron. It contains more iron than spinach.

 

Moringa ranks high on the list of quality superfoods. One cup of moringa leaves contain up to 2 grams of protein, magnesium (8 percent of the RDA), vitamin B6 (19 percent of the RDA), iron (11 percent of the RDA), riboflavin (11 percent of the RDA)  and vitamin A (9 percent of the RDA). 

In fact, a review in the journal Food Science and Human Wellness found that M. oleifera provides more than 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 10 times the vitamin A of carrots, 17 times the calcium of milk, 9 times the protein of yogurt, 15 times the potassium of bananas and 25 times the iron of spinach.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453016300362)

 

Enhance the nutritional value of your meals by introducing moringa leaves powder into your regular diet!

 

Moringa phytonutrient/phytochemical content

While moringa leaves are saturated with health-promoting nutrition, they are also rich in health-promoting phytonutrients. 

There are some bioactive food components known as "phytonutrients" that play very important roles in maintaining human health. Phytonutrients have a major impact on the health care system due to their medical health benefits including the prevention and/or treatment of diseases and various physiological disorders.

Phytochemicals, Phytopharmaceuticals, Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients, also called phytochemicals, are natural chemicals produced by plants. "Phyto" is a Greek word plant, thus phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals are the main ingredients used in making phytopharmaceutical products. 

Phytopharmaceuticals are plant-derived compounds with pharmacological properties.

Foods that have phytonutrients generally have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The term phytonutrients is a broad name referring to a wide variety of compounds or chemicals produced by plants, which can be isolated to target specific biomolecule sites. They're present in fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and other plants. Herbs and spices are the primary sources for phytonutrients.

Foods like red apples and leafy greens like moringa leaves provide a good punch of vitamins, minerals, and protein, it also provides power-packed plant substances of phytochemicals. Although they're not known to be essential for health, like vitamins and minerals, they're the primary sources of health medicine needed to keep us healthy. In fact, they're essential to maintain sound health and vitality. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/fill-up-on-phytochemicals. .

Nutrients present in various foods are the reasons why we eat foods, the play essential roles in maintaining the normal functions of the human body. The major nutrients present in foods include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Phytonutrients play a positive role by maintaining and modulating immune function to prevent diseases and disorders. Being natural products, they hold a greater promise in clinical therapy as they possess minor or no side effects that are usually associated with many pharmaceutical drugs, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. They are also comparatively cheaper and thus significantly reduce healthcare cost. 

These phytochemicals are usually isolated from the whole plant source and used to target particular ailments, from deficiency disorders to external factors that cause illness like a viral infection. Phytochemicals are refined nowadays and sold as natural products from the food industry and dietary supplements. While this is geared towards targeting certain health problems, consuming a well balanced whole food diet regularly can provide the best results possible.

Some of these phytochemicals in foods are now isolated and refined in the form of isoprenoid derivatives (terpenes, terpenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, saponins, carotenoids), phenol compounds (ligrins, couramines, anthrocynins, tannins, isoflavones, flavonones, gingerol, flavonoids), carbohydrate derivatives (nonstarch polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, vitamin C), fatty acids (MUFA, PUFA, sphingolipids, lecithins), amino acid derivatives (pectin, capsaicnoids, genestein, epigallates, lycopene, allyl-S-compounds, isothiocyanates, choline, indols), and minerals (Zn, Ca, Se, K, Cu).

According to this study, Nutraceuticals and cancer management, anticancer bioactive food sources are phytoesterogens, isoflavonones, genistein, curcumin, capsaicin, reverstetrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, lycopene, flavones, vitamins, and minerals in experimental. 

(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15769650/)

With their possible cancer-preventive potential, these potent natural plant chemicals can effectively treat some cancers, where there's no need for chemotherapy.

These active anticancer phytochemical compounds genistein, acetoxychavicol, auraptene, nobilentin, zerumbone, benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), resveratrol, and EGCG are shown to have high value of anticancer properties. These active plant compounds target and attenuate (make better) the NOX-derived superoxide anion while simultaneously suppressing iNOS and COX-2 synthesis in nitric oxide and PGE2 production. 

Polyphenols represent the largest category of phytochemicals and serve as powerful antioxidants due to their multiple hydroxyl groups.

Phytochemicals make up a good part of pharmaceutical drugs made from plant-based molecules as opposed to synthetic materials. They play important roles in the maintenance of human body functions, growth, development, and reproduction. From supporting the central nervous system (CNS) to treating infectious diseases phytonutrients or phytochemicals are crucial. Phytopharmaceuticals primarily work by targeting specific receptors (related active target sites), interrupting disease pathways, disrupting pathogenic life cycle, and protecting the body from degradation.

Some of the important bioactive of phytochemicals include polyphenols, terpenoids, reverstetrol, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, carotenoids, limonoids, glucosinolates, phytoestrogens, phytosterols, anthocyanins, ω-3 fatty acids, and probiotics. 

Phytonutrients bioactive chemicals greatly contribute specific pharmacological effects in human health such as antimicrobial, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antispasmodic, anti-cancer, anti-aging, hepatoprotective (liver), hypolipidemic, neuroprotective, hypotensive, diabetes, osteoporosis, central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, analgesic, protection from UVB-induced carcinogenesis, and immuno-modulator.

"We're still just learning about them. The science is ongoing. But they may help fight cancer and heart disease," according to Debbie Krivitsky, director of clinical nutrition at the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Center at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Phytochemicals in the prevention of many common diseases, and serious degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes as well as neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. 

An analysis of cohort studies presents evidence of a beneficial association between fruit and vegetable consumption in lowering coronary heart disease (CHD) risk supporting the recommendation to eat a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables to lower CHD risk.

A meta-analysis, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies, published in the journals of Nutrition found that consuming diet rich in fruits and vegetables of at least five servings per day helped reduce cardiovascular diseases (heart) risk for down to 17%, and reduced coronary disease down to 4%.

(https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/10/2588/4746701)

Another meta-analysis, Greater whole-grain intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain and a systematic examination of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials demonstrated an average consumption of at least 2.5 to five servings of whole grain lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease down to 21% than consuming less quantity.

(https://www.meta.org/papers/greater-whole-grain-intake-is-associated-with/22649266)

The wide range of phytochemicals, including anthocyanins, phytosterols, Logan's, carotenoids, phenolic acids present in wheat, oats, rye, rice, and other grains is believed to contribute to these cardio protective effects.

 

*Some population groups such as pregnant women should avoid unconscious and uncontrolled consumption. Some studies demonstrate the dose dependent effects of phytochemicals in herbs and spices showing toxicological effects at high doses where as it can be health promoting at lower doses.

 

Moringa for the nervous system

 

Moringa's high nutritional as well as ethnomedical values have been gaining  interest in both nutrition and medicinal research due to its versatility in successfully working with people from different ethnic backgrounds.

 

Ethnomedicine is the cultural interpretations of health, disease and illness and also addresses the treatment seeking process. The leaf of moringa plant has been used in ayurvedic medicine to treat paralysis, nervous debility (weakness, exhaustion, frailty, incapacity, infirmity, feebleness, faintness, decrepitude, enervation, enfeeblement, sickliness).

 

Extreme anxiety or general debility can play a role in causing nerve disorders. Debility and stress are often associated with each other. Bullying (and harassment, discrimination, abuse etc) cause negative and heightened stress which causes health injury. When the negative stress is prolonged it can lead to an episode of acute, severe anxiety or depression associated with an inability to function as normal.

 

Many nervous disorders treated with moringa leaves have been known to show positive results. 

 

Moringa leaves therapeutic ingredients support brain health and work as neuro enhancers. The concentration of vitamins E and C combat neural degeneration and helps improve brain function. This plant leaf acts as neuro enhancers and as mood balancers as they stabilize the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline which are important for memory, mood and for stimulus-response.

 

Neurodegeneration is a chronic disease of the nervous system. There is currently an increase in the use of natural products to combat these debilitating diseases. So far, no suitable cure has been found, the  conditions are only managed and the symptoms treated. 

 

This article, A Review on the Possible Neuroprotective Effects of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, reviews the literature on the effects of Moringa oleifera leaves on the nervous system in vivo and in vitro.

(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316698660)

Dosage:

 

Moringa can be a great natural supplement to include in your regular diet to fortify your nutritional requirements. The current recommended dosage for enhancing your nutritional demands and maintaining optimum health is set at 2 to 6 grams daily, according to www.webmd.com. However, it is a good idea to talk to a doctor before adding supplements to your diet if you have health concerns or conditions.

 

Be careful about where you get your moringa powder, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require dietary-supplement and other natural-product manufacturers to prove the safety of their products before marketing them. And some manufacturers or distributors do mix other materials with their moringa leaves powder to make more profit. According to previous research, moringa root contains spirochin, a potentially toxic alkaloid that could cause neurological issues, so only purchase it from a trusted retailer.

How To Use:

 

According to Ginger Hultin, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, based in Seattle, “There’s some protein in there too, which is exciting because generally leaves are mostly carbohydrates,”

 

One 10 grams serving of moringa powder offers 3 grams of protein. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one 10 grams serving of moringa powder offers 150 milligrams of calcium (i.e., 15 percent of the daily value, or DV), 2 milligrams of iron (i.e., 11.11 percent DV), and 160 milligrams of potassium (i.e., 3.4 percent DV). 

 

Moringa leaves powder has a mild, tea-like flavor that easily mixes into juices and smoothies to balance its wild taste. It can also be made into a tea.

 

Dried moringa leaves, grounded, unlock the potent extracts and nutrients. Dried, well-preserved moringa leaves powder tends to retain their nutrients better and longer than the fresh leaves. Avoid boiling or cooking the powder, you should only gently heat it up to activate it's nutrients and healing properties by adding gently boiled water to it or adding it to warm foods.

 

Generally, taken as tea, the powder is added into a cup, followed by gently boiled water (use clean water when you can), let sit for at least 10 minutes to infuse, stir and drink. It does not have a pleasant taste at all, add a squeeze of lemon juice or honey to balance the taste. Adding a few drops of lemon juice as the vitamin C in it powers many of the nutrients like iron to be better absorbed into the body and the iron push better carries oxygen to the heart, brain, and other body systems.

 

Other ways…

 

Sprinkle some moringa leaves powder on salad, eggs, roasted vegetables, pasta, rice, oat cereal, e.t.c. Stir a small amount into soups, dips, sauces, salad dressings, stews. (It is better to soften the dry leaves in order to break down the cell walls to draw nutrients and make them more bioavailable).

 

Bake into savory bread, brownies, muffins, cookies and other baked goods.

 

Blend already prepared moringa tea  into juice, smoothies, ice creams, protein/workout shakes.

 

*Eating an unreasonable amount of raw moringa leaves could upset the stomach and cause adverse effects.

 

*It isn't necessary to consume moringa daily to reap the same benefits of those nutrients, and it's important to remember that no dietary supplement can take the place of eating a varied diet with adequate nutrient intake.

 

Things to keep in mind

 

*Assuming you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding, or taking medication for blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid conditions, moringa powder is generally safe. That is, as long as you stick to the recommended doses listed on the package or bottle of moringa powder. Too much of it could actually disrupt or hurt your digestive system.

 

*According to an analysis published in the Journal of Toxicology, a daily limit of 70 grams of Moringa oleifera leaves is suggested to prevent potential cumulative toxicity. However, individual factors play a role in the quantity that is safe to consume.

 

*Gently cooking moringa has benefits that extend beyond its taste too. Cooking, boiling, or soaking some foods like beans, seeds, grains helps to reduce its content of phytate, which is an antinutrient that can make food nutrients more difficult to be utilized by the body and inhibit bioavailability of the other nutrients it contains. However, phytate or phytic acid are not always bad.

 

*Given moringa's high nutritional value and healing properties, this superfood can be used daily, in small doses, to achieve balanced health from hormones to blood balancing sugar level.

 

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