Photo: Courtesy Of GNC.The word "superfood" gets tossed around a lot. It seems like every food is super these days, from pomegranate to chocolate to kale. We're starting to ignore all the marketing noise that cites the presence of "superfoods" in order to distract from a product's high sugar or fat content. So, naturally, we were a bit skeptical when we heard about moringa, a relatively new addition to the superfood pantheon.
So, we did some sleuthing, and it turns out that this one might just be the real deal. Moringa oleifera, a tree native to India and the Himalayas but now cultivated in South America and Africa, has been an important food source in some communities for millennia. The tree leaves pack a serious nutritional punch — we're talking high levels of 90 different nutrients, including protein, fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A. But, it's the plant's antioxidant content that has scientists really excited: 46 different kinds, to be exact.
Sounds pretty nifty, right? We're expecting moringa to be one of the breakout nutrition stars of 2014. Right now, though, while you can definitely pick some up at supplement stores in tablet or powdered form (hello, green smoothies!), the only moringa-packing food product we've found are these Kuli Kuli Moringa Superfood Bars. But, with stats like these, we're thinking moringa won't be a secret for long.