You may be asking yourself, “What is a Superfood?” and “Why are they useful?”
Superfoods have a seamless balance of macronutrients, whilst providing concentrated amounts of beneficial vitamins and minerals making them a super-choice as ingredients to bring into your daily life.
When faced with deciding which ingredients we wanted to include in our energizing chocolate snacks, we wanted to ensure that we were maximizing your fuelling moments with these purposeful ingredients.
Inflammation fighting antioxidants, insoluble fibres and activating vital minerals are only some of the healthful properties that superfoods impart when you eat them.
Sound interesting and therefore you want to know what Superfoods you will find in the 7 Summits Snacks range? Keep reading to find out.
Goji Berries:
You can find these in our Everest bars! They are native to Northwestern regions of China and have been used in Chinese herbal remedies for centuries with the thought that they are able to improve the health of the eyes, kidneys, and liver.
In Western cultures, these robust berries have been deemed a Superfood due to the balanced nutrients that they hold and are very high in antioxidants.
Research has shown that increasing the antioxidant capacity of the blood during exercise – through nutritional intervention – improves blood flow to the working muscles, optimises energy production using oxygen, reduces muscle damage and soreness, and even improves exercise performance!
Learn more about Goji Berries in our Endurance Blog here
Golden Berries:
One of our South American ingredients in our Aconcagua bar! Native to Peru, these tart little berries hold the reputation of being able to cure jaundice.
Golden berries contain anti-oxidizing carotenoids and polyphenols which prevent the release of substances that cause inflammation and are also packed with Vitamin C!
What a great way to fuel your everyday adventures!
Blueberries:
Found in our Denali bar, these little berries are perhaps the most well-known to pack a punch! They are very high in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and fiber, and are thought to have the highest number of antioxidants in everyday fruits and vegetables.
We’ve “jammed” in more of these petite, yet powerful superfoods in our Denali bars vs our Everest and Aconcagua flavours to help take away the guilt of the indulgent flavours of our Milk Chocolate PB&J option allowing you to go further-faster!
And, even better - we source Wild Canadian Blueberries for our Denali bars making them that more local of a fuelling option for you!
Honey:
An often-forgotten superfood, our honey is sourced from Albertan bees and is found in all of our Endurance bars. Known for being an immunity booster, honey also has antibacterial and antiviral properties which helps to fight sickness.
While all of this is “super” beneficial, the main reason we love honey is because one tablespoon has 17 grams of carbohydrates, making it “naturally” a better fuel than maltodextrin or other heavily processed syrups.
Each of our endurance bars contains 1 tsp, or 6g of carbs directly from the honey itself.
Cocoa:
Or even cacao, our most important ingredient in our product range. Cacao/ Cocoa is the basis of chocolate and contains more antioxidants per gram than all of the superfoods you’ve already read about and beyond.
What’s the difference between cacao and cocoa- heat and time. The cacao purists out there will argue that “cacao” is a purer version of cocoa, which does hold some truth.
Cacao is usually not processed or “roasted” at as high of temperatures or for as long as cocoa (for good reason, this Chocolate Scientist will argue). Irrespective of the roasting time or temperature, both cacao and cocoa are high in calcium, zinc, copper and selenium - which are the minerals imparting their superfood status to the ingredients.
What is important when you choose a cacao/cocoa based product - look for the higher fiber and lower fat content on the back of the label. This means that there is more cacao/cocoa/ or “brown stuff” which brings flavour and antioxidants.
When comparing two cocoa products of equal “percentage” ie: 70% dark chocolates, the one with the higher fat content means there is more cocoa butter in the final product. More cocoa butter, means less cocoa beans, means less antioxidants.
Our favourite fact about cocoa is that it triggers three neuro-transmitters in the brain to help boost your overall mood: Serotonin, Dopamine and Phenylethylamine, thus making it the most pleasant reason why you should fuel with chocolate!
Sound deliciously energizing to you? We sure think so. You can check us online or locate a stockist near you by visiting our website. Don’t forget to sign up when visit for 10% off your first purchase of our superfood packed 7 Summits Snacks.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/honey-natures-sweet-superfood/
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/chocorotica-why-cacao-ultimate-superfood