After
meeting the phenomenal Julie Morris at Whole Foods a few months ago, I’ve been following the young company
she represents, Navitas Naturals. Navitas, the Latin word for energy, has a simple mission statement:
Sustainable, organically grown, nutrient rich whole foods are best. As such,
they have dedicated themselves to making the most nutrient rich, sustainable
foods on the planet available to the average consumer. (They lovingly refer to
their product as superfoods). All of their products look to enhance health and
increase energy.
I do
not think you need to include “superfoods” into your diet to be healthy. Nor do
I believe that the inclusion of superfoods into an otherwise unhealthy diet
will greatly change your overall health. That said, if you already eat a
healthy array of plant-based foods, Navatis Naturals’ superfoods are an
excellent way to greatly boost your antioxidant and phyto-nutrient intake.
Recently, a large box
arrived at my doorstep. I was delighted when I opened it up!
Now
just to be clear, they did send me these products for free with the expectation
that I would do a blog review of their products; however, the agreement was for
nothing more than a serious and honest evaluation of their products. That said,
I freely admit that I am biased. These were in my pantry when the box arrived:
I
also buy Navitas Naturals chia seeds, however I keep them in a glass jar
instead of their package. When the box arrived I was happy to see some old
favorites but I was really excited to try a few products which I have not yet
sampled.
Product
One: Maca Powder!
I
love this stuff. A root vegetable similar to turnips which grows in mineral
rich volcanic soil of the Peruvian highland, maca has been a staple of native
Peruvians for thousands of years. While I’ve never tasted fresh maca, the raw
maca powder from Navitas has a sweet, almost vanilla taste. Among its many benefits,
maca helps the adrenal glands find balance. When the body becomes stressed
either from the chaos of every day or from a hard workout, the adrenal glands
respond by releasing corticosteroids such as adrenaline but also release
serotonin which helps the body feel relaxed and calm. When the body is stressed
frequently, the adrenal glands become over worked. This will result in the
bodies’ decreased ability to deal with stress and can lead to hormonal
imbalances, exhaustion, and disease. Because modern day life is so hectic, this
is not an uncommon problem. As if reducing your stress load wasn’t enough, maca
is also a rich source of a steroid-like substance called sterols which promote
the regeneration of muscle tissue! By incorporating a small amount into a
smoothie after a workout, (or by making some of Julie’s amazing Maple-Maca Ice Cream) the body is better able to recover after hard
workouts or long stressful days. Raw Maca powder is one of my favorite staples
from Navitas and I especially love to mix it with just a little bit of vanilla
extract, cinnamon, some raw cocoa and some soaked almonds for a delicious post-workout
recovery smoothie!
Product
Two: Chia Seeds
Okay,
so I’ve blogged about Chia seeds in the past
and for good reason. These tiny seeds have eight times the Omega 3s as salmon,
five times the calcium as milk, three times the iron as spinach, three times
the antioxidants as blueberries and are twenty percent protein! They
effectively replenish minerals used in muscle contractions and are high in both
soluble and insoluble fiber, helping to sustain high energy levels. I sprinkle these things on pretty much
everything I eat, from salads to steamed veggies to lentils. Sometimes I even
just toss a tablespoon into water and drink them straight. The downside of chia
is it can be expensive. Navitas offers a pretty great deal, often a few dollars
cheaper than the other brands on the shelf and to top it off, they are
certified organic and always completely raw!
Product Three: Twister
Blend (goji, acai, and pomegranate)
This
product is new to me. It is a blend of goji berry powder, pomegranate powder
and acai berry powder As you can see in the picture above, I have each of these
guys individually, however buying them in a blend seems like a great way of
saving some money and not having to choose between the various benefits of each
powder. It is hard to tell the color, but I was surprised to find a cayenne
pepper color with dark purple sprinkles mixed in.
Goji berries have long been
trumpeted as one of the most nutrient-dense superfoods on the planet! In fact,
I typically bring a bag of Navitas Naturals Goji Berries with me when I travel.
Goji’s are an excellent source of protein, antioxidants, all of the essential amino
acids and over 20 other vitamins and minerals! There is a reason why these tiny
red berries are held in such high esteem in Asia! Navitas Naturals’ Pomegranate
Powder is particularly special. They freeze-dry the entire pomegranate skin,
pulp, juice and pod and then blend it into a fine, sweet light pink powder preserving
all of the fruits' amazing nutrients. Particularly high in Vitamin C and
potassium, it has also been proven to be an antioxidant powerhouse containing phytoestrogens
and polyphenols. These two compounds are remarkably capable at fighting free
radicals, helping to prevent the breakdown of cells and inhibit viral
infections. The juice of the pomegranate has also been linked to good heart
health. Finally the Twister contains acai, a dark purple berry, native to South
American palm trees. Becoming increasingly popular among westerners (in juice
form) acai contains monosaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as
flavonoids, which have been linked in early studies by UCLA to reduce the risk
of lung cancer in smokers. Hesperidin, a type of flavonoid have also been
shown to have beneficial effects on capillary permeability, making blood flow
more easily throughout the body.
Obviously,
this powder was created to be mixed into smoothies; however I find it is also
great in oil-free salad dressings, as a sweetener in tea or can easily be added
to flours to add an extra antioxidant boost when baking. Simply put, I was
really impressed with this mix. I even started mixing a teaspoon of it into my
breakfast quinoa, buckwheat and oatmeal mix!
Product
Four: Power Snack (three varieties)
These
little bite sized delights are brilliant. I’ve only tried the Blueberry Hemp
Snack, but Navitas has taken their most potent and delicious superfoods and created
each of these delicious snacks as a way of taking the power and energy of
superfoods easily on the go. Personally, I have enjoyed packing a few of these
guys on my long marathon training runs for when I am looking for a
little pick me up after hours of pounding the pavement. While I admit that this
is the only product of theirs I have tried where the flavor was not an instant
hit, by bite two I was hooked and I’ll be coming back for more soon and often.
Besides being a great fuel for running, they would make a perfect lunch
companion for anyone looking to cram a lot of nutrition into their afternoon
meal.
Besides offering amazing products, Navitas Naturals is committed to sustainable growing methods as well as human welfare. Their products are all certified organic. Their cocoa products are not only organically grown, they are fairly purchased as Navitas really demonstrates their commitment to a food revolution by only sourcing their products from certain places. Often times, small companies source their products, particularly cocoa and other forms of chocolate, from all of the global making the growing and laboring conditions difficult to trace. Navitas Naturals however has received a seal of approval from the Food Empowerment Project. On top of that, their website is filled with delicious and nutritious recipes using superfoods! They really are a feel good company!
THE GIVEAWAY!
Now
for the part you are all waiting for. I am happy to announce Navitas Naturals
has the distinct honor of being BYOL's first blog giveaway (a bag of dried lentils didn't seem as exciting!) They agreed to send a
small package of goods to the winner of this contest! Here are the rules.
First, the winner needs to live in the United States (sorry international
readers, no disrespect). Second, you must be a subscriber to the blog. There
are two ways to gain entry. First, leave a comment on this blog post about
which product you most want to try. Second, “like” Navitas Naturals Facebook
page. Doing both will increase your chances of winning. The contest will end
Friday, October 10, 2012. Good luck and cheers!
Obviously, I owe a huge thank you to Navitas Naturals for the goodness
they have provided me as well as for agreeing to do the giveaway. I also want
to thank Julie Morris and Mic LeBel of Navitas Naturals and finally Gena
Hamshaw of the blog choosingraw. She helped me set up the contest rules and is a huge inspiration to
me.
