New Zealand Superfoods to the Rescue
We talk to Nutrient Rescue CEO Tejada Stark about why you need to consider upping your intake of organic fruit and vegetables to enjoy a fully functioning body and mind.
It is estimated 63 per cent of New Zealanders miss out on their five-a-day of fruit and vegetables, which is contributing to epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and dementia. There are many reasons for this. We lead busy lives, we are time-poor and the supermarket shelves are packed full of convenient, highly-processed foods lacking in nutrients. Many of us do not have the time to embrace the backyard vege garden and reap the benefits of fresh, nutritious homegrown produce.
Christchurch-based social enterprise Nutrient Rescue is on a mission to change this, improving the health of New Zealanders by making it easier to get their quota of nutritious fruit and vegetables all year round. They have created a range of nutrient-dense ‘shots’ made from freeze-dried fruit and vegetables grown right here in New Zealand. The Green and Red Shots are made using the who’s who of superfoods, including blackcurrants, boysenberries, wheatgrass, barley grass and broccoli sprouts.
Why Green & Red?
Red Berries – Immunity Boost
Red berries such as blackcurrants and boysenberries are antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory. They help increase blood flow to the brain and increase athletic performance and recovery. For over 10 years New Zealand Plant & Food Research has been studying the effects of taking New Zealand blackcurrants and the results are impressive. Packed with vitamin C, blackcurrants are great immunity boosters.
Leafy Greens – Detoxify
One of the reasons we are sicker now than ever before is that our commercial vegetables and fruit have been bred for easy growing and sweet taste at the expense of the bitter alkaloids that keep us healthy. We need to eat green foods that are still rich in nutrients, especially ‘baby plants’ picked fresh or dried. Sprouts and grasses of cereal grains contain all the nutrients of the single plant in small volume. Wheat and barley grass bind toxins whilst the sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts activates enzymes that help the body metabolise environmental chemicals.
Following 26 years of marketing and communications experience in Sydney, London and New Zealand, Tejada Stark now leads the Nutrient Rescue team and is responsible for delivering their mission to help New Zealanders become the healthiest, most energetic people on the planet.
