Today I’m going to broaden your food horizon a little bit by introducing you to a superfood that you may already have in your home for purposes other than eating—aloe vera.
Chances are, you’re familiar with aloe vera for boo-boo relief. Your grandmother might have rubbed it on your scraped knees, and you may rub it on tender, sunburned skin and other scratches and minor burns.
But did you know that you can eat aloe vera too?
Aloe vera leaf is actually a superfood and it is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on the planet.
That gel inside the aloe vera leaf is full of minerals, vitamins, powerful enzymes, antioxidants, and fiber. Here’s a short list of the goodness inside that aloe vera leaf:
• Calcium
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Selenium
• Chromium
• Sulfur
• Vitamins A, C, and E
• Sterols
• Polysaccharides
• Lignins
Aloe vera is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. It can boost your immune system like crazy!
Here are some of the reasons you might want to consider adding aloe vera to your diet:
Reduce inflammation. If you suffer from joint inflammation, aloe vera will help reduce that associated pain.
Heal chronic illness. Whether you have diabetes, heart disease, or cancer, aloe vera can help make you feel better. It can also help make cancer treatments less painful.
Hydration. Aloe vera can help prevent hardening of your organs by keeping them well hydrated. This goes for your skin too!
Digestion. Aloe vera will sweep mucus out of your intestinal tract which will help your system enhance nutrient absorption. It can also heal your leaky gut.
The list of health benefits of this amazing superfood is almost endless.
So, how do you eat aloe vera?
Most people get the goodness of aloe vera from a gel capsule or a tablet. You can also look for organic aloe vera juice.
But by now you’re probably wondering if you can just go ahead and start chomping on that aloe vera plant you have in your home. The answer? Depends on the plant!
There are many different species of aloe plants. The one you can extract the gel from to make into your own aloe vera juice is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller plant.
To extract the gel, break off a few leaves of your aloe vera plant and then follow these steps:
• Carefully remove the rind from the plant leaves with a sharp knife
• Peel away the yellow layer just below the rind and discard it (All that’s left now is the gel)
• Continue the process until you have two or three tablespoons of gel
You’ll want to use this up right away because it oxidizes very quickly.
The gel tastes quite bitter on its own, so I like adding it to my daily juicing routine or into a smoothie.
How much aloe vera should you eat?
A couple of tablespoons per day should do.
Will you try this amazing superfood or are you already familiar with it? Let us know on our Facebook page!
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