DRIED SUPERFOODS & SUPER FRUITS

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The goldenberry grows in a bush and it has been cultivated since the pre-Columbian period. 

It was cultivated in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and was one of the most venerated fruits in the noble’s garden.

Nowadays, it is considered one of the five best foods for the health produced in Peru. The official name is Physalis peruviana but in Peru we call them Aguaymanto. 

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• Golden berries are one of the best antioxidants because of their high content of carotenoids and polyphenol. 
• It relieves stress, fights high blood pressure, anxiety, and stabilizes blood-sugar levels, highly recommended to people with diabetes. 
• It also helps prevent stomach, colon, and intestinal cancer.
• This superfood has anti-inflammatory properties.
• It is diuretic and is considered to be a natural tranquilizer. 
• Its main phytochemicals are vitamin A, C and phosphorus.

Uses and applications: Direct consumption, juices, chocolates, smoothies, jams, snacks, cereals, beauty products

Camu Camu is a tree that grows naturally in the Peruvian Amazon. This superfood is circular in shape, small, and reddish in color, with a slightly acidic flavor.

100% natural raw camu camu powder is made from camu camu berries which grow on trees in the flooded areas of the Amazon rainforest.  

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• Camu camu offers the highest documented source of Vitamin C, providing 30-60 times more than an orange, and 200 times more than a banana. 
• Camu Camu also contains important nutrients such as antioxidants, amino acids, phytochemicals, and minerals such as potassium and beta-carotene. 
• It raises the spirits and strengthens the immune and nervous system. 
• 100 grams of this fruit provides 7.1 milligrams of potassium, which is a mineral that helps lower high blood pressure and prevent retention of liquids improving heart function.
• Degenerative brain diseases may be blocked by eating this superfood, improving concentration and preventing possible “brain fog” and Alzheimer’s. 
• Cancer is another disease that may be prevented by eating camu camu, thanks to its powerful antioxidant properties as a defense for the body. 
• Inflammation also responds well to drinking the juice of this fruit, due to its high vitamin C content.
• It also helps to maintain healthy eyes and skin as well as healthy levels of white blood cells. 
• Fights viruses and flu, as well as cold sores, shingles, and coughs.

Uses and applications: Powder: juices, smoothies, cereals, snacks, capsules, food suplements, yoghurts.

Story tells that an Andean goddess refused to feel love, until a mythological being dressed like a beggar with a lúcuma, which represents fertility in the Inca mythology. 

In the northern valleys, their seeds appear on clay basins and potery instruments,.

Lucuma fruit looks like an avocado. The hard green exterior serves as a protective shell for the sweet caramel tasting fruit. The flesh of the lucuma fruit is golden yellow. It covers a hard pip the size of a walnut.

The pulp of the lucuma fruit is dehydrated to produce lucuma powder. 

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• This magnicent fruit contains high quality minerals such as iron, calcium and zinc; niacins like vitamin A and B3; antioxidants, fiber, carbohydrates; and it helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides.
•  In ancient records, lucuma fruit was said to be used to aid skin health.
• Provides carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals to the diet.
• Contains beta-carotene, an antioxidant that delays the aging process.
• Reduces the possibility of heart attacks.
• Prevents anemia and strengthens the immune system.

Uses and applications: Smoothies, baked goods, cereals, yogurts, ice creams, snacks, chocolates, liquors and natural sweetener.

Considered a gift of the gods by pre-Columbian cultures, maca is a leafy plant native to the Andes of Peru that offers multiple nutritional and medicinal benefits. 

Not only was this ancient product held sacred for its ability to enhance virility, vitality and physical strength, it was also used as an offering to the gods.

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• Maca stabilizes and controls blood pressure and relieves insomnia. 
• It is recommended for regaining mental and physical equilibrium. 
• It also helps alleviate stress and tiredness, replacing them with energy and mental clarity. 
• Regulates and stimulates the endocrine system, which produces the hormones needed for bodily and metabolic functions like fertility, sexual arousal, digestion, the brain and the nervous system’s physiological response.
• Its terpenoids and saponins are an analgesic, relieving pain and acting as a sedative. This makes injuries heal more quickly and combats anemia.
• It has 8 essential amino acids and fiber.

Uses and applications: Energy drinks, iInfusions, tablets, smoothies, snacks, cereals, granola, baked goods.

The superfood mesquite belongs to the cultural and culinary heritage of Piura, in northern Peru. 

Its roots can reach down to aquifers, meaning it can dot the most arid landscapes of the north with its towering foliage of up to 65 feet tall. 

Sweet and highly nutritional, its botanical name is Prosopis pallida.

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• Natural energizer that can be eaten by children, athletes and the elderly. 
• This food is gluten-free, and its soluble fiber content is good for intestinal flora because it helps get rid of harmful bacteria. 
• The product cleanses the body of heavy metals and radioactive substances.
• High in fiber, glucose, fructose and sucrose. It also has carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin C, vitamin E, minerals and potassium. These properties balance the blood’s pH, and since it is high in energy, the food also boosts the immune system.
• High in vitamin A, mesquite also helps lower blood sugar levels and builds strong bones and teeth. 
• Highly recommended to consume during pregnancy and lactation as it stimulates breast milk.
• Help keep a steady heart rate.

Uses and applications: Natural sweetener, desserts, baked goods, cakes, snacks, cereals.

This wonderful crop grows at altitudes of between 1,000 and 3,200 m.a.s.l.

Represented by the Mochica culture on their clay pots as the origin of life, this sweet Andean root is highly recommended for diabetic patients because it reduces the glucose in the blood. 

HEALTH BENEFITS & PROPERTIES

• It is a low caloric natural sweetener
• Excellent for hypocaloric diets and for diabetic patients.
• It has anti-diabetic properties.
• High content of insulin, dietary fiber that helps the organism to metabolize the glucose and diminishes cholesterol rates.
• Reduces risk of osteoporosis.
• Its daily use diminishes triglycerides levels in the blood.
• Relieves gastrointestinal problems.

Uses and applications: Natural sweetener, juices, syrup, jam, flakes, granola, flour, cereals, snacks.