Tried something new: Aloe vera

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-13 13:53

One of my favorite new books is Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future by David Wolfe. I heard David speak at my school earlier this year and had to know more about superfoods and his living raw food diet.

What are superfoods, you say? They are the most nutritious foods on Earth. When you eat them, they provide unparalleled amounts of nutrition and medicinal benefits to your body. Freakin’ cool, right?

So, little by little, I’ve tried out some of the superfoods over the past few months. I now put goji berries in my smoothies, I stir spirulina into my guacamole, and I crave raw chocolate ALL THE TIME. But there’s still much more to try!

This weekend I hit up a local food market with my sister, and spotted some fresh aloe leaves hidden in the aisle with the fresh greens. Aloe vera is a superfood, so I picked one up for $1.50 and decided to try it out.

As I’m sure you know, aloe vera is great for your skin, but it works magic inside your body too. I suggest you pick up David’s Superfoods book to get the real deal, but here’s just a few benefits of eating aloe:

Heals digestive issues like IBS, colitis, and ulcers. Hydrates your body, making your skin look younger. Promotes a strong immune system. Aids in weight loss. Balances blood sugar (reducing symptoms of diabetes) and keeps the kidneys healthy. Reduces existence of inflammation, cancer, and heart disease.

To eat aloe, you cut off a section of the leaf and fillet it to remove the clear gel inside. Aloe vera gel can be added to smoothies, salads, soups, dips, drinks, etc.

This morning I cut off a 3-inch piece of the aloe leaf, removed the gel from the skin, and dropped it right into my berry smoothie before I blended it up. I barely noticed it was there, and if anything, it just added a nice “fresh” element to my drink.

If you want to buy aloe, keep your eye out for the fresh leaves at your local market or grocery store.