Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2017: Health & Wellness Issue | Page 12

Health & Wellness
HOW TO BE A
SUPERFOOD
SUPERSTAR
In this article, nutrition and fitness consultant Ror Alexander
shows us how to shop local to reap the health benefits
(and low prices) of Asia’s superfoods.
I
f you’re the health-conscious type, it’s likely that your
go-to “superfoods” were high on the shopping list
when you first moved to Asia. You might have flood-
ed the expat Facebook groups with questions until you
could track down kale, chia seeds, kombucha and oth-
er popular foods that were part of your healthy diet
at home.
As you probably discovered, most familiar super-
foods are attainable in Thailand, but only if you’re will-
ing to shell out your money for them: Sometimes trendy
Western health foods ring up at five times the cost here
in Thailand.
But the good news — and what you might not real-
ize — is that you don’t need them.
SUPERFOOD OR JUST
SUPER FOOD?
There is no such thing, really, as a superfood — at
least not in the way we have been led to believe.
There are no magical foods containing properties
that will rid us of our ills or help us live to 110 years
old. And, of course, we should be wary anytime
something is promoted as a miracle cure.
Superfoods are simply ingredients or products
high in valuable or hard-to-find nutrients and com-
paratively low in calories considering the nutrition
they deliver. It’s not as catchy as saying “superfood,”
but the label “nutrient-dense, low-calorie food” is
much more accurate.
SUPERFOOD SHOPPING
IN BANGKOK
The superfoods lauded by the media and celebrities in
the West can be left behind in your home country without
worry. Why? Because there’s an ample amount of produce
to satisfy your health-food needs right here in the Land
of Smiles. Best of all, the foods in this list can be found in
Bangkok at very wallet-friendly prices.
12 WANDERLUST
GREEN TEA
A Japanese staple now readily available all around the
world, green tea has a high amount of antioxidants, as
well as metabolism-boosting effects. Many of the bene-
ficial bioactive compounds found in the leaves actually
make it to the drink, delivering a cupful of powerful nutri-
ents that can reduce the formation of free radicals in the
body. Higher quality brands of tea tend to contain lower
levels of harmful fluoride. But, whichever you choose, the
benefits of green tea far outweigh the negatives.