Baobab, The Latest “Superfood”, Is Key For Immunity, Vitality, and Youth

Late last week, our friends at New York Magazine ran a story called “There’s No Such Thing as a Superfood”, which addressed the nascent discussion of superfoods as “marketing gimmicks”– or so says Duane Mellor, a nutrition scientist at the University of Canberra in Australia, among many other respected nutrition experts in the field.

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Andreana Bitsis

While the word “superfood” frequently comes under fire for being essentially meaningless, the foods that often receive this designation do not. Baobab– the latest superfood to enter the popular lexicon– has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food in the world, and the highest among all fruits. As a nutrient-dense tree fruit native to Africa, its fibrous and seedy pulp can be used to make everything from a “superfood smoothie” (looking at you, food marketers!) to an antioxidant face mask (a story for another time).

Baobab dries naturally on the branch but is often sold ground in powder form. Sweet and reminiscent of citrus, it’s an ideal add-in to smoothies, yogurt, jellies, cereals, and even no-bake desserts. (Our favorite supplier of baobab, Aduna, sources their fruits from baobab trees that are community-owned, which helps create sustainable income streams in Africa– an atypical market model for fruit that is named a “superfood” in the West, as often this designation leads to rainforest destruction or ecosystem manipulation triggered by the forces of supply and demand.)

Baobab Smoothie

View Recipe

Baobab Smoothie

5 min

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Baobab
1 banana
1 cup blueberries
2 medjool dates
1 cup almond milk

Preparation

1.

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Tip: Add the almond milk last to ensure a smooth texture.

Baobab’s high vitamin C content also makes it suitable for topical skincare treatments, as vitamin C helps neutralize free radical skin damage. Baobab can be mixed with a little water to form a paste that helps reduce the appearance of sunspots and fine lines, and we have a bespoke recipe for our own mask forthcoming–stay tuned!