Look good, feel good

Wellness

If you have ever eaten a dish made with real vanilla, instead of extract, you know the taste difference is huge. There is no comparison between the genuine product and a factory made substitute. What many people do not realise, though, is not only does real vanilla undergo a carefully managed and painstaking process to reach our tables, it is a nutritional powerhouse.

Vanilla cultivation is a major enterprise in Papua New Guinea, with the country the second-largest global grower of the precious spice in 2017. Local food corporations produce a range of 100 per cent pure vanilla products such as paste, powder and extract straight from the vanilla bean – all of which are the only forms of vanilla we should be ingesting, whether it be in desserts or drinks.

Even a little pure vanilla is good for boosting mood and brain health, not to mention taking in its aroma, renowned for inducing feelings of pleasure and satiation. Vanilla is full of essential B-vitamins as well as polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant properties, leading to cosmetic use for its anti-ageing properties, as well as good amounts of important minerals.

Just one teaspoon of vanilla powder – about equal to the powder from one large bean – contains more than 100 milligrams of potassium, the mineral required to keep blood pressure at a healthy level. Potassium regulates the body’s water levels, is necessary for the heart to contract optimally, and helps balance electrolytes. The mineral ultimately relaxes blood vessels (which is how it levels out blood pressure), directly alleviating stress and tension.

That same single teaspoon of vanilla powder also contains beneficial amounts of calcium – enough to relax your mind and lower stress levels. While calcium is well known as necessary for bone strength, it is less known for its cortisol-reducing properties. Cortisol is a stress hormone and when levels are too high – a common problem in the Western world – it can result in low moods and lead to weight gain.

Pure vanilla is also high in magnesium, another balancing mineral that gives us both energy and the ability to relax, along with regulating blood sugar, maintaining healthy blood pressure, lessening chances of mild depression and PMS and ensuring our ‘feel good’ hormones are pumping.

Up your intake to a tablespoon of vanilla bean powder, and you will be providing your body with about 30 per cent of its daily requirement for manganese. Necessary for healthy moods, metabolism and brain function, manganese is found in several superfoods but especially pure vanilla.

While buying vanilla bean powder is convenient, it is possible to purchase vanilla bean pods and scrape the powder out yourself. The pods are not exactly edible, although Mayan and Aztec civilisations would grind them to create medicinal elixirs and drinks for their nobility.

This recipe from health and fitness advocate Sam Wood, creator of the 28bySamWood weight loss program (28bysamwood.com), for golden coconut and vanilla French toast is a delicious way to receive a good dose of beneficial pure vanilla as well as a host of other nutrients.