Holistic nutrition with regional ingredients

“Local superfoods” combine positive effects with the unadulterated enjoyment of natural foods

"Superfoods" are primarily plant-based foods with so-called "bio-active substances" that have a positive effect on the organism. With over 90 recipes and basic information, Dr. Barbara Rias-Bucher proves that fruit and vegetables, fresh from the market or from your own garden, can be convincing both from a culinary and nutritional point of view.

The good is so close

Healthy eating is very much in vogue, and the media is full of wondrous stories and sensational reports about mostly exotic foods that are supposed to be bursting with nutrients. But health-conscious consumers don't have to travel far if they want to eat well and, above all, enjoy it. Right on your doorstep - in your own garden or from the region - there is an abundance of fruit, vegetables and herbs whose ingredients can prevent and/or cure illnesses. A menu with local ingredients also makes ecological sense because they don't have to be transported over long distances.

In her new book “Local Superfoods”, cookbook author and nutrition expert Dr. Barbara Rias-Bucher presents over 90 recipes that represent a contemporary, healthy diet with a variety of organic active ingredients.

Superfood – miracle cure from nature?

Superfoods are not miracle cures, although they are now being marketed as such: They are contained in yoghurts and fruit drinks, muesli and convenience foods and appear as dietary supplements - always with the justification that they help us stay fit, slim, beautiful and, above all, healthy. But who wants to constantly think about biofunctionality when eating?

"I'm interested in holistic nutrition, not in picking out various, supposedly super-great active ingredients that Mother Nature has packed into a red berry, a green algae, or a plump exotic fruit. For me, real superfood means the modern form of nutrition: enjoyment with every meal, conscious selection of foods that make us happy and comfortably full," explains Barbara Rias-Bucher. The bio-active ingredients or phytamines in local superfoods have a positive effect on the metabolism and other functions of our organism, help the cells to work and support our body's own bacterial army, for example in the fight against bad germs and pathogens.

Prevention with knife and fork – ecologically and culinary sensible

Conscious and regular nutrition with a variety of bio-active substances is considered "prevention with knife and fork", as a pharmacologist who deals with this fascinating field of research once put it. Barbara Rias-Bucher therefore finds this topic not only interesting, but also extremely important - for our own well-being and for mindfulness of nature: "The more we know about bio-active substances, the more the plant becomes a living being that we can understand and respect."

Anyone who is aware that every fruit in the supermarket, no matter how juicy and appetizing, has been bred to suit storage, transportability and supposed consumer wishes will prefer to look for real superfood from the immediate area. "Local Superfoods" relies on plants as a food base, but it is neither a vegan cookbook nor instructions for a gluten- or lactose-free diet. Thinking and acting holistically is also best when it comes to superfoods. And that is why the focus here is on colorful variety with foods that contain little but valuable fat and provide as many organic active ingredients as possible.

Book tip:
Dr. Barbara Rias-Bucher: Local superfoods. Natural foods and their positive effects / Healthy products from the market and home-grown / Over 90 recipes with regional ingredients. Mankau Verlag, 1st edition 2015, paperback, full color, 222 pages, 17.95 euros (D) / 18.50 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-240-9.

Link recommendations:

• More about the book "Local Superfoods"
• Reading sample in PDF format
• More about Dr. Barbara Rias-Bucher
• Internet forum with Dr. Barbara Rias-Bucher