The moringa is a lovely, fragrant flowering tree that hails from India, but naturalizes beautifully in our warm Florida climate. It grows incredibly fast and is quite drought-tolerant once established, so it’s not too difficult to grow.
While it’s undoubtedly an attractive tree to add to the landscape, its edible parts provide a massive amount of vitamins and nutrients, making it a fantastic nutritional supplement. Practically every part of the plant is edible, so you can get creative with ways to integrate it into your diet.
If you have a moringa tree at home, or if you’re interested in adding some into your landscape, here are some easy ways you can make use of the many medicinal parts of the tree for better health and a stronger immune system.
Make Moringa Leaf Powder For Mixing Into Drinks
Moringa leaves have incredibly high levels of vitamins, proteins, amino acids, and other powerful nutrients. The leaves of the moringa tree can be dried and ground into a powder that you can mix into drinks, kind of like matcha tea! In fact, moringa and matcha make a pretty good combination for morning lattés, giving you a boost of energy along with a generous dose of vitamins and plant protein to kick off your day.
One single tablespoon of moringa leaf powder contains three grams of plant protein, so if you’re into protein shakes in the morning, this should be your go-to supplement. The flavor is quite subtle, so you can add the powder into fruit smoothies and other drinks without it being too overpowering. Some people mix it into dips like hummus and guacamole, or you can add it into baked goods like muffins or energy balls.
Use Moringa Fruits In Your Cooking
The long seed pods of the moringa tree, also known as drumsticks, may look a bit strange, but they’re actually quite delicious. If you’re into Indian food, you can find tons of ways to cook with this native Indian plant. It makes a perfect addition to curries, stir-fries, and other spicy, saucy dishes. Their mild flavor is similar to beans, but just a little bit sweeter, making them a surprisingly popular vegetable among children—even the picky eaters!
To prepare the drumsticks, simply wash them, chop the ends off, and slice them into chunks about the size of thick-cut french fries. Toss them into a pan with a flavorful sauce, some veggies, a little meat (if you like), and serve over rice. The outer skin of the drumsticks is too tough to eat, but the soft insides and tasty seeds can be sucked out the same way you might eat edamame beans. Containing more calcium than milk, more vitamin C per serving than a navel orange, and more Vitamin A than carrots, this underappreciated superfood will strengthen your body to help fight off bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Snack On Moringa Seeds
Moringa seeds can be popped like popcorn or added by the handful into soups, stews, and other dishes. You can also grind up your moringa seeds and add them to your cornbread batter. They may seem tiny and inconspicuous, but it’s hard to believe just how powerful moringa seeds are. They can even purify contaminated water!
But here’s the thing: moringa seeds are such a powerful supplement that if you haven’t eaten them before—or you eat them on an empty stomach—you might end up feeling a little woozy. We recommend starting slowly with moringa seeds. Eat one or two on the first day, wait a day, and then have one or two again. Gradually build up your tolerance so that you can handle four or five in a day. If you plan on taking moringa seeds regularly over the long term, don’t exceed five per day so you can still enjoy all their fantastic nutritional benefits without the upset stomach.
If you’re looking for an easy, fuss-free way to get a full dose of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and so much more, try integrating moringa into your diet! To start growing a moringa tree of your own at home, give us a call at Living Color, and we can deliver a fresh new sapling right to your door.