That One Time in Sedona + The Scoop on Superfoods

It was a classic chia-eating, kombucha-drinking, new-age cafe scene.

I sat around a “community” table made of repurposed lumber from a barn and painted with what I can only imagine was beet juice and upcycled veggie oil. I never got confirmation on the paint, but I’d be willing to bet a couple of ounces of raw, organic, guru-blessed cacao nibs that I nailed it.

Our table was outside on the patio, amongst hammocks, Kokopelli memorabilia, a stack of hula hoops, and get this—a wooden structure built specifically to hold an assortment of aerial silks for any and all who felt called.

Amazingly, all of the silks were being used. I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty confident that everyone using the silks had six-pack abs (without trying) and roamed the earth with nothing more than a water canteen and a dream catcher. 

Just beyond the A-frame structure that held the silks was a rustic wooden fence, which I’m assuming was constructed by either Jesus or someone from the Grateful Dead, and it encapsulated the womb-like patio where I could feel a group kumbaya coming on at any moment.

Is now a good time to mention that an abundance of Tibetan prayer flags were strewn about like the New Age Superstore from down the street had a massive full moon sale? 

As I was eating my Sunshine Radiant Alive Prana meal (which I came to the uncertain conclusion was a salad?) and sipping my charcoal smoothie with added Hunza mulberries (can someone explain?) I couldn’t help but pick up bits of conversations happening around me. Astrological mysteries, the mind-altering power of meditating with crystals, and reishi mushroom powder were the topics of more than one conversation within earshot.

“If my reishi powder is organic and fair trade, does it have to be certified non-GMO as well?” The jury was still out on that one when I got distracted by another conundrum. I couldn’t make out the problem exactly, given the live traveling flute music that was getting closer and closer to the table, but it was something about a $25 package of goji berries and some spoiled maca powder. It sounded pretty intense, so I nonchalantly tilted my head closer, but the damn flutists were now at the table, making it impossible for me to eavesdrop.

I finished my meal with a single bite of raw, stone-ground almond butter from a spoon made of amethyst and gave a gratitude prayer to the universe out loud, as instructed by my server. I took a deep breath, let my surroundings soak in, and wondered if anyone else was ever inspired to write about carrots after having such a dining experience. 

Here’s the thing.

I appreciate and enjoy organic, non-GMO, small batch, fair trade, stone-ground, plant-based ingredients just as much as the next person who was raised by hippies out on the land in a tiny New Mexico town. And I will happily dine at any eatery offering up such conscious food.

But what I’m not a fan of is singling out certain ingredients and giving them superhuman powers while other plant-based ingredients go overlooked. 

Look, I’m sure there are health benefits of eating goji berries, maca, moringa, and the latest and greatest mushroom powder, but carrots, white button mushrooms, onions, and spinach are also pretty damn amazing. The difference is “superfoods” are typically packaged with fancy marketing treatment before they hit the shelves, whereas carrots in the produce section are, well, just carrots. There’s no marketing company paid to come up with clever taglines, sexy packaging, and persuasive copy designed to make you put those carrots in your cart ASAP because you simply cannot live without them. Carrots and all the other produce in the grocery store or at farmers markets are on their own. 

In a world where there’s more profit to be made from packaged foods than from fresh foods, our decisions as consumers are influenced, whether we realize it or not. Behind every packaged food you buy, there is a marketing strategy to help get it in your cart. 

So buy the packaged superfood if you want, but don’t forget about the power of regular ol’ veggies, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. They might not have sexy packaging or celebrity endorsements, but they are kick-ass for our health and can give us long-term protection from chronic illness and disease. That, along with regular exercise, getting plenty of sleep each night, and having frequent in-person social interactions (maybe at such places that have community tables?), and you will feel like a million bucks, now and well into the future. 

No single superfood will ever compare to that.

Xo
Molly

This blog post originally appeared with this superfood-free plant-based taco recipe. Check it out, no moon-blessed ingredient required.