Native to northwestern India, Moringa oleifera is a small tree that’s grown in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. The leaves have a slightly nutty taste with a hint of horseradish and can be eaten raw or cooked, though they’re most commonly powdered and used as a supplement in smoothies and drinks or made into a tea. MORE: The Only 4 Smoothie Recipes You’ll Ever Need It’s extraordinarily nutritious: Ounce for ounce Moringa has twice the protein of yogurt, four times as much calcium as milk, and three times as much potassium as a banana. MORE: The World’s Healthiest Foods Not only is it healthy and tasty, but you don’t have to feel guilty about buying it. Unlike crops that can be harvested only once a year, moringa leaves grow and mature all year round. This means farmers can subsist on the plants while growing them, which hinders the kind of problems typically associated with foods such as quinoa, where the entire crop must be sold, leaving little for the farmers or their communities. The tree also produces other crops and products growers use and sell locally: The seed pods are edible, and the seeds can be made into a useful oil. Not only do they produce abundant crops, but the trees also need little in the way of water or fertilizers and grow easily in dry places where few other crops do well. Bonus: The leaves are compact and lightweight to store and ship, giving them a much smaller ecological footprint. So where can you score some? Moringa leaf is getting easier to find every day. It’s sold in most health food stores and many supermarkets, and you can shop for it online. You’ll find moringa leaf powder sold in powdered form, as well as ready-to-eat products such as Kuli Kuli Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bars (which supports small farmers in Africa) or blended with other ingredients to make a suplement, such as Essential Living Foods Organic Vegan Protein Powder. It’s even found its way into beauty products, such as Blue Labelle Organic Restorative Face Oil. Moringa smoothies and facials, anyone? The article “The World’s Most Nutritious Green (Hint: It Ain’t Kale)” originally ran on RodalesOrganicLife.com.
