Let’s dig a little deeper to find out just how often you should be eating moringa.

Why Moringa?

If you are using moringa to help combat or prevent diseases, like diabetes or high cholesterol, your intake of moringa might be different than supplemental moringa users. In this case, we recommend speaking with a doctor and holistic health expert. This article is a general guide for people who want to eat moringa every day, and want a guideline for how often and how much that can be!

Green Moringa Smoothie

Experts say there is no maximum “dosage” for people using moringa as a supplement. However, it is also important to note that unlike many other superfood powders, moringa is in fact not a supplement. It is a real food product regulated by the FDA. This means you can be sure that its nutritional contents are the real deal.

We summarized the 10 Reasons to Eat Moringa Everyday in another article too. Besides supporting a good cause and sustainable farming, consuming moringa has so many health benefits to enjoy.

Are there Negative Side Effects to Eating moringa?

Luckily, since moringa is a vegetable, and there aren’t many negative side effects associated with eating it. Consume moringa like any vegetable in your healthy diet; however, if you’re having any adverse reactions, then definitely let a health professional know.

In human studies of moringa consumption, no known toxicity or adverse effects have been found. In Burkina Faso, severely malnourished local children receive 10 grams of moringa a day without any negative effects. Studies on mice show toxicity at high levels of an aqueous extract of moringa. However, these levels are much higher than what is attainable through eating moringa leaves⁠—think 195 grams for an 80 kg adult. You would have to consume a ridiculous amount of moringa for that!

How Much Moringa Should I eat?

Carrie Waterman, PhD, Professional Researcher at UC Davis, has been working with moringa for 15 years. She is currently conducting moringa research funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health. You can read more about Dr. Waterman in our webinar recap about How to Eat for Energy and Immunity.

Waterman notes research that says the optimal amount of moringa for a 150 lbs adult is 1,600-2,200 mgs a day. However, she recommends a daily serving size of 5-10 grams. Waterman counsels, “Because moringa is considered a vegetable, like broccoli or spinach, its consumption is generally regarded as safe in countries of native consumption.”

In conclusion, since there aren’t really any negative effects to eating moringa leaf powder, and its nutritional benefits are numerous, you can eat as much moringa as you are comfortable with. Our daily recommendation of 1 tsp – 1 tbsp still stands. This will be enough for your body to reap the benefits of moringa’s iron, protein, and fiber content, and more.

Moringa is also extremely easy to add to your diet as you can include our moringa powder in a vast array of delicious recipes. If you feel overwhelmed by all the 200+ moringa recipes on our blog, just pick one moringa routine that works for you and stick with it.

Lots of people love their morning moringa smoothie, while others crave moringa in their afternoon pick-me-up snack. These days even avocado moringa nice cream is in the realm of possibility.

Here are a few recipes to get you #MoringaInspired! Be sure to check out our blog and follow us @kulikulifoods for more!

Green Moringa Smoothie

Green Moringa Smoothie Bowl

Detox Salad with Moringa Tahini Dressing

Follow us @kulikulifoods so we can see some of your favorite ways to add this energizing superfood to your daily routine.

The post How Often Should I Eat Moringa? appeared first on Kuli Kuli Foods.

If you missed the webinar, Creating Climate-Friendly Businesses Despite Global Chaos, you can watch it by clicking the link, or watching it below. We’ll provide a quick summary in this article too.

Climate-Friendly Business Webinar featuring Lisa Curtis, Teddy Ruge, and Larissa Zimberoff.

3 Highlights from our Climate-Smart Webinar

This is a tricky time for small businesses and farmers around the world. We hope this webinar offers a bit of hope, and solid reason to move forward with sustainable initiatives because of uncertain times—not only despite them.

1. Sustainable and Ethical Initiatives Can Bolster Each Other

Sustainable and ethically-driven initiatives do not inherently compete as priorities, for a business to consider. About four minutes into this webinar, Teddy Ruge explains how moringa farming became a catalyst for prioritizing sustainable farming and providing income to farmers. With climate change already impacting Uganda, Teddy felt that sustainable farming was the best way forward. In his experience, subsistence farmers have a lot of land, but they often do not have the resources to turn that land into a consistent income.

Teddy Ruge, climate-smart innovator

Teddy began moringa farming by wondering “how do we incentivize famers to plant this particular plant the way that we want to be planted,” meaning, in a sustainable manner? To make this happen, Teddy wanted to ensure that farmers would also benefit from the sustainable and commercial farming of moringa.

To do this, Teddy devised a Secure Income Program. By calculating how much income one hectare of moringa farming brings, and dividing that amount into monthly payments. Every month, farmers are guaranteed a payment so they can plan their finances, rather than waiting for a profit for a product that is months away from going to market.

2. Functional Food Forests Are the Way Forward

Teddy mentions the idea of a “functional food forest.” These forests are based on the principle that everything is interconnected. From an ecological perspective, this premise is true. Food forests and farms mimic “natural forests” in terms of ecological services. They also help mitigate drought, floods, and other increased challenges associated with climate change.

Food forests offer a closed, sustainable system where the soil is nourished with organic practices, which also supports the lives of any flora and fauna that find their way into this food forest ecosystem.

When farmers do not have to worry solely about food security and income, there is more incentive to care for the ecosystem and support climate-smart agriculture. Deforestation is a pressing issue, and moringa can be part of reforestation efforts. Moringa exist well with other crops and species, and can help restore landscapes damaged by unsustainable farming, such as that of sugarcane.

3. People Want to Care About Their Brands

About thirty-five minutes into the webinar, founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli, Lisa Curtis explains a key point. Businesses can benefit from having ethical supply chains and sustainability as part of their core mission. Now more than ever, people want to feel connected to the goods they purchase. With food, people want to feel connected in several ways. Who grew the product? What is the land like where this food was grown? Do these farmers get paid well? How is the land cared for?

Small companies that change the lives of people can be role-models for bigger companies too. Imagine a world where every company valued people and the land first, before profits?

In the words of Lisa Curtis, “that transparency and authenticity and consistency is something that so many food brands in America are searching for today.” It’s also one of the reasons investors may choose to invest in certain businesses.

For more highlights, please watch our webinar below about creating climate-friendly businesses during uncertain times. Feel free to share with anyone who also inspires you!

Thank you to our supporters, customers, suppliers, and our entrepreneurs, as we unite our sustainability efforts across the world. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below!

Follow us @kulikulifoods to learn more about innovators and climate-smart agriculture.

The post How to Build a Climate-Smart and Ethical Business appeared first on Kuli Kuli Foods.

Meet Teddy Ruge, one of our climate-smart and impact-driven moringa suppliers. Teddy is a moringa entrepreneur who is re-imagining the role of sustainable moringa farming in Uganda. He is also a professional photographer, technological innovator, and former decathlete who still holds three national records! Teddy is a key leader in climate-smart agriculture and ethical supply chains. He envisions a world where sustainable moringa farming is a key component of long-term and positive socio-environmental change.

To support Teddy’s biodiverse farm, Kuli Kuli is leading a Plant a Tree campaign. For the month of April, for each Kuli Kuli moringa product sold, we will plant a tree on Teddy’s farm in Uganda!

What Is Climate-Smart Agriculture?

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a way to manage land and crops, with long-term and sustainable solutions in mind. CSA is one way to mitigate climate change, especially for rural communities already experiencing the effects. CSA can also help address malnutrition and offer innovative systems with positive impacts on local communities.

For Teddy’s farm, there are three main ways moringa as climate-smart agriculture plays a role. 

Moringa trees on Teddy’s farm in Uganda

1. Moringa is a climate-smart crop that does not need a lot of rain or irrigation.

With increased likelihood of droughts and erratic rains, it’s more vital now than ever to make sure that crops can cope with climate change. Moringa also absorbs carbon dioxide up to 20x more than general vegetation!

2. The diversification of crops is a key component of Teddy’s climate-smart farm.

Rather than a monocrop-model with limited biodiversity, Teddy’s farm will integrate avocado trees, fruit trees, and shade-grown coffee. With erratic rains and flooding, planting trees on each farm can help control saturation and help the fields drain. 

3. Reforestation via moringa trees, and other integrated crops, helps address the damage from years of clear-cutting for sugarcane farms. 

Clearcutting can destroy the ecological integrity of an area, as well as limit options for growing food that benefits the local community. Teddy’s efforts are part of a larger and holistic reforestation effort. 

Teddy’s Sustainability-Driven Vision of Moringa 

When he began his journey in sustainable farming, Teddy knew he wanted a climate-smart farming model. He also wanted to prioritize higher farmer incomes, environmental protection, and community-supported models of change. Historically, conventional and large-scale agriculture puts profits before people; however, small-scale and climate-smart agriculture address a more long-term vision of sustainability.  

Teddy dreams big and sees the world for its interconnection. For him, biodiversity, local and global food security, and climate-smart agriculture are not separate and unrelated issues.

Workers hand-separating moringa leaves for moringa powder

Rather, he views them as integrated and vital for the long-term sustainability of any farm. 

I’d love for my farm to lead the charge in turning Uganda into the go-to destination for high-quality moringa. If we could achieve this, the impact on communities would be enormous. We just have to believe we can achieve it. -Teddy 

Kuli Kuli’s Earth Month Campaign 

Since 2015, Teddy’s farms have supplied Kuli Kuli with Organic Pure Moringa. Our partnership with Teddy supports food security and sustainable farming practices, while also developing innovative and solution-driven efforts to mitigate the realities of climate change.  

We want to celebrate Teddy and support his vision of a sustainable, climate-smart future. For the entire month of April, we are planting one tree on his farm for every moringa product sold. We hope to inspire other businesses and serve as a leader in the field for positive social and environmental change.   

Teddy and Leaders Like Teddy

People like Teddy inspire us and affirm the positive impact that moringa can have on sustainability initiatives. Kuli Kuli partners with entrepreneurs like Teddy as a way to uplift entire communities.

For more, please watch our short video about Teddy below. Feel free to share with anyone who also inspires you!

Since our founding, Kuli Kuli has enabled the planting of over 12.4 million moringa trees between 11 countries. These trees are actively reducing atmospheric carbon concentrations while providing employment and nutrition for people around the world.

For more stories of moringa innovators, check out our article highlighting Pamela Soroti. Kuli Kuli is grateful to foster connections with change-makers around the world. We have also invested over $20,000 in supporting nonprofits in the communities where we work. 

Teddy Ruge, Climate-smart Innovator

Thank you to our supporters, customers, suppliers, and our entrepreneurs like Teddy, as we unite our sustainability efforts across the world.

Follow us @kulikulifoods to learn more about innovators and change-makers like Teddy.  

The post Meet Teddy: Climate-Smart Leader and Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier appeared first on Kuli Kuli Foods.

Meet Pamela, a social entrepreneur and Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier. Pamela works in her home country Uganda. She connects farmers and women’s coops with sustainable moringa farming. Pamela also launched a successful nonprofit that funds a local school. We admire all of Pamela’s incredible work!

Women like Pamela challenge the status quo by creating livelihoods for women and rural farmers. We hope you read her story as a key moringa supplier. And please, share Pamela’s story with people in your life who inspire you.

When we empower women economically, we are also empowering the entire community. -Pamela Soroti

Moringa Miracle Maker and Supplier: Pamela Anyoti Peronaci

Our Moringa Miracle Makers are a powerful group of change-makers. Pamela loves the health benefits of the moringa plant, and wants to help others access its amazing, energy-giving properties. Pamela loves the moringa plant—especially cooking with it! She even runs a weekly cooking class that showcases its variety of uses. Pamela says she has enough recipes for a moringa-themed cookbook. We cannot wait for that to manifest!

When it comes to food, presentation is everything to Pamela. As she says, it’s important to “please the eye before the taste buds.” Thus, her dishes are beautiful and tantalizing. 

Pamela with farmers in Uganda.

Pamela’s journey intersected with Kuli Kuli after she received her master’s degree in the United Kingdom, and traveled around the world. When Pamela returned to Uganda, she wanted to build bridges between farmers and consumers. Farmers were producing, but lacked the resources to get their products into the right hands.

Today, Pamela’s efforts have supported over 11,000 farmers, a majority of whom are women.

She summarizes the power of this shift with her statement, “When we empower women economically, we are also empowering the entire community.”

Pamela’s Nonprofit

Asante Mama is a non-profit that enriches the livelihoods of farmers by offering an ethical supply chain for teas, spices, and cocoa. Pamela started Asante Mama as a way to train farmers in sustainable and organic practices. Asante Mama also supports farmers with fair incomes. 

The words “Asante Mama” mean “thank you mama” in swahili. This nonprofit supports farmers so that their products can get to market. It also helps fund a school that educates over 1,200 students. It’s a positive cycle: farmers can afford an education for their children because of partnerships—like the one with Kuli Kuli!

Moringa is good for health, good for community, and good for education. -Pamela Soroti

Kuli Kuli is grateful to work with amazing farmers, entrepreneurs, and women. By importing moringa to the US for our products, we’ve helped create an international market for moringa. Communities around the world have felt the “lift” of sustainable moringa farming. 

Pamela Soroti (right) with farmers.

With the rise in demand for moringa, an increase in production and consequential consumption happens in the villages growing moringa. Kuli Kuli provides an incentive for communities that struggle with malnutrition, and a reason to invest in a nutrient-dense plant.

Moringa is a plant that can nourish communities with nutrition and a sustainable, reliable income. 

Pamela and Women Like Pamela

Kuli Kuli partners with each moringa supplier as a way to uplift entire communities. People like Pamela inspire us and affirm the positive impact that moringa can have for women around the world.

For more, you can watch a short video about Pamela below:  

Each moringa supplier has a ripple effect on their community. To date, Kuli Kuli has planted over 12 million moringa trees and partnered with over 2,400 farmers. We’ve also provided more than $4M in income to women-led farming cooperatives and family farms. 

Kuli Kuli has also invested over $20,000 in supporting nonprofits in the communities where we work.

Thank you to our supporters, customers, suppliers, and our farmers like Pamela, as we unite on this journey to empower women across the world.

Follow us @kulikulifoods to learn more about women and entrepreneurs like Pamela.

The post Meet Pamela: Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier & Social Entrepreneur appeared first on Kuli Kuli Foods.

This was especially true when Klementine’s fourth child was born premature. She was so small and weak, the family was not sure if she would survive.

“Gracia was born two months early and I was really scared. Then I remembered my Strong Harvest moringa training where I learned that moringa increases milk production. I started using moringa leaves for my daily tea and my milk came in strong. Gracia is now a healthy baby!”

Moringa has played a crucial role in this child’s survival. Before Gracia was born, Klementine had completed Strong Harvest Internationals’ moringa training. She learned about basic nutrition, growing and harvesting moringa, along with its many benefits. She planted moringa trees in the shared yard near her house, but then didn’t think much more about it.

Shortly after Gracia was born, Pastor Moses was visiting the family and saw that the baby was struggling. He reminded Klementine of the many powerful benefits of moringa and she started making tea from moringa leaves and drinking it every day. Soon, she was producing more breast milk forher baby to drink, and very quickly, Gracia started growing strong thanks to the increase in quantity and nutritious value of her mother’s milk.

Klementine continues to grow and eat moringa. She has noticed positive changes for herself and in her children’s health from including moringa in their daily diets. Everyone has been putting on healthy weight and they are able to fight off illness better than ever before. It’s all thanks to the wonderful training done by our partners at Strong Harvest and the miracle tree moringa.

Strong Harvest puts the power of sustainable change into the hands of the people who need it most. They believe that everyone should have access to sustainable sources of good nutrition, clean water, and economic opportunities, while at the same time protecting and caring for the local and global environment.

To make this a reality, they work in partnership with developing-world communities and organizations, like Kuli Kuli, to provide attainable, sustainable, and generational solutions to the issues of malnutrition, unsafe drinking water, lack of economic opportunity, and land degradation. Their primary tool is the moringa tree.

The solution really can be as simple as a tree!

The post Moringa Miracle Maker: Klementine appeared first on Kuli Kuli Foods.

It takes a certain kind of person to work as a nurse anywhere in the world, particularly in West Africa where malnutrition and malaria cases plague health centers. Honorine is the sole nurse in her village’s health center, seeing up to 20 patients a week, with one consistent request for each of them: “Eat Moringa“.

When Honorine received training from Kuli Kuli’s wonderful partners at Strong Harvest, her life changed and, subsequently so did those who entered her health center. Along with malaria, parasites and infections, a large proportion of patients suffer from anemia and malnutrition, two ailments alleviated with regular moringa consumption.

Strong Harvest is invited into communities, such as Honorine’s village in rural Togo, West Africa, to present free trainings for all who are interested. The trainers explain basic nutritional education that is so often neglected in rural schools. Knowledge that so many of us with privilege take for granted. Simple things such as when your body needs water even if you don’t feel thirsty or feeling full doesn’t mean you’re meeting your nutritional needs.

After ensuring everybody in the room has a strong enough foundation, the training continues to discuss the scrappy tree growing around village – aka – the miracle tree! Although many in the room are familiar with moringa and perhaps have eaten it as a last resort when money was too tight to go to the market, very few understand the vast nutritional benefits.

The trainer explains how moringa has more nutritional value than oranges, milk and meat – food items difficult and expensive to find in rural Togo. Honorine, who has witnessed enough malnourished youth to understand the importance of such a statement, was eager to start spreading moringa around her community.

Honorine planted trees behind the health center and encourages every patient to take leaves to put in their morning porridge and nightly sauce. Better yet, she hands them a bag of seeds and advises them how to plant moringa near their homes so they have no excuse not to eat moringa everyday. She does all this free of charge. She says moringa is too powerful of a tool to be kept a secret or charged for.

Within a year of discovering moringa, Honorine encountered many miracles she was eager to share with us. One day, a man came into her health center with a rash and sore all over his body. After cleaning him off, she gave him moringa to eat regularly. Likely due to the natural anti inflammatory properties of moringa that rival turmeric, he returned to her happy and healed. Another patient was having difficulties producing milk for her newborn child. Honorine recommended moringa which is high in calcium, iron and folic acid, three vitamins that help mothers enhance lactation. Through these recommendations, Honorine was able to provide the patients unable to afford medication with a better alternative to oftentimes sketchy traditional healers or neglecting treatment altogether.

Honorine is a beautiful example of how one moringa miracle maker spreading the word can reshape a whole community. We are honored to work with people like Honorine and organizations like Strong Harvest.

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