5 Indian Superfoods Doctors Abroad Are Now Recommending
Manika | Jul 05, 2025, 19:00 IST
( Image credit : Freepik, Timeslife )
A few years ago, I remember watching a wellness influencer rave about turmeric lattes and thinking, “Wait... that’s just haldi doodh?” It felt surreal. Foods I grew up with—once dismissed as too “smelly” or “strong”—were now trending in New York cafes and London clinics. But beyond the hype, there’s a deeper truth unfolding: modern science is finally catching up with what Indian households have known for centuries. From digestion to brain health, these traditional Indian superfoods are making waves globally—not just as part of Ayurveda, but as part of preventive medicine and daily health. Let’s take a closer look at five such superfoods that doctors abroad are now proudly recommending.
1. Ghee – The Healthy Fat Doctors Misunderstood for Years
Once villainized for being ‘fatty’ and artery-clogging, ghee is now enjoying a glorious comeback. Nutritionists in the West are recognizing that ghee contains butyrate, a fatty acid that supports gut health and lowers inflammation. Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, it aids digestion and boosts immunity. Functional medicine experts even recommend ghee for people with lactose intolerance, as it’s free of milk solids. What we called “liquid gold” for generations is finally being treated like one.
2. Moringa – The Miracle Tree with 92 Nutrients
Known in India as drumstick or sahjan, moringa is now hailed globally as a “miracle superfood.” High in antioxidants, amino acids, and essential nutrients like calcium and iron, moringa powder is being recommended in Western wellness circles for boosting energy, managing diabetes, and improving skin health. One tablespoon of moringa has more vitamin C than an orange and more iron than spinach. While global companies are bottling it into capsules, your grandmother was already boiling it into sambhar and curries.
3. Amla – The Vitamin C Powerhouse That Beats Oranges
The humble Indian gooseberry, or amla, contains 20 times more Vitamin C than an orange, but it doesn’t stop there. It also improves metabolism, aids hair growth, and strengthens the liver. In functional medicine circles, doctors now recommend amla supplements for skin health, detox, and immunity. But the real win is in its versatility, juice it, pickle it, dry it, or candy it. Amla has been a backbone of Ayurvedic healing for over 5,000 years. Today, it’s the poster child of global immunity trends.
4. Ashwagandha – The Stress Reliever Taking Over the West
Ashwagandha, once a staple in desi households for calming nerves and building strength, is now one of the most Googled adaptogens in the world. Western doctors are prescribing it for stress, sleep disorders, and hormonal balance. It works by lowering cortisol, the stress hormone and promoting resilience in the body. What your dadi gave you in powdered form, doctors in LA now recommend in capsules. The irony? We’re rediscovering it through imported wellness labels, but it was always there on our kitchen shelf.
5. Turmeric – The Anti-Inflammatory Gold Standard
Turmeric (haldi) has gone from an Indian kitchen basic to a $100 million industry abroad. But it’s not just a trend it’s backed by science. The active compound curcumin has proven anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. Doctors in the U.S. and Europe recommend turmeric supplements for managing arthritis, chronic inflammation, and even depression. While turmeric lattes and golden milk flood café menus, our mothers were already making haldi doodh as a cure-all for colds, wounds, and heartbreaks.
Why the World Is Finally Catching Up What makes these Indian superfoods truly ‘super’ isn’t just their nutrient profile it’s their adaptability, sustainability, and holistic benefits. Unlike synthetic supplements, they work in harmony with the body. And their roots in Ayurveda and home remedies mean they’ve been time-tested across generations.
Western doctors, scientists, and wellness experts are now echoing what Indian wisdom has always whispered: food is medicine. Healing doesn’t always need a prescription—it sometimes begins with a spice box.
We don’t need to wait for the West to validate what we already know. These superfoods are not just trending they’re trustworthy, backed by both tradition and science. And they’re right there in our kitchens, waiting to be embraced again, not as old-school remedies, but as powerful allies in modern health.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Spiritual, Travel, Life Hacks, Trending, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!
Ghee
( Image credit : Freepik )
Once villainized for being ‘fatty’ and artery-clogging, ghee is now enjoying a glorious comeback. Nutritionists in the West are recognizing that ghee contains butyrate, a fatty acid that supports gut health and lowers inflammation. Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, it aids digestion and boosts immunity. Functional medicine experts even recommend ghee for people with lactose intolerance, as it’s free of milk solids. What we called “liquid gold” for generations is finally being treated like one.
2. Moringa – The Miracle Tree with 92 Nutrients
Moringa
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Known in India as drumstick or sahjan, moringa is now hailed globally as a “miracle superfood.” High in antioxidants, amino acids, and essential nutrients like calcium and iron, moringa powder is being recommended in Western wellness circles for boosting energy, managing diabetes, and improving skin health. One tablespoon of moringa has more vitamin C than an orange and more iron than spinach. While global companies are bottling it into capsules, your grandmother was already boiling it into sambhar and curries.
3. Amla – The Vitamin C Powerhouse That Beats Oranges
Amla
( Image credit : Pixabay )
The humble Indian gooseberry, or amla, contains 20 times more Vitamin C than an orange, but it doesn’t stop there. It also improves metabolism, aids hair growth, and strengthens the liver. In functional medicine circles, doctors now recommend amla supplements for skin health, detox, and immunity. But the real win is in its versatility, juice it, pickle it, dry it, or candy it. Amla has been a backbone of Ayurvedic healing for over 5,000 years. Today, it’s the poster child of global immunity trends.
4. Ashwagandha – The Stress Reliever Taking Over the West
Ashwagandha Powder
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Ashwagandha, once a staple in desi households for calming nerves and building strength, is now one of the most Googled adaptogens in the world. Western doctors are prescribing it for stress, sleep disorders, and hormonal balance. It works by lowering cortisol, the stress hormone and promoting resilience in the body. What your dadi gave you in powdered form, doctors in LA now recommend in capsules. The irony? We’re rediscovering it through imported wellness labels, but it was always there on our kitchen shelf.
5. Turmeric – The Anti-Inflammatory Gold Standard
Turmeric
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Why the World Is Finally Catching Up What makes these Indian superfoods truly ‘super’ isn’t just their nutrient profile it’s their adaptability, sustainability, and holistic benefits. Unlike synthetic supplements, they work in harmony with the body. And their roots in Ayurveda and home remedies mean they’ve been time-tested across generations.
Western doctors, scientists, and wellness experts are now echoing what Indian wisdom has always whispered: food is medicine. Healing doesn’t always need a prescription—it sometimes begins with a spice box.
We don’t need to wait for the West to validate what we already know. These superfoods are not just trending they’re trustworthy, backed by both tradition and science. And they’re right there in our kitchens, waiting to be embraced again, not as old-school remedies, but as powerful allies in modern health.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Spiritual, Travel, Life Hacks, Trending, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!