‘Superfood’ is a broad term used to identify foods that have research-proven nutritional benefits. Whether you’re currently suffering from chronic illnesses or want to protect yourself from future health issues, these foods can lower your blood pressure, manage diabetes, improve digestion, help you maintain a healthy weight, improve memory, strengthen your immune system and prevent (even stop the growth of) cancer, to name a few benefits, but you already know you’re supposed to eat your vegetables. The question is, how? To help you add these superfoods to your diet, I’ve included tips to incorporate them into your current stable of recipes as well as easy ways to prepare them. You’ll also find must-try recipes from around the web to inspire your culinary journey to a healthier life. Since many known superfoods are fruits and vegetables, consider adding a daily smoothie, fresh juice or saute to your routine. Veggie superfood salads (and there are some amazing superfood salad dressing recipes in here) and fresh fruit salad can also help you get a daily dose of nutrients, and their benefits. If you want your diet to support your health, this is what you need to eat and why: Contents
Super Food # 1 : Greek Yogurt
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Use Greek yogurt as a base for dips and substitute these for mayonnaise on sandwiches. You can also add Greek yogurt to your smoothies, substitute it for sour cream, add it to homemade creamy salad dressings or enjoy it as a snack. Must-Try Recipes: Looking for something different? Ditch the yogurt cup and use that spoon to stir up some Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt from Family Fresh Meals or Greek Yogurt Cucumber Tzatziki Sauce from Cabot. Super Food # 2 :Quinoa
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Substitute rice and pasta for quinoa. You can also add it to vegetable sautes and soups or use it to create a crust for casseroles. Must-Try Recipes: Cooking With Quinoa: 38 Recipes from Cooking Light includes chicken nuggets, buffalo burgers and a quinoa salad that incorporates apricots and pistachios. Super Food # 3 : Blueberries
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Add blueberries to your cereal, yogurt and smoothies. Make fresh fruit salads a summer staple and pack to-go cups for lunches and snacks. Must-Try Recipes: Greatist has compiled 56 Ways to Eat More Blueberries and includes recipes for a Blueberry Peach Chia Parfait, Blueberry-Lime Salsa and a Red Leaf Salad with Blueberry-Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Super Food # 4 : Kale
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Kale can be added to soup, sautes, scrambles, wraps, frittatas and salads. If you’re not a fan of kale, try making kale chips. You can also run these greens through a juicer or blend them into a smoothie. Must-Try Recipes: This gallery of 50 Ways to Eat Kale from Self includes Coconut Sriracha Kale Chips and Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza. Super Food # 5 :Chia
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Chia seeds gel when added to liquid, which is what makes chia pudding possible. You can stir them into smoothies or yogurt for added texture. If you find you don’t like the feel of gelatinous chia seeds, sprinkle them onto your snack right before eating. Must-Try Recipes: Daily Burn’s 14 Creative Chia Seed Recipes include a Lemon Poppy Chia Seed Loaf and a Chocolate Pistachio Chia Shake. Super Food # 6 : Oatmeal
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can add oats to your smoothie or pancake batter for a heartier texture or bake them into bars, muffins and breads for heart-healthy breakfasts and snacks. Overnight oats are a convenient breakfast option if you’re prone to skipping this all-important meal. Must-Try Recipes: BuzzFeed has 15 Yummy New Ways to Eat Oatmeal and hits the spot with recipes for Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Pudding Cake, Sweet Potato Oatmeal Casserole, and Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal. Super Food # 7 : Green Tea
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Make green tea part of your morning or afternoon routine. Because of its caffeine content, you should avoid it before bed or if you have a sensitivity. If you don’t like the taste of the tea alone, stir some into your (dairy-free) smoothie or juice. Must-Try Recipes: Matcha powder is made by grinding up green tea leaves and it’s great for baking. If dessert is your thing, the 16 Matcha Green Tea Dessert Recipes from Bustle include Matcha Swirl Cheesecake and Double Chocolate Hawaiian Tiramisu with Matcha. Super Food # 8 :Broccoli
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can add broccoli to your favorite salads, soups, sautes and scrambles. It can also be juiced. For a super yet tasty side dish, add honey, Greek yogurt, dried cherries and crumbled feta to chopped broccoli. Must-Try Recipes: For more recipes, including Broccoli Gratin with Crispy Onions and Creamy Broccoli and Apple Slaw, click over to Real Simple’s 10 Family-Favorite Broccoli Recipes. Super Food # 9 : Strawberries
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Fresh sliced strawberries are a decadent topping for waffles, cereal, yogurt and oatmeal. When out of season, frozen berries make a healthy and convenient addition to your smoothies. Must-Try Recipes: Looking for more creative ways to eat strawberries? Popsugar’s slideshow of 19 Indulgent (and Healthy) Strawberry Recipes includes Strawberry Coconut Butter and Vegan Strawberry Fudgesicles. Super Food # 10 : Salmon
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Try making a new or favorite salmon recipe once a week then pack the leftovers for a later lunch. If you’re short on time, you can also pick up pre-seasoned salmon packages to top salads or grains. You’ll find them with the canned tuna fish at your grocer. Must-Try Recipes: Don’t have a favorite salmon recipe yet? You’re sure to find one in Good Housekeeping’s 40 So-Simple Salmon Recipes, whether it’s Ginger-Crusted Salmon with Melon Salsa or Spring Salmon Fettuccine. Super Food # 111 : Watermelon
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can save money on your grocery bill by slicing and cubing your own watermelon while it’s in season. Add these nuggets of good health to your juices, smoothies and fresh fruit salads. Must-Try Recipes: For more ways to enjoy this summer favorite, Greatist has come up with 34 Ways to Eat Watermelon at Every Meal. The Chilly Watermelon Soup incorporates Greek yogurt for a double dose of superfoods and the boozy Watermelon Coconut Cocktail utilizes coconut water. Pro Tip: Eat a daily fruit salad for breakfast or as a post workout snack to incorporate more superfruits in your diet. Super Food # 12 : Spinach
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can incorporate spinach in almost anything: smoothies, juice, savory dishes. Try adding it to scrambles, pasta dishes and salads. Must-Try Recipes: Whip up one of Babble’s 25 Clever Ways to Eat Your Spinach like their Baked Eggs with Herbs and Spinach or the Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Peach Bruschetta. Super Food # 13 : Pistachios
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Make a bag of pre-portioned pistachios your new to-go snack. You can also add chopped nuts to your yogurt and baked goods. Must-Try Recipes: The Loop has come up with 21 Ways to Use Pistachios and recipes range from Matcha White Chocolate Pistachio Cups to Goat Cheese Truffles with Honey and Pistachio. Super Food # 14 : Almonds
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: While you can certainly sprinkle chopped almonds on salads, yogurt and baked goods, you can also take advantage of almond butter and almond flour to add more of this superfood to your meal plans. Must-Try Recipes: You can learn to make your own almond butter or try the Almond Spinach Pesto with these 5 Ways to Eat Almonds from Muscle and Fitness. Super Food # 15 : Ginger
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Thinly sliced ginger can be preserved in sherry or candied by simmering them in heavy syrup and rolling the slices in sugar. You can also grate ginger into smoothies and sauces for a healthy kick. Must-Try Recipes: For more health benefits, try these recipes for homemade Ginger Ale, Sweet Potato Soup with Miso and Ginger or Chinese Ginger-Lime Candy from the collection at That’s It. Superfood # 16 : Beets
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: If you’re using fresh beets, it may be helpful to note that the greens (or tops) are also edible. If you’re juicing your beets you can feed the entire vegetable through your machine. Must-Try Recipes: The Huffington Post has curated 30 Beet Recipes from around the web that includes Beet, Goat Cheese and Honey Tarts, Roasted Beet Balsamic Mustard and Ginger Beet Sorbet. Superfood # 17 : Beans
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can add beans to soups, wraps, salads. To bulk up their nutritional values, stir black beans into taco filling or use bean paste instead of mayo sandwiches. Must-Try Recipes: For 30 Delicious Ways to Eat More Beans, like Flourless Peanut Butter Chickpea Pancakes and Tuna White Bean Salad, check out this recipe collection from Maybe I Will. Super food # 18 : Pumpkin
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: When adding pumpkin to your diet you may find it’s easier to bake with the canned product, which can also eliminate the need for oil. Don’t discount pumpkin seeds or pepitas, either. They make a great addition to baked goods or can be enjoyed as a stand-alone snack. Pepitas are high in protein and fiber and have a mood-boosting effect. Must-Try Recipes: Want more recipes that feature pumpkin? HellaWella has 20 Creative & Healthy Ways to Eat More Pumpkin. Two of these are Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili and Homemade Pumpkin Creamer. Super food # 19 : Apple
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Keep an apple in your in your desk at work and snack on slices with peanut butter or yogurt for dipping. You can also add diced apple to many sweet and savory dishes. Try them in your morning oats or atop pork chops. Must-Try Recipes: Try the 15 Easy and Healthy Apple Recipes on Running with Spoons and you’ll check more than one superfood off your list. Both the One Bowl Greek Yogurt Apple Oat Bread and the Four Ingredient Flourless Apple Pie Blondies are chock full of nutritious superfoods. Super food # 20 :Cranberries
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: When adding cranberries to your recipes, compliment their tartness with something sweet. Try honey and cranberries in yogurt or cook the berries in a saucepan with orange sections and a little agave or sugar for a tangy topping. Must-Try Recipes: Don’t have any of your own cranberry recipes? You can borrow these 20 Healthy Cranberry Recipes from Healthy Season Recipes. Then go ahead and take credit for the Cranberry Orange Prosecco Cocktail and the Cranberry Pita Bites with Horseradish Cheddar at your next get-together. Super food # 21: Garlic
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Garlic is most powerful when eaten raw but makes a flavorful addition to almost any savory dish. To maintain the health benefits, add minced garlic to your food at the end of cooking. For raw garlic, try scraping toasted bread with a clove before topping. Must-Try Recipes: If you want to try something new, the 10 Great Garlic Recipes from Fresh Healthy Eats include Zucchini Fries with Garlic Chipotle Aioli, Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. Super food # 22: Cauliflower
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: Of course you can snack on raw cauliflower but you can also add it to sautes, scrambles and stir fries. For a simple side dish, roast a full head of cauliflower drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and fresh herbs in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Must-Try Recipes: You can use cauliflower to make bread sticks, rolls, tots, bagels and pizza crust with BuzzFeed’s 23 Insanely Clever Ways to Eat Cauliflower Instead of Carbs. Super food # 23: Leeks
Add This Superfood To Your Diet: You can add the mildly sweet flavor of leeks anywhere you’d normally use onion-but leeks require careful cleaning since they’re grown in sandy soil and collect dirt between their layers. The video below will have you prepping leeks like a pro in no time: Must-Try Recipes: Bon Appetit’s 23 Favorite Leek Recipes include Potato and Celery Root Gratin with Leeks and instructions for fire-pit leeks, perfect for your next camping trip or bon fire. You might have found that you’re already eating superfoods-or maybe you don’t eat any. Little tweaks to your diet, like adding ingredients to your smoothies and exploring new side dishes can help you incorporate a full range of nutritional benefits. I hope you’re inspired to go grocery shopping and eat a healthier variety foods. If you are, be sure to eat an apple first-then tell me your favorite (or least favorite) superfood in the comments. Despite all its benefits, I don’t like plain Greek yogurt. |
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