A Quick Guide to Superfoods (with quick and easy recipes!)
Supercharge your diet with these superfood ingredients and some simple recipes to improve your physical and mental health.
If you are here to learn about small healthy ingredients you can gradually integrate into your diet, you are in the right place.
If you are here to find some magic pill that will heal all your health problems, unfortunately, you won’t find it here (or anywhere else?!).
Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are especially beneficial for health and well-being. These are not miracles or magic cures.
You should not rely on these as the sole means of achieving good physical and mental health.
Instead, you should have a well-rounded diet that includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods and augment it with some of the superfoods you will read about in this post.
Before we dive into the world of superfoods, a quick disclaimer: it’s very important to consult with a healthcare provider before incorporating any new foods you read about here into your diet.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started!
Ingredients
Blueberries
Blueberries are very high in antioxidants. Antioxidants can reduce harmful free radicals.
There are also studies showing Blueberries’ positive effect on brain health.
Salmon
Salmon is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are crucial for brain health and can help reduce inflammation in the body.
If you live a more plant-based diet but don’t mind adding a little bit of fish, Salmon can greatly increase your overall protein and vitamin D nutrient supply.
Avocado
Avocado is an incredibly good source of healthy fat. This is the kind of fat that can reduce inflammation and improve heart health. Not all fats are bad.
They also taste delicious and go well with pretty much anything.
Outside healthy fats, avocados can also give you high fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Nuts and Seeds
You get loads of healthy fats, protein, and fiber from nuts and seeds.
With nuts though, you have to be careful about not overeating. It’s scarily easy to binge on packs and packs of nuts at which point it can become unhealthy.
Instead, just have a handful or incorporate some in dishes you have throughout the day.
Moving from nuts to seeds, some good seeds to try out are — chia, flax, and hemp seeds.
Dark Chocolates
Yes, you read it right! Chocolates can be healthy.
Not your grocery store milk chocolates loaded with sugar! But dark chocolates.
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It may also help improve brain function and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Similar to nuts, it’s scarily easy to binge on dark chocolates. Instead, just have one or two cubes every day after your big meals.
Turmeric
Growing up I had so much Turmeric that I never stopped for a moment to notice how beneficial it actually is for your health.
Turmeric is a spice that contains a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.
You can incorporate turmeric in your morning or evening tea, or in other curries that make.
Turmeric is ever present in Indian cuisines, so if you love Indian food, you are in luck!
Ginger
Following in the footsteps of Turmeric, Ginger is another spice commonly used in Indian cuisines.
It has also been always used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has also been shown to help with nausea, digestion, and pain relief.
Goji Berries
Let’s move to a few more non-traditional superfoods now.
Goji berries are a type of fruit commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.
They are a good source of antioxidants and have been shown to help improve immune function and eye health.
Cacao Powder
Let’s wrap up this list with the newest superfood that I have been obsessed with lately: Raw Cacao Powder!
Cacao powder is a great source of antioxidants.
Cacao is the raw, unprocessed form of chocolate and contains flavonoids, which, once again, are potent antioxidants that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and to help protect against cardiovascular diseases.
One thing to remember when you are shopping for Cacao is to look for a high-quality, organic brand that is minimally processed.
Recipes
Now that you know the ingredients, let’s go through a few recipes that you can put together super quickly.
Blueberry and Yogurt Parfait
You just layer a few things in a bowl of glass. That simple!
Layer the following:
- Plain greek yogurt
- Fresh blueberries
- Some chopped nuts
- Chia seeds
It’s delicious!
Turmeric Tea Latte
You can have this in its tea format, or make a latte with milk.
- Almond milk
- A teaspoon of turmeric powder
- A pinch of black pepper
- A dash of cinnamon
- Honey or stevia as a sweetener
Cottage Cheese Parfait
Same as the yogurt parfait, except use cottage cheese instead of yogurt as the base.
My Personal Favorite
Finally, you have my favorite one of all time.
I have been having this almost every night since a few months ago, and I absolutely love it!
It’s easy to make and packed full of nutrients.
You can read more about it here.
Closing Thoughts
I hope you found some value in this read.
Super excited to see what y’all end up making or what you make already!
Please respond with your thoughts and ideas below :)