Become a more efficient eater and get the most nutrients per chew and in every food group by loading up on superfoods! They’re easy to incorporate into your diet and will provide high-octane fuel with each bite.
Here are some of the top superfoods along with quick, easy, and satisfying tips on how to incorporate them into your eating plan.
Top Superfood Fruit
Blueberries
Eat the top antioxidant power food! Ranked first among 40 other antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables, blueberries provide flavonoids and anthocyanins – high-octane antioxidant fuel.
Blueberries also help prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls, making them a great partner alongside cranberries to boost your urinary tract health.
On-the-go snack: Grab a cup of fresh organic blueberries and throw them into a sandwich bag along with a handful of your favorite nuts/seeds.
Super Starchy Vegetables
Artichokes
This tasty veggie makes for a balanced snack and an amazing source of fiber. Artichokes are an excellent source of calcium, folic acid, and potassium. It’s the perfect weight-loss food:
1 Medium-Cooked Artichoke:
Calories: 60
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Fat: 0.2 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6.5 grams.
Get-it-into-your life tip: Rinse a fresh organic artichoke well, cut off ¼ inch from the top and bottom of the artichoke, snip off the ends of each leaf with scissors, stuff some minced fresh garlic into the artichoke, and then place into a stove top steamer for about 40 minutes on medium-high until each leaf is easy to pull out. Dip into your favorite mayo, hummus, or Italian dressing and enjoy! Keep the dip quantity to about 1- 2 Tbsp max to help prevent fat overload.
Black Beans
They rank number 1 out of all the beans for antioxidants. They’re also a perfect weight-loss and balanced food, providing an excellent source of fiber, fuel, and protein for sustainability and increased satisfaction. Consuming approximately ½ cup of dry beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron, and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat!
Black turtle beans contain as many antioxidants as cranberries and grapes and 10 times the number found in oranges. The high-fiber content in black beans helps regulate blood sugar levels, which benefits sufferers of diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Toss them into your diet: Add some carbs and protein into your salad, rinse ½ cup of organic canned black beans in a strainer, then toss onto your mixed green salad with a handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
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Super Vegetables
Broccoli
This cruciferous vegetable is a definite top superfood and weight-loss food, and is an excellent source of fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B6 (great for anti-stress), vitamin E, vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It also contains lutein, which is perfect for your vision and circulatory health.
Healthy side: Enjoy ½ cup of steamed organic broccoli as a tasty side dish.
Kelp
This seaweed is great for weight loss and a metabolism boost while it helps keep your thyroid healthy. It’s also an excellent source of calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin K, B-vitamins (anti-stress), and helps support cancer prevention.
Throw it into the pot: Next time you have some vegetable soup, add some kelp for a nutritious metabolism boost.
Super Proteins
Egg Whites
As the highest biological value protein, egg whites are a top-of-the-line, complete protein source. As a great weight-loss food, they provide quick protein without fat and or cholesterol. So it’s fine to include them on a daily basis.
Start Your Morning Right: Have some scrambled egg whites as a breakfast burrito with spinach and salsa, wrapped in a gluten-free tortilla.
Hemp Seeds
They provide complete, quick protein that’s great for vegans.
Another breakfast delight: Add 2 tablespoons of organic shelled hemp seed to your cereal for 11 grams of protein, heart health support, anti-inflammatory support, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, and vitamin E.
Super Fat Source
Walnuts
Walnuts are a supreme heart-health food. Have ¼ cup a few times per week for high fiber satisfaction, great anti-inflammatory power and protein. Balance with peanuts or soy nuts for a complete protein.
Throw those nuts in: Add nuts to your salad or cereal, or blend into your smoothie.
Super Herb/ Spice
Fat-free herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor without the grease.
Turmeric
The active ingredient in turmeric, the yellow-golden spice from the ginger family, is curcumin, which is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. Compounds in turmeric may also lower both cholesterol and triglycerides.
Spice it up: With a teaspoon of turmeric, add some golden power and spice up your egg whites or beans.
Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD, is the world’s first Livitician® coach a term she coined as an alternative to Dietitian, counseling clients on nutrition and fitness for over 20 years. Deborah was named “Young Dietitian of the Year,” by the American Dietetics Association and served as President of the Los Angeles Dietetics Association. She is the author of “The 200 SuperFoods That Will Save Your Life”
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