9 Delicious recipes featuring nutrient-dense superfoods
07/09/2020 / By Joanne Washburn / Comments
9 Delicious recipes featuring nutrient-dense superfoods

Skeptics might call them a fad, but superfoods are far from it. Outside of the marketing gimmicks and steeper price tags (in some cases), superfoods are the best foods to eat for optimal health.

But despite their incredible nutrition profiles, some superfoods can be difficult to incorporate into meals, especially if you’re the type who rotates the same dishes each month.

9 Delicious and nutritious superfoods

Here’s some good news: You don’t need to break the bank or be a Michelin-starred chef to cook with superfoods. If you want to improve your diet and make the healthy switch, here are nine nutritious superfoods to add to your grocery list, plus some tips on how to cook with them:

Salmon

Salmon is incredibly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that benefit your heart, your brain, your eyes and even your mental health.

But not all salmon is of equal nutritional value. You’re better off eating wild-caught salmon instead of farm-raised products because the latter is fed chemicals and inorganic foods to fatten them up. Farm-raised salmon also don’t eat so much of the algae required for them to make healthy fats.

Cooking salmon shouldn’t take more than an hour. Depending on the thickness, grill a slab of salmon for no more than 20 minutes or until cooked through but still tender. Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice and drizzle some olive oil on your salmon before serving.

Kale

This salad green is a cruciferous vegetable, so it’s no surprise that it’s rich in sulfur-containing compounds, which studies suggest can kill cancer cells. Kale also contains folate, an essential nutrient that supports both maternal and fetal health.

In addition, kale is considered an immune-boosting food, thanks to its abundance of potassium, copper and manganese. Plus, kale contains only 49 calories per 100 grams, so it’s a great vegetable to eat if you want to lose a couple of pounds and keep them off for good.

As a quintessential salad green, kale is perfect for meat dishes, pasta and fruit salads. You can also saute it in olive oil, bake it in lemon juice or quick-steam it to reduce its bitterness so you can eat it as-is.

Sweet potatoes

Ditch white potatoes and go for their healthier cousin. Despite their name, sweet potatoes don’t cause sudden spikes in blood sugar unlike other carbohydrate-rich foods.

Sweet potatoes are also rich in fiber. Besides keeping you full for longer periods, fiber also inhibits the absorption of excess glucose and cholesterol in the gut. Fiber even helps the good bacteria in your gut flourish so they can better protect your digestive system from microbial pathogens.

When cooking sweet potatoes, take care not to boil them for too long so they don’t lose their nutrients. You can also roast sweet potatoes, but note that it will increase their starchiness. This is an absolute no-no if you’re a diabetic.

Broccoli

This popular cruciferous vegetable is chock-full of sulfur-rich compounds called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates help fight bacteria, carcinogens and cancer cells. Talk about an incredible cancer-fighting food!

Broccoli florets are rich in calcium, an essential bone-building nutrient. Calcium also helps regulate blood pressure for better heart health.

Broccoli is best eaten as-is; too much processing can destroy the nutrients and other plant compounds it contains. If you need to cook broccoli, don’t do more than a quick steam or saute so it retains most of its nutrients and a bit of crunch.

Papaya

This popular tropical fruit offers a range of health benefits, from better digestion to a reduced risk of heart disease. These benefits are all thanks to the antioxidants present in their vibrant skin.

Papain, an enzyme found in papaya, aids in digestion. In fact, papain is used as a meat tenderizer because of its ability to process proteins and break apart food molecules. Papaya is also rich in dietary fiber, which can help prevent heart disease.

To reap the benefits of papaya, eat it fresh after a meal. Take care not to eat the fruit if it’s unripe as it contains higher amounts of papain. Too much papain can cause contractions that can lead to abdominal pain.

Arugula

This bitter vegetable can be an acquired taste for some, but it is second to none in terms of its nutrient content and health benefits. Besides fighting cancer, the glucosinolates in arugula also help strengthen your immune defenses against infection and disease.

Like most salad greens, arugula is a highly versatile food. Toss it in a classic Caesar salad, saute it or use it to top pasta dishes.

Seaweed

This humble sea vegetable is a rising star in the realm of health foods. It contains up to 20 times the amount of nutrients in most salad greens and is one of the richest sources of iodine, an essential mineral that protects against goiter and other thyroid disorders.

Seaweeds contain peptides that can help regulate blood pressure. Alginate, a compound in seaweed, also helps suppress sudden blood sugar spikes. What’s more, seaweed contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium, two minerals that work closely together and are essential for good bone health.

If the unique taste of seaweed is not to your liking, you can try adding it to soups or savory dishes. Seaweed is great when eaten with noodles and dumplings, but you can also add it to stocks and broths to complement fish, shellfish and other types of seafood.

Hemp seeds

These small, brown seeds may seem like they can’t do much, but hemp seeds are packed with nutrients and surprising health benefits. Hemp seeds are rich in protein and fiber, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants that help boost immune function. Hemp seeds also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

To enjoy hemp seeds, toss a handful into your favorite smoothies, oatmeal, quinoa or salads. You can also sprinkle some on yogurt for a light but nutritious snack.

Avocado

Avocados get a bad rap because of their high-fat content, but don’t let that fool you. Most of the fats in avocado are healthy monounsaturated fats (omega-3 fatty acids) that support heart health and enhance brain function.

Eat avocado as-is for a delicious snack, or toss it into the blender to create a nutritious green smoothie. Of course, you can also go the traditional route and mash this yummy superfood to make some good old guacamole dip.

Superfoods aren’t called superfoods for no reason. Besides being incredibly scrumptious, superfoods like salmon, kale, arugula and hemp seeds are great sources of essential nutrients and provide numerous health benefits. Eat them as part of a well-balanced diet to maintain good overall health.

Sources:

Mashed.com

OneGreenPlanet.org

100% Fresh Food News, Right at Your Fingertips!
Find out everything you need to know about clean and healthy eating when you sign up for our FREE email newsletter. Receive the latest news on all the top superfoods, recipes, natural remedies, diets, food tips, and more!
Your privacy is protected. Subscription confirmation required.

Related Articles
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

100% Fresh Food News, Right at Your Fingertips!
Find out everything you need to know about clean and healthy eating when you sign up for our FREE email newsletter. Receive the latest news on all the top superfoods, recipes, natural remedies, diets, food tips, and more!
Your privacy is protected. Subscription confirmation required.

Popular articles