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Super Duper Foods: Everything You Need to Know About The Five Most Powerful Superfoods

Superfoods are foods that are teeming with nutrients and can positively affect your health. While no standard legal or nutritional criteria classifies a food as a superfood, experts agree that those offering maximum nutritional benefits—like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—for minimal calories are the most likely to do your body and mind good.  

When you make superfoods part of your diet, you may feel better and lessen your chances of developing health problems. Here, we take a deep dive into some of the most popular foods considered “super.” Learn what they are and what makes them so powerful. 

Berries  

A plate of berries laying on a wooden table

Berries are sweet, nutritious, flavor-packed powerhouses. Enjoyed alone or as a fruity punch in smoothies, cakes, and sauces, berries are one of the world’s healthiest foods. High in fiber, berries may help your body slow down the movement of food through your digestive tract. Plus, they deliver nutrients like vitamin C, manganese, and folate.  

Health benefits:  

  1. Helps maintain a healthy body weight  
  2. Promotes heart health  
  3. Aids healthy brain function 
  4. Aids in connective tissue formation  

Superpower:  

Berries are one of the best antioxidant superfoods as they help protect your cells from free-radical damage. Free radicals can lead to oxidative stress, which can initiate a number of diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, over time.  

Fun fact:  

The strawberry is related to the rose. Both belong to the genus Fragaria, meaning fragrant. They also share similarities like their red color and attractive smell. 

Dark, Leafy Greens  

A woman holding dark and leafy greens in her hands in the kitchen

Dark, leafy greens have been a part of the human diet for centuries. Ancient civilizations may not have known all the nutritional perks of leafy greens, but they were sure to notice the feel-good effects of consuming these plant-based superfood cleanse ingredients. Bursting with vitamins, salad greens like kale and spinach are rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K. Leafy vegetables like broccoli and bok choy boast vitamin B superiority.  

Health benefits:  

  1. Promotes heart health  
  2. Helps prevent certain congenital abnormalities or disorders  
  3. Protects bones from osteoporosis  
  4. May prevent inflammation  
  5. May lower the risk of certain types of cancers  
  6. Helps maintain a healthy body weight  

Superpower:  

Leafy greens contain fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, and have very low amounts of carbohydrates, sodium, and cholesterol. They’re fast-acting foods that promote a healthy, regular digestive tract, which improves your daily level of comfort. 

Fun fact:  

The oldest leafy green in the cabbage family, collard greens date back 2,000+ years. Ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to grow the crop. 

Fish  

A piece of salmon, an open avocado, and some other forms of healthy fats

Ranked as one of the most important foods on the planet, fish is not only among the healthiest foods, but also one of the tastiest. A low-fat, high-quality protein, fish is rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium.  

Fish is so helpful that the American Heart Association recommends eating it at least twice weekly. All fish offers healthy boosts; however, prime choices include salmon, trout, sardines, canned light tuna, and oysters.  

Health benefits:  

  1. Lowers blood pressure  
  2. Helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke  
  3. Aids healthy brain function  
  4. May prevent inflammation  

Superpower:  

The omega-3 makes fish such a valuable food. These fatty acids keep our heart strong and brain healthy. Omega-3s are nutrients the body doesn’t produce, so we must get them from the foods we eat.  

Fun fact:  

Fish are older than dinosaurs! Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years—about 250 million years longer than mammals 

Nuts  

A variety of nuts on a wooden table

While you may not think it, nuts are one of the best-for-you foods out there. It’s true, they have a high total fat content that can mislead some people to assume otherwise, but when you dig a little deeper into their nutritional makeup, you’ll find that they have much more to offer than you’d expect.  

To start, nuts are low in saturated fats (the bad kind) and high in unsaturated fats (the good kind). Plus, they contain huge amounts of protein and fiber. Nuts like almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, and peanuts are best suited to give your body the wholesome stuff it needs. They’re also probably the tastiest topper for your next superfood yogurt bowl and other breakfast recipes!  

Health benefits:  

  1. Protects cells from free-radicals damage  
  2. Lowers blood pressure and blood sugar  
  3. Promotes a healthy gut  
  4. Helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke  

Superpower:  

Due to their complex composition, studies have shown that nuts have cholesterol-lowering effects. They’re proven to have a beneficial impact on many additional cardiovascular risk factors, like blood pressure and inflammation, too. What’s also great is that these nuts make an excellent superfood nut butter to go on your whole wheat toast in the morning!  

Fun fact:  

If it weren’t for bees, we wouldn’t have some of our favorite nuts. Almonds need bumblebees to pollinate them for growth, and Brazil nuts require female euglossine bees to pollinate. 

Legumes  

Different types of legumes in a variety of bowls

A dietary staple, legumes provide a nutritious and delicious addition to dishes near and far. Soft and earthy-flavored, legumes are prominent in Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Several legumes, like chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, and black beans, are low in fat and high in plant protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, folate, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc.  

Health benefits:  

  1. Promotes a healthy gut  
  2. Lowers blood pressure and blood sugar  
  3. Prevents cell damage  
  4. Helps reduce cholesterol  
  5. Helps maintain a healthy body weight  

Superpower:  

While the nutritional profile of legumes is impressive, they’re also an ideal plant-based source of protein. It’s the high fiber and protein content that makes legumes a healthy alternative to meats.  

Fun fact:  

Beans have carbohydrates in them called galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which may cause gas. Technically, they can’t be digested by human digestive enzymes. When hungry bacteria eat the sugar, they give off gas. To combat this, soak and rinse dry beans before cooking them. 

Embrace the Power of Superfoods for a Healthier You!  

Adding superfoods to your meals makes you feel and look good, and helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although there isn't one clear definition of "superfood," experts agree that these foods are full of excellent nutrients that help your body. From berries and nuts to fish and legumes, these superfoods will help you take a step towards a more invigorating life!