12 Superfoods You Need to be Eating

posted in Around the Kitchen, Food by Lisa Freeman

apricots

The hit book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden is a great resource, because it highlights the health benefits of many everyday foods. This is not a book that sends you off in search of unusual and hard to find stuff — it lists basic, readily available items. Eating healthy is a challenge for busy people, so here’s a list of 12 “superfoods” to keep in mind when preparing meals and snacks.

Beans: They’re small in size, but big on fiber and iron. Darker-colored beans, such as black and kidney, have an even higher concentration of healthy stuff.
Apricots:The oft-forgotten apricot is great source of Vitamin A and other nutrients. Dried apricots are even more nutritious, and portable, than fresh ones. Prunes — hey, don’t laugh — are also terrific.
Blueberries: Cranberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are highly recommended for healthy aging. Said to help maintain short-term memory, blueberries contain high levels of antioxidants.
Broccoli: It’s not hard to eat broccoli if you sauté it in a bit of olive oil and garlic. Deep-green vegetables like collard greens, kale and asparagus have abundant nutrients. Bok choy (Chinese cabbage) is also packed with nutrients that are said to guard against certain cancers.
Cacao: Didn’t expect to see chocolate on a super food list, right? Well, buying organic chocolate (found in most health food stores) with high levels of cacao can do a body good. It may not be the tastiest thing to eat straight, but mix a bit of 100 per cent organic cacao powder into a morning smoothie or coffee, or buy chocolate bars that are at least 75 per cent cacao. Note: Snickers bars are not a healthy substitute.
Peanut Butter: The food that kids love is, in fact, healthy for you. Nuts are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can help fight heart disease. Almonds, in particular, are known for lowering cholesterol.
Turkey: Thanksgiving and Christmas are long gone, but it’s always a good time to make lean, protein-rich turkey. You can cook a small breast with a side of cranberries, or substitute ground turkey in recipes that call for ground beef. Unfortunately, turkey lunch meat doesn’t make the cut, because it’s typically high in sodium.
Cinnamon: Believe it or not, this spice is considered to be one of the healthiest foods in the world. And, no, it doesn’t count if it’s glued to the top of a sticky bun! Simply dust it on your oatmeal, your morning coffee, or even on a piece of fruit. Studies suggest that it can lower cholesterol and help control blood sugar (diabetics take note!).
– Update: Kim and Gary (see comments below) have brought to our attention that the American Diabetes Association posted a study just last month saying that cinnamon DOES NOT have any effect on your blood sugar levels. Thanks, Kim and Gary!
Pomegranate juice: This antioxidant-rich juice has been shown to help fight heart disease and lower cholesterol. Drink a small cup of pom juice daily, diluted with water if you find the taste too strong. You can also buy blends that contain apple or blueberry juice.
Yogurt: Smoothie lovers, take a bow! You’re ahead of the game if you’re eating non-fat yogurt, because it’s good for intestinal health. Mix the plain stuff with some of the items on this list, including nuts, cinnamon or berries and you’re doubling up on healthy ingredients.
Oats: Whole-grain goodies, such as oat bran breakfast cereal (like Cheerios), oatmeal and whole grain breads are on the list because they help lower your cholesterol and increase fiber intake.
Avocado: Go ahead and whip up some avocado salsa, a great side dish. Guacamole is also good for you. Avocados are high-calorie, so you don’t want to go crazy eating them, but they are said to improve blood flow, which increases brain activity.

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30 comments

Kim DiPietro | posted on Feb 24, 2008

Great piece on the 12 superfoods, I actually learned some ne w ones in reading it. I just wanted to let you know that Cinnamon has now been found to NOT effect your blood sugar or to help diabetics in any way. I am a diabetic and was taking cinnamon capsules and putting more into my coffee and tea, so I was a bit bummed. I just thought you would want to know. :)

Kim

Dave | posted on Feb 25, 2008

"Peanut Butter: The food that kids love is, in fact, healthy for you. Nuts are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can help fight heart disease. Almonds, in particular, are known for lowering cholesterol."

1. Peanuts aren't nuts

2. Hydrogenated fats aren't good for you.

Natural/Organic/Non-hydrogenated peanut butter, sure.

Gary | posted on Feb 25, 2008

The Americian Diabetes Association posted a study in Jan '08 that cinnamon DOES NOT help with sugar control. Article needs to be updated to reflect that.

Mark | posted on Feb 25, 2008

That's a very concise list there I have heard of some substitute chocolate but, not that paticular one that is mentioned, never tried apricots.

warren | posted on Feb 25, 2008

Also, regarding your cinnamon comment, what most people think is cinnamon in the US, those small, thightly rolled dark brown sticks, is actually the bark of a different tree, the Cassia tree. *True* cinnamon is much larger, lighter, and more delicate (thinner) and also much more expensive. It can be found in specialty storey, but I highly doubt that your local grocery store stocks it. The FDA decided a long time ago that Cassia bark could be sold and called 'cinnamon' in the US, so thank them for thinking you have been eating cinnamon when your whole life you haven't been.

ANARCHY-TV.COM | posted on Feb 26, 2008

#5 Cacao does not belong on this list. There is no way in hell caffeine is healthy for you - its a toxin and highly addictive. It will make your thoughts race, make you hyperactive, then fatigued, paranoid, quick to anger... and if you keep eating it, it will kill you. If you feed chocolate to dogs it will kill them. Not to mention its highly addictive... look up the wikipedia entry on "Drug Addiction", and you'll see caffeine listed. Or do a Youtube search for "psychetruth caffeine". Worse, caffeine is refined out of cacao plantes when decafinating coffee, and pumped into high fructose loaded corn syrup soft drinks, and soft drinks are toxic as hell. Tell any nutritionist you drink a soft drink a day (or five, like I was) and look at the pained expression of horror that comes over their face; that should give you some idea.

len | posted on Feb 26, 2008

peanut butter? processed junk. this one entry makes the entire list suspect, less credible. cacao? raw chocolate beans or nibs are a wonderful, true superfood, anything downstream of that is not, and usually just tasty junk. cinnamon? go here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez and search for "cinnamon" and "cinnamon glucose". My guess is that BigPharma totally compromised Americian Diabetes Association and finances any study (researches have to at, too) that would discourage the use of natural, unpatented products and encourge expensive BigPharma products. Cheerios is superfood? GMAFB OK, peanut butter and Cheerios. Finito. This list is a joke.

ctd3 | posted on Feb 26, 2008

I love the list I was surprised that sprouts were not high on the list?! or flax seed meal? or smoked salmon?

Which are two easy ad-on items which are so benificial for a healthful diet which I swear by ; sprouts, of all sorts alfalfa, mustard, broccoli etc live food and greens grown right in the kitchen that are easily obtainable and flax meal added to cereals and used often as an adjunct to breadcrumbs (on in place of) has a nutty flavor, high in oils and both items mentioned keep you as regular as a clock!

I get the frozen wild (Maine) Blueberries a shy cup unsweetened yogurt (also shy cup) 1/3-1/2 cup flax meal, tablespoon honey, tablespoon tahini minced sunflower seeds and mix (thaw berries), this is one of my lunches.

The other staple is smoked salmon with balsamic vinegar on the bed of sprouts. yum.

The article reminds me that so often the food producers used tactics for the marketplace and welfare of the food product sold, not the welfare of the consumers of said foods, additives like hydrogenated oils, sugars, corn syrup, sulphurs etc, so if one looks @ what's often touted as food is not truly fit for healthful living but a contributor to disease .

Thank you for the great reminders to eat well, one's health depends on it.

Lisa Freeman | posted on Feb 26, 2008

Hi Len! Raw cacao IS one and the same as the nibs you describe. Also, we are aware that since this was written that the Diabetes Assoc feels that cinammon is no longer a sugar fighter. Timing is everything, as they say--and thankfully, we are grateful for ongoing research when it comes to what we eat for sure.

Oat bran, is a superfood, yes. And believe it or not original Cheerios (not the frosted or fruity kind) is made with 100% oat bran, and makes a healthy breakfast with low-fat milk.

I'm enjoying your opinions! You too TV Anarchy! There's power in opinion!

Sketch | posted on Feb 26, 2008

I'm glad to see that Avacado's made the list... many people just don't understand how nutritious they are for you.

Another food that wasn't mentioned is Goji Berries. They are like a superpacked BlueBerry..

Kathy Maister | posted on Feb 26, 2008

Sketch you are so right about the Goji Berries. The problem is that they are not readily available in your average grocery stores, and they are pretty expensive around here.

Christine | posted on Feb 26, 2008

I like the list of foods and I am glad to see that avocado was on the list. Avocados are very nutritional. Also look at the benefits of tofu, high in protein, low in saturated fats, a good source of Vitamin E and may play a great role in preventing various types of cancer.

Amy Law | posted on Feb 26, 2008

Dried apricots are even better for you then fresh ones? I beg to differ. They may be more convenient to get or carry around, but they are also often loaded with sulphites, a cheap preservative which is very bad for your health. Almost any type of dried fruit, unless you are willing to pay a lot more for organically produced and processed versions, are loaded with sulphites. So I'd rather stick to fresh fruit, as the benefits of preserved fruit are far outweighed by the toxic stuff used in preserving.

George | posted on Feb 26, 2008

The truth is nothing is good for everybody.Every persons body and chemistry is different.Some of these "Healthy foods" could kill some people.Do what is right for you,and stop trusting these lists!

Len | posted on Feb 26, 2008

why recommend inustrial processed junk like Cheerios for oat bran, when bulk oat bran is unprocessed and cheaper? You seem to have missed my point. Like all the big national disease associations and institutes, the ADA is very probably financed heavily by BigPharma, compromising ADA's integrity. I gave the govt web site where there is plenty research showing cinnamon is effective, eg, and increase insulin sensitivity, and stabilizing glucose levels

ctd3 | posted on Feb 26, 2008

I do see some missing links on the list and would like to ad another speaking a SUPER FOODS & of lowering /stabilizing glucose levels a level teaspoon of spirulina will do just that and and I did not find it in a book I noticed the affect to my sugars as consistently benificial yet un mentioned mode of doing just that. I went to the site that the above poster Len mentions and sure enough there are research papers stating that. Thanks for the link Len.

So Gary & Kim you may want to look at the papers on the site mentioned the cinnamon and certainly for the Spirulina which was news to me, I tend to side with Len that the Big Pharmas do not want to support other than what they are so heavily invested in. The other thing to note is the quality of the cinnamon and potency and consistentancy of nutritional value could vary greatly. One could say that about spirulina as well.

the snipped addy for that paper http://snipurl.com/spirulina_glucose

Kim DiPietro | posted on Feb 27, 2008

Thanks for the info on the spirulina, I will check that out now. As to what I used when I was using cinnamon on a daily basis was not cassia but true cinnamon, I ordered it from Penzy's Spices.

Also, is it me, or is this line of responses to Kathys original article a tad nasty?

eric | posted on Feb 27, 2008

Your suggestions are small but very effective. I like your smart work and description. I would also want to introduce to you about The hit book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Eart by Jonny Bowden is a great resource, because it highlights the health benefits of many everyday foods.

jasmine | posted on Feb 27, 2008

thanx for sharing thsi information this is quite informative thanx for it
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jasmine

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Mark | posted on Feb 27, 2008

The American Diabetes Association in alliance with BIG PHARM inc. skews and falsifies their own own studies in order to..... get you to buy expensive drugs to control your diabetes. Cinnimon is pretty cheap stuff. Not to mention delicious (doesn't taste like medicine to me). SO bad for business ;-)

FOLLOW THE $$

cindy | posted on Feb 27, 2008

OK, Peanut Butter is terrible for you but give them a break it could of been just an error. If you opt for NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER then thats where the nutritional value comes from.....

Red Icculus | posted on Feb 28, 2008

This is an excellent article. I eat as many super foods as I can. I also did an article on them here:

http://red-icculus.com/?p=29

Oms | posted on Feb 28, 2008

Be careful with the cinnamon though; if you take large quantities regularly, it forms a toxin in your body

fff | posted on Feb 28, 2008

Goveg.com

Ed | posted on Apr 30, 2008

@Anarchy-Tv:

Cacao DOES NOT contain caffeine, and has been proven to be pretty good for you, though I can't remember the specifics.

Stop giving Anarchists a bad name.

len | posted on Apr 30, 2008

I find this and others about caffeine in raw cacao beans: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-90161999000300021

len | posted on May 5, 2008

raw cacao is extremely high quality food. Totally different from highly processed, weakened industrial chocolate.

Kathy Maister | posted on May 12, 2008

Hi Everyone, Here are a few nutritional facts on raw cocoa and where to buy it. I have never tried it but from what I read, it does taste toatally different from the processed cocoa.

Antiques | posted on May 14, 2008

It is of course important to note that peanut butter needs to be the oragnic variety, as opposed to the sugar laden brands. Choosy moms choose nature. Another great idea is just to simply put some peanuts in the blender.... homemade peanut butter.

len | posted on May 14, 2008

Omega-6, -9 fatty acid (oil) should be consumed at a minimum/avoided and offset by fatty acids high in omega-3. The goal is to consume the highest ratio of omega-3 to omega-6,-9. Peanut butter and oil is one of the worst providers of omega-6 with only a trace of omega-3. Even a peanut-promoter site doesn't hide this bad news: http://www.peanut-institute.org/NutritionBasics.html For the same reason, corn, corn oil, corn products, safflower oil, soy and soy oil, canola oil, sunflower oil are to be minimized or avoided. Grain-fed meat and dairy, fed perversely on corn/soy and their oils, (cows evolved eating low-carb leaves, not calorie-dense seeds) are all high in omega-6,-9 and low/no omega-3. Grass-feed beef and dairy is acutally healthful, therapeutic.