While there may be no such thing as a “superfood” in the superhero sense of the word, there are certainly foods packed with more healthy nutrients than others. Here are three such star standouts, plus easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.
Blueberries
While all berries are nutritious, blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, phytoflavinoids, potassium, fiber and vitamin C, meaning they are anti-inflammatory and could even help lower your risk of heart disease and cancer.
Easy ways to eat more blueberries:
- Wash them and eat them by themselves as a sweet snack.
- Put them in the blender with other ingredients, such as nonfat yogurt, ice and other fruits to make a smoothie. When blueberries aren’t in season, you can use frozen blueberries.
- Add them on top of your cereal.
- Combine them with low-fat partners like yogurt and nonfat dairy whip for tasty desserts.
- Try recipes like this baked peaches and blueberries with crisp pecan topping from AARP.org.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a star vegetable, low in calories and packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, B vitamins, folate, potassium, beta-carotene and more. This nutrient-rich veggie has the potential to help lower the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and more. While not everyone is a fan of broccoli, there are ways to eat more of it and not even know it!
Easy ways to eat more broccoli:
- Cut it finely, and add it to your salads.
- Use it in soups and stews.
- Steam it and add it to your spaghetti sauce; you can even puree it, and you’ll never even know it’s there!
- Pureed broccoli can be added to all sorts of things, from homemade turkey patties to meatloaf and more.
- Try these 10 Great Broccoli Recipes from AARP.org.
Salmon
Cold-water fish like wild salmon is high in important omega-3 fatty acids. Such fish has the potential power, if consumed regularly, to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and more. Plus it’s a healthier alternative to red meat.
When shopping for fish, try to find fresh fish. Fish markets can be a good place to shop. If you can purchase whole fish, look at the fish’s eyes to indicate freshness – they should be bright and clear. If the fish isn’t whole, avoid fish with any film or viscosity, which can indicate it’s several days old.
Easy ways to eat more salmon:
- Try salmon on your salad, like this salmon, potato and green bean recipe and other recipes from sites such as AARP.org.
- Stuff your salmon with other healthy vegetables: Here’s a tasty salmon stuffed with asparagus as one example.
- Poach your salmon, such as this poached salmon with mango salsa recipe.
- Salmon roasted is another delicious option. In this roasted salmon recipe, it’s paired with healthy lentils.
- You can also grill and broil salmon.
These are just a few of the so-called superfoods that can help keep you healthy. By learning about these foods and getting creative with how you add them to your diet, you can easily reap the benefits every day of the year.
Resources
10 Superfoods for Health – AARP.org
3 Surprising Superfoods – AARPhealthandwellness.com