Super food love

The term "super food" is thrown around quite a lot lately and it might start to get confusing if you're online often reading conflicting stories on the internet. My definition of a super food is a food that provides you with a plethora of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants, often unique to the specific food that you're eating, without also providing you with a large amount of negative aspects / side effects. I've talked in the past about the importance of including a variety of colours in your diet, each colour associated with a fruit or vegetable provides you with similar nutrients and vitamins while also including antioxidants that each individual fruit or veg provides. I wanted to share with you guys a list of some of the super foods I regularly consume, what's great about them, and how easy it is to include them regularly in your diet. :D

RED CABBAGE

I've posted about red cabbage before but it's an important part of my diet. Red cabbage is part of the cruciferous family, well known for their anti cancer fighting antioxidants. Although they are most potent when eaten raw, don't hesitate to enjoy them cooked as well.

Red cabbage is full of unique antioxidants that help fight a variety of body problems including reducing brain plaque that leads to Alzheimer's, fighting various forms of cancer, and reducing inflammation. Full of vitamins that aid the immune system and loads of fiber, there's a multitude of reasons to be eating red cabbage.

Enjoy red cabbage in salads, slaws, on sandwiches and burgers for a welcome crunch, and even in soups. It's easy to add this super food veggie into your diet!

PARSLEY

Parsley is widely recognized as a garnish on pasta dishes, but it is in fact so much more than that. Nutritionally speaking, parsley is LOADED with vitamins and antioxidants that protect us from illness, boost our immune systems, and fight free radicals that lead to things like skin damage and cancer.

In only 10 sprigs of parsley, you can retain a day's worth of vitamin K. In one serving of parsley, there's almost 100% of your daily requirement of vitamins k, a, and c, all of which help to strengthen and protect our bodies. Parsley also helps with digestion and fights inflammation. No arguing the power of this plant!

Literally, put that sh!t on everything! Garnish aside, it's delicious in soups, stews, and sauces. Enjoying it raw is super easy as well. Toss it into your salads in abundance, stem and all or add it to your sandwiches and burgers for extra flavour in place of lettuce (or as well as). The more parsley you consume, the better off you'll be!

BERRIES

They're beautiful, delicious, and chalk full of benefits for our bodies.  Some are better than others though because they are low glycemic meaning per serving, they don't spike your blood sugar like other fruit can do.

Blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and raspberries specifically, are some of the best super foods you can include in your diet. Blueberries and blackberries especially are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and most importantly, antioxidants. These antioxidants fight free radicals that can lead to a variety of ailments including various cancers, skin damage, and other problems. 

It's so easy to include berries in your daily routine. They're a delicious topping on unsweetened Greek yogurt, oatmeals, cereal, and porridges, and even tossed into your salads. They're a staple in smoothies as they compliment a variety of other fruits. Although not as healthy, they make a mean tart or dessert as well for the occasional treat :p

SPINACH

C'mon guys, this one's been well known for ages. Spinach is chalk full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. As with most dark, leafy greens, spinach is full of iron, one of the highest among the leafy green family. Along with iron, you can expect to get plenty of vitamins c, a, and k, all of which benefit your body immensely. Spinach is one of few vegetables that actually provide you with more body benefits when cooked as the body has trouble breaking down some of its components when raw.

There are a billion ways to include more spinach. Smoothies, salads, soups, sauces, stews, pastas, sandwiches, the list goes on. try and include one serving of spinach into your daily routine and your body will reap the rewards.

I've done several posts on a variety of other fruits and veggies and their super food potential so definitely take a look through some of my older posts for some super food inspiration. These are simply the ones that I engage with regularly and the reasons why they are so fantastic. 

When thinking "super food", look for vibrancy in your fruits and veg. Anything that is vibrant in colour and rich, likely contains a plethora of antioxidants and body benefits. Eating a variety of fruits and veggies everyday is the best way to keep your body healthy and flourishing. Switch things up and keep your palette surprised and your body nourished!

What kinds of fruits and veggies do you guys eat often? What are their benefits?

HAPPY VEG