Eating a diet rich in foods with nutritious benefits is the best way to feel good, have more energy, reach your fitness goals and just feel healthier in general from the inside out! Superfoods are foods loaded with health benefits, from being packed with vitamins and minerals, to helping balance hormones to decreasing inflammation in the body to supporting a healthy diet. This post shares a collection of superfoods from everyday, common items that you can incorporate into your diet easily and start reaping the many benefits!
While they’re are many superfoods, I narrowed this list down into those that are pretty common items, easy to shop for, simple to use and very versatile so you can use them in multiple ways within your diet. Here are some of the most common superfoods and some of their many benefits along with simple ways to incorporate them into your diet!
Kale – you know the saying “Hail to the Kale” and that’s for good reason. Kale is one the healthiest foods we can eat. It’s loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, hormone balancing nutrients and components called polyphenols to name a few which helps decrease inflammation and disease in the body. It’s also a low calorie food packed with fiber and protein making it a great choice for weight management! My favorite ways to eat kale is in smoothies and juices as it can have a stronger taste but goes almost unnoticed in those beverages because of the other flavorful ingredients. Other great ways to use Kale is doing a rough chop with it and throwing it into soups like my super delish Sausage Kale Soup.
Spinach – Like Kale, spinach has a ton of the same benefits except this green isn’t as strong of flavor. Some may argue, but I feel like it blends right in with other flavors unless it’s sauteed up as a side dish which I love anyway! I love using spinach in smoothies, it’s my go to green for those because it blends up really well. I try to add it into my diet almost daily because it has gut health and glowy skin benefits and is loaded with antioxidants that support so many health benefits!
Green Leaf Lettuce is my favorite leafy green for salads. It’s fluffy yet crunchy and makes an amazing tortilla shell swap! You can obviously enjoy it in a big green garden fresh salad which is great and you can get creative with it too. I love using it as a bun to burgers and as a shell instead of using a flour based tortilla for wraps. Another way to cut carbs and reap the benefits of the leafy greens is to make lettuce boats from it. You can enjoy it with cold dishes like toppings on a salad or you can use it as the base for your chicken fajitas!
Blueberries are another amazing superfood that is sweet and satisfying! While it’s benefits are numerous they support glowy skin by decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, can improve exercise recovery and help you feel full and satisfied without a high calorie load. Of course you can blend them up for a Smoothie Bowl or add them to a stuffed sweet potato. you can also enjoy them as a snack, bake healthy blueberry muffins, make sauces, chia puddings or toss them on top of your salad like this amazing fresh Blueberry Broccoli Green Salad.
Lemons are excellent for detox, have a high vitamin C content, are amazing for skin, gut health and can even help you feel fuller faster and longer. Best ways to use lemons are adding the fresh squeezed juice directly into your water. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning has a ton of benefits, from regulating your body’s pH, to supporting a healthy metabolism to supporting weight management. Using them for dressings on a salad or mixing the juice into a recipe for dressing and sauces. You can make lemon coconut bites, one of my favorite snacks and other healthy baked treats with them. Lemon smoothies and juices make a great summer time refreshment and are another nutritious way to soak up the superfood benefits!
Sweet Potatoes are a staple in my kitchen as you can use them in so many different ways and depending on how you cook and use them it seems like the flavor can be different also! They are full of fiber which can help with weight loss and digestion and also lower in calories. They make an excellent post workout meal but really, they’re a fantastic food to enjoy throughout the day. Some of the fun ways to enjoy them are stuffing them baking them and then loading them up with clean sloppy jo meat, roasting them to put into nourish bowls and mashing them up with some Neufchatel cream cheese for a protein boost. They’re another sweet and satisfying food you can do so many things with! I love stocking up on them in November when they’re on the holiday sale and putting them in the freezer or canning them to use later!
Apple Cider Vinegar is another amazing superfood to add to your diet and while it does have a strong flavor there are many ways to sweeten it up and use it in your cooking and beverages to reap the many benefits! For a basic morning mocktail, you can add a few Tablespoons to warm water with lemon or add mixed fruits or fresh fruit juice to sweeten it up. It helps support healthy blood sugar levels, digestion and weight loss. It’s great for reducing fat storage, can help you feel full and support healthy gut bacteria which leads to so many amazing benefits from having better digestion, to balanced hormones to even a better mood. My favorite ways to use it are in salad dressings and in my buffalo sauce. Home juicing is another way to reap the benefits while masking the flavor a bit. For the home preservers, you can use it for pickling your veggies, meats or as a marinade for them as well!
Chocolate thankfully, does have many health benefits so rest assured you can enjoy it with satisfaction! The issue with indulging in chocolate only comes in when there is a ton of sugar, and unhealthy fats added to it. The best way to enjoy chocolate is making sure it is made up of mostly chocolate. Cocoa nibs and cocoa powder are great options. Dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate have less sugar added to it so opting for these varieties can help reduce sugar and fat in it. I don’t think you need too many ideas on how to add this superfood to your diet but some healthy options are trail mix or chocolate covered almonds! These snacks provide healthy fats, fiber and protein along with the amazing antioxidants and vitamins the chocolate contains. This combo can help feel full and satisfied which can help from overeating, curb your cravings and keep you on track of your goals!
Almonds provide healthy fats, fiber and nutrients to support a healthy diet. They support metabolism, weight management and provide energy your body needs to fuel up right. Making sure your diet is full of healthy fats is key to staying on track of your daily targets, nutritional and fitness goals. Like above, you can get more healthy fats in, in fun ways like trail mix combos or chocolate covered almonds. You can add plain almonds to a salad for a good crunch or mix them into energy bites, baked goods or even enjoy as almond milk in smoothies! All of which make getting in healthy fats tasty and doable.
Avocados are another healthy fat that supports healthy metabolism, gut health and inflammation. They also help with protein absorption which can help you tone and shape lean muscles! So enjoying them as part of your diet can have many fitness benefits. Avocados can be added to salads or enjoyed as a spread for loaded toasts. They also make n amazing dressing, just blend them up with fresh herbs, lemon juice and sweetener and drizzle on top of your salad or veggies.
Green tea like the rest, has so many benefits, first from a fitness perspective it can help support a healthy balanced metabolism, reduce muscle fatigue and increase fat burn to help you tone and shape! It can also support mental clarity and calm. Adding a cup of tea to your late morning routine may help you feel energized and focused the rest of the day which is important to reducing stress an in turn balancing hormones for a healthy metabolism. It’s also an amazing hydrating drink that can fight fine lines and wrinkles and support glowing skin. Simple ways to enjoy green tea is with hot water and lemon, blended up as a latte or used in energy bites or baked goods also!
I hope you are inspired to add more nourishing superfoods to your diet on a consistent basis! Join the Blend – my newsletter that shares healthy recipes, fitness inspo and lifestyle tips to nourish your healthy lifestyle.