Let’s Talk Superfoods | FoodsOfOurLives.com
Hey all! I thought it would be fun to do a post on some amazing superfood’s that my family loves that may be a little…ahem…different.
Seeing as I have been focusing my family’s diet on eating healthy lately, which I feel we’ve always been pretty good but it’s nice to really get back to basics and make it purposeful and even try some new things.
One of the really crazy things I love about eating some of these foods, is how inexpensive they are for what you get!
I hate it when I overhear people say, “It’s just so expensive to eat healthy…”
It can be, yes.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Especially if you know to look for some of these superfood’s that are just packed with amazing nutrients that your body needs. You will find, if you are eating a nutrient packed diet, you don’t need to eat as much because your body is using everything you are fueling it with, instead of only getting a few nutrients out of your food.
Trust. Me.
I use this theory with my chickens, my ducks, my goats and my children….
But I’ll leave the animal’s diet for another day.
I will admit this list of superfood’s I am about to give will likely have you squirming a little, but stay with me!!! Until I tried some of them, I would have gone, “Oh, ew. No I’m not eating that.”
But you know what? I did try them.
And I love them.
So let’s get talking….
1. Beets.
I thought I would start you off with a not so crazy one but one that I am always amazed when people come over to my house and say, “I’ve actually never tried beets.”
WHAT????!!!
Then I remember. You know….I don’t remember ever eating beets growing up. It’s highly likely my mom attempted to feed it to us and it was rejected so she gave up. But at any rate, we didn’t eat beets.
I started cooking a lot with beets in the last couple years mostly because of our CSA box. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. Right?
Well there are lots of tasty things to do with beets but I love to slice them up and roast them with a little olive oil and it sort of caramelizes them and it’s like candy. Get this: It’s my kid’s favorite veggie next to brussels sprouts 😀 (we’ll talk about this phenomenon in another post!)
Why should you eat beets?
Beets are a great source of folate and manganese, both of which are incredibly important for your health (1).
Folate helps tissues grow and cells to work making this incredibly important during pregnancy but also when you are not pregnant because we all need our cells to work and to be able to grow new tissue, right?
It also works with Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C to break down, use and create new proteins (2).
This important stuff.
Eat your beets.
2. Sardines.
This is one of the foods I most commonly hear people go, “Ew!”
Are you kidding me? So you’ve never tried them?
Most often I get, “Well…no…”
Ok, when I first went to Italy one of the first places we went was a little run down looking restaurant on the coast near Pisa and you know what was on the menu?
Pizza. Of course.
But with sardines on it. Not something American’s typically see.
So I tried it. Because when you are in a new country, experiencing new experiences, it’s what you do.
Oh my gosh I loved it.
I have been eating the tasty little things ever since.
In recent years I have gotten kind of bad about eating them but decided to revive the practice a while ago and my family has fallen in love with them. They are absolutely PACKED with flavor and absolutely PACKED with stuff your body needs.
For example, did you know that ounce for ounce sardines contain just as much omega 3 fats as salmon?
Sardines are loaded with niacin, B2, B12, phosphorous, calcium and potassium, iron and selenium. (3)
You know what else is completely awesome about these little guys? They are sustainably harvested, and they are a low mercury fish.
It’s a win, win.
My family has tried several different brands of sardines and our absolute favorite, hands down are Season Sardines. My kids won’t touch any other kind and I am not just saying this because this is a sponsored post. When Season Sardines asked me to do this, I already had 4 tins in the pantry because the other 4 I had purchased from Costco had already been gobbled down by my kids as an after school snack. It was a no-brainer for me to do the posts.
3. Liver
Ok. This is another, “Gross!” response food.
I have to admit when I would go over to my grandparents house as a kid and walk in to the smell of liver and onions being fried, I was not overwhelmed with a sense of hunger….
But there are other great ways to incorporate liver into your diet. One of which is a pate.
I have some Hungarian friends who introduced me to this method of preparing liver and I’m totally hooked.
Love. Love. Love. This stuff.
Please don’t knock this till you try it and if you can find some friendly Hungarians to show you the light, jump on that train.
Why? Doesn’t the liver store toxins?
No. It helps to neutralize toxins but does not store them.
What it does have is a ton of vitamins that your body needs such as, A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. (4)
4. Seaweed
When I was a kid we used to go visit my family in Hawaii once in a great while and I have a vivid memory of being fed seaweed and (drum roll please) liking it.
Nowadays you don’t have to fly to the ocean to get your hands on seaweed though! Costco carries a delicious dry version for snacking or you can get nori in the asian section of your grocery store. This is also one of my kid’s favorites. The little weirdos darlings actually like combining their seaweed with their sardines to make themselves little sushi rolls.
This was TOTALLY their idea. I’m dead serious, I do not exaggerate, make this up or otherwise embellish this fact.
So why exactly is seaweed good for you?
Seaweed is a great source for Vitamins A, C, E, K and B it contains minerals iodine, selenium, calcium and iron and amino acids.
5. Sauerkraut (this one isn’t pictures because I ate it all the other day!)
Say what? You thought this was only a topping for brats and hot dogs?
Did you know that traditionally made sauerkraut (not the stuff in the bottle at the store, next to all the condiments) is chock full of great stuff! Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
It is a source of vitamins C, B, and K; the fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients rendering sauerkraut even more nutritious than the original cabbage. It is also low in calories and high in calcium and magnesium, and it is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper andmanganese.
If unpasteurized and uncooked, sauerkraut also contains live lactobacilli and beneficial microbes and is rich in enzymes. The fiber and supply of probiotics improve digestion and promote the growth of healthy bowel flora, protecting against many diseases of the digestive tract.
Crazy right? Have you ever thought of sauerkraut as a probiotic? I was introduced to this concept quite a few years ago when my sister put her family on the GAPS diet to help with her sons autism. It is a healing diet for the gut and one of the things this diet starts you out on is homemade lacto-fermented sauerkraut.
Pretty awesome stuff, plus it’s seriously easy and cheap to make.
I hope you found this informative and are inspired to try some new things in the name of health and please leave me a comment below and tell me what your favorite superfood’s are!
- Huckleberry Plum Pie - January 1, 2017
- Fresh Mango Sorbet - July 17, 2016
- Steak Caesar Salad - June 8, 2016
