With all the hype surrounding the topic, you’ve probably heard the phrase ‘superfood’ tossed around - but have you ever wondered what exactly makes food, ‘super’?
Superfoods are thought to be nutritionally dense - overflowing with a generous assortment of vitamins and minerals. Not only can popular superfoods like blackberries or tumeric give our health and wellbeing an extra kick, but it’s also believed they can help in the fight against various chronic conditions - like heart disease and arthritis. Amazing!
If you’re keen to take your diet to the next level in 2020, here are 7 popular superfoods to try for yourself.
Turmeric
Often found in curry-based dishes, turmeric has been receiving a lot of attention over the recent years as a stellar superfood.
The spice has been praised as a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, earning its ‘super’ title. Because of these effects, you’ll often find people using turmeric as a natural means of treating arthritis symptoms and Alzheimers.
Our Orange Glows is loaded with raw turmeric making our juice a simple way to add fresh turmeric into your diet.
Beetroots
Beets are a powerhouse of many nutrients - including potassium, iron, folate, vitamin C, fibre, manganese, and more. Though if that’s not enough reason to throw some beetroots on your plate, the superfood has even been suggested to improve blood flow and stamina.
There are plenty of ways to add beetroot into the diet, whether it’s by popping them in a salad or drinking a delicious purple juice. This Earthy Beets cold-press is great, containing a blend of carrot, pear, lemon, mint, and of course - beetroot.
Blackberries
Blackberries have been riding the superfood trend for a while now, often praised as a powerful antioxidant. This is because the berry is rich in vitamin C - an antioxidant that’s essential for skin health and various other systems in the body.
On top of this, blackberries are also high in fibre, vitamin K, and manganese.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to add more blackberry goodness into your diet, whether it’s by throwing some in your cereal, blending it into a smoothie, or mixing them into your yoghurt.
Avocado
Whether you’re eating it in a sandwich, salad, or smashed onto a piece of toast - there’s no better way to upgrade your meal than with a generous helping of avocado.
The fruit is packed to the brim with a mix of vitamins and minerals, including various B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, vitamin E, and more. Plus, it’s also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.
With all of these nutrients, avocados are great for the heart, eyes, joints, gut, and more - helping to keep us in tip-top shape.
Raw Cacao
When compared to traditional milk chocolate, raw cacao is quite bitter - though, with all the benefits linked with the superfood, it may be worth making the switch.
Not only is raw cacao a quality source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and many more nutrients, but the superfood also has anti-inflammatory properties and can provide a hefty kick of antioxidants.
There are plenty of ways to incorporate raw cacao into your diet - whether it’s by swapping to pure dark chocolate, sprinkling it over your smoothie, or baking it into a batch of brownies.
Kombucha
Do you recall that trendy drink that you could only get in obscure cafes? Well, it has taken the world by storm in recent years, even making its way onto the supermarket shelf. Who knew kombucha would absolutely blow up!?
Though despite its claim to fame as a popular superfood (super-drink?), you may still be wondering what exactly kombucha is. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Kombucha is a sweetened fermented drink made from tea, sugar, yeast, and bacteria - and is praised for its variety of health benefits. As it contains a colony of bacteria, it’s believed to be a good source of probiotics.
Sauerkraut
Another fermented superfood that deserves the title is sauerkraut - containing a rich blend of health benefits.
Sauerkraut contains live bacteria, which makes it a good probiotic. On top of this, it's also a great source of fibre, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, and calcium. As a result, the superfood can support digestion, immunity, heart health and more.
The dish is essentially just fermented cabbage, though this fermentation process is what paves the way to the food’s super qualities. Try mixing it into a salad, creating a tasty dip, or eating it straight from the jar.
Juicing is an amazing way to keep your micro nutrient levels stocked up, when it's time to eat (we all love to eat), reaching for the super foods, backing away from the processed foods, keeping your food choices whole foods and plant based as often as possible, will keep your body and mind in tip top shape all year round.
*The information in this article is applicable to those with no health conditions. Before altering your diet, speak with your healthcare professional.
Words - Nicholas Hastie
Nicolas is a digital content creator based in Brisbane, having completed his Bachelor of Health Science at the University of Queensland - majoring in nutrition.
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