You’ve heard the buzzword by now: Superfood. Makes you want to clean out the refrigerator and stock it up with only items falling under this category, right? It also begs the question, “What’s so super about a superfood, anyway?” The term is attached to a category of foods that have high phytonutrient content and potential health benefits.
“And what’s a phytonutrient?” you might ask. Phytonutrients, which naturally occur in plant material, are chemicals thought to benefit health but that aren’t deemed essential. Consider them, perhaps, the “icing on the cake” of the fruit and vegetable world.
Late summer and early fall is a great time to explore your taste for a variety of superfoods, fresh and locally grown in your area and served up at farmer’s markets, in co-ops and on the menu of organic/naturally-minded restaurants not far from home. Make it a family outing, and share your top-pick with family members at the end of the day.
Common superfoods, as they’re labeled, would include fruits and nuts like the goji berry, raw cacao, maca (powder derived from a root), acai, coconut, coconut oil, noni (best when freeze-dried), and blueberries. Veggies on the list include rocket, spinach, dandelion greens, kale, watercress, parsley, lettuce, endive, chicory, broccoli sprouts and mustard sprouts. There are plenty of herbs and other foods that make the list as well. For a more complete list, you can visit sites including http://www.foodmatters.tv/Health_Resources and http://www.superfoodsrx.com/superfoods/ .
Late summer and early fall is a great time to explore your taste for a variety of superfoods, fresh and locally grown in your area and served up at farmer’s markets, in co-ops and on the menu of organic/naturally-minded restaurants not far from home. Make it a family outing, and share your top-pick with family members at the end of the day.
