Urban Blog

Superfoods are foods that truly do stand out. Not every food can earn the superfood label, but the ones that do can help you boost your antioxidant, vitamin and mineral intake and increase the number of disease fighting compounds in your diet.

A superfood should be a food that is packed with plenty of nutrition and disease fighting properties while at the same time being easy to find; after all, the best superfood isn’t that super if you can’t find it! Let’s take a closer look at some of the foods that do in fact deserve the name super.

Superfood Number One-Garlic

If you are thinking that all superfoods need to be rare, then think again! Garlic is an amazing food and most definitely deserves to be on the superfood list.

What is it about garlic that makes it so special? Garlic is incredibly unique, as it simultaneously works to boost health in a variety of ways. Garlic is a strong anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal food. Adding to its impressive resume is the fact that garlic is also high in antioxidants, good for heart and brain health, has cancer fighting compounds, is low in calories and tastes great. Few foods have strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, but garlic is one of them.

In yet another twist, garlic has different health boosting compounds depending upon how it is consumed. Raw garlic, chopped garlic and cooked garlic all have different health boosting properties due to chemical changes that occur in the garlic. This superfood definitely ranks at the top of the list.

Superfood Number Two-Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are becoming increasingly popular and deservedly so. In recent years, chia seeds have shaken their “Chia Pet” image and are now seen as an incredible food. One of the key reasons that chia seeds stand out is that the simple looking chia seed is anything but simple.

Omega-3 fatty acids work to reduce inflammation in the body and chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Inflammation is how many diseases spread throughout the body, and just one serving of chia seeds has enough omega-3 for the entire day.

Added to the omega-3 benefits of chia seeds is the fact that they are high in vitamins and minerals as well. Those looking for a high quality source of protein will be excited to hear that chia seeds are an amazing form of vegan protein.

Superfood Number Three-Tea

Tea might seem too simple to make our list, but the facts are that tea is impressive stuff! Green tea is the world’s most consumed beverage and one of the most researched foods in the history of the world. What makes green tea so special is that it has zero calories and yet is packed with both antioxidants and disease fighting compounds.

Research has shown the both green tea and black tea can boost the immune system. Black tea has been shown to boost the number of T-cells in the body, and that means a stronger immune system. Green tea and black tea can also improve bone and teeth strength due to their natural fluoride and studies have shown that green tea can help reduce protect teeth from cavities.

Chamomile tea is also a winner. Chamomile tea doesn’t just calm the nerves. Research indicates that chamomile tea may also help fight cancer. When you are looking for an easy way to boost your overall health, you’ll want to check out zero calorie tea. Just be sure to drink all natural tea and not sugar infused and chemical laden “teas in cans.”

Superfood Number Four-Sardines

It is tough to find an animal protein that measures up to the humble and powerful sardine. Sardines are low in calories, high in protein, extremely high in all important omega-3 fatty acids and high in calcium. Since sardines are low on the food chain, they usually contain far less heavy metal contamination than other fish such as tuna or wild Alaskan salmon, which is also an omega-3 powerhouse.

If you are looking for a low calorie protein source that will also help your body fight inflammation, thanks to very high omega-3 levels, then you’ll want to check out sardines.

Superfood Number Five-Olive Oil

You’ve probably heard that olive oil is good for you. The research on olive oil has been very extensive and very impressive. Not only is it good for you, but also it tastes great!

Olive oil is packed with vitamin K, which is essential for bone strength, and vitamin E. It is also high in omega-fatty acids and contains disease fighting compounds. To date, there have been about 30 different phenolic compounds discovered in olive oil. One compound is olecanthal, which has been studied for its strong anti-inflammatory properties. Olecanthal may also play a role in fighting the accumulation of proteins that are involved in Alzheimer’s disease and has been shown to kill cancer cells. In short, olive oil is amazing.

Easy to Find, Prepare and Tasty Options!

Just adding these five foods to your diet will help you improve your overall health. Eliminating the consumption of processed foods while adding these five impressive foods to your diet may help you boost your energy levels and your immune system. Best of all, each of these five picks are tasty and easy to find and prepare.