When you think of superfoods, you probably picture exotic, expensive, hard-to-find ingredients like acai or goji berries, but there are plenty of superfoods available at the regular old grocery store. We’ve got some superfood recipes starring superfoods that are as readily available as they are healthy!

Why Eat Superfoods? As part of a healthy, active lifestyle, nutrient-dense superfoods offer extra health benefits. They can protect your body from disease, help you build healthy bones, and even improve your memory.

Chances are, you’re already eating at least some superfoods on a regular basis, and making an effort to include more servings of these nutrient-packed fruits and veggies in your diet doesn’t have to be a chore. Armed with some yummy superfood recipes, you can incorporate more of these super healthy foods in your day to day.

Superfood Shopping Tips

The recipes focus on six superfoods: kale, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, chia seeds, avocado, and quinoa. These ingredients are all pretty easy to find at the grocery store, and with a little know-how you can save some money and protect your health even more.

Kale – Conventionally-grown kale is on the dirty dozen list, which means it can have a lot of pesticide residues on it. Choose organic kale at the store.

Blueberries – Conventionally grown blueberries are heavy on the pesticide residues, and the real trouble is that those pesticides are inside the fruit, so you can’t wash them off. Make sure you’re choosing organic blueberries for the maximum health benefit.

Pomegranate Seeds – Some stores sell pomegranate seeds on their own, but if you’re buying a whole pomegranate, you might find you have trouble seeding it the first time out. Check out this video for a less-mess method to get at those yummy pomegranate seeds!

Chia Seeds – This might be the trickiest ingredient to find. If your grocery store doesn’t have chia seeds, check our local health food store or co-op. The trick to saving money on chia seeds is to skip the supplement aisle, where they’re pre-packaged and grossly overpriced. Instead, head to the bulk bins, where you can get a big bag of chia seeds for just a few dollars.

Avocado – Avocado is on the EWG’s Clean 15 list, so if you do need to save a buck at the store, you can pick up a conventional avocado instead of an organic one.

Quinoa – Just like chia seeds, you can save a bundle if you buy your quinoa in bulk. I know folks think of health food stores and co-ops as more expensive, but it’s worth a trip to those bulk bins for the money you’ll save on grains, nuts, and seeds.

10 Superfood Recipes

1. Quinoa Superfood Salad – This salad is good hot or cold, and it includes four of the superfoods listed above.

2. Blueberry Salsa – Fruit salsas make a yummy sauce for savory dishes or work well just like tomato-based salsa with some chips for dipping.

3. Raw Chocolate Chia Energy Bars – Who says getting your daily dose of superfoods can’t be a little decadent?

4. Baked Kale Chips – I kind of think of kale chips as the quintessential kale recipe. Sprinkle with some nutritional yeast for a B-vitamin kick and a mellow, cheesy flavor. YUM!

5. Best Damn Guacamole Ever – I know, you probably already have a guac recipe in your arsenal, but this one from Jerry James Stone at Treehugger is too delicious not to share!

6. Avocado Corn Cups – This avocado recipe is easy to put together and oh-so-satisfying.

7. Pomegranate Smoothie – Start your day with a superfood smoothie!

8. Beet and Pomegranate Salad – This recipe calls for Sambal Ulek, an Indonesian chili sauce. If you can’t find it, Sriracha should do the trick.

9. Quinoa Vegetable Paella – Rice, schmice! Quinoa is a perfect base for a tasty paella.

10. Blueberry, Kale, and Quinoa Salad with Fresh Blueberry Vinaigrette – Another tasty quinoa salad that’s full of superfood ingredients!

Have you cooked up any superfood recipes lately? Let’s keep the recipe ideas coming in the comments!

If someone would have told me 15 years ago that one day I would no longer be eating fish or my mom’s Sunday night pasta laced with my Italian heritage of sausage and meatballs – I wouldn’t have believed them.  In fact, if the same people were to tell me that one day I would be encouraging 1000’s of others to do the same – I would have thought they were CRAZY!!

We have been so indoctrinated by the dogmatic health tenets of the past that going against the norm can seem, at first glance, to be scary and resistant. However, what I believe to be even scarier is walking in the footsteps behind those who are leading lives incarcerated by medications and surgery all because they are following the norms of the Standard American Diet which ultimately leads to decreased longevity and quality of life. It has been said that adults will spend more time rearing their parents than raising their own children.  Let’s start by breaking down a very FISHY ARGUMENT.

Eat more fish! We have all heard it. For some time now, nutritionists have recommended that we eat fish on a regular basis in order to get sufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (specifically DHA and EPA).  We have been told that these “fish” nutrients are good for the circulatory system and have also been proven to boost brain function, including both cognitive function and memory. 

Even the American Heart Association recommends all adults to eat oily fish at least twice weekly to reduce their cardiovascular disease risk. What associated health risks, however, are the AMA and other health authorities overlooking and could there be more to the story?

A little science – there are basically 3 types of omega-3-fatty acids:

1.      EPA or eicisapentaenoic acid

2.      DHA or docosahexaenoic acid

3.      ALA or alpha-linolenic acid

Of these three, the medical and nutritional world has established that only number 3 (ALA) is essential. This means that our body can make EPA and DHA from precursors of ingested ALA (the essential nutrient).  ALA is found abundantly in the plant kingdom: flax, hemp, chia, walnuts, and green leafy veggies to name a few. Fish obtain their EPA and DHA from plants, specifically marine algae. In fact, plant sources of omega 3 come packaged with added benefits that fish do not provide, this includes: fiber, high levels of antioxidants, phytonutrients, non-animal based protein (decreasing cancer rates), and healthy carbohydrate energy sources.

FACT 1: YOU DO NOT NEED FISH OR FISH OIL PILLS TO OBTAIN DHA AND EPA!

FACT 2: PLANT BASED SOURCES OF OMEGA 3 COME FILLED WITH ADDED NUTRIENTS THAT FISH CAN NOT PROVIDE

The USDA has not set any organic standards for fish and seafood, so the current problems with contaminants in fish may very well still exist in any fish product that is called organic.

Fish absorb contaminants as the water around them passes over their gills. Many of these chemicals do not break down in the environment, but dissolve easily in oils and can accumulate in the fatty tissues of the fish. Chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been linked to various ailments in the children of women who consumed fish contaminated with PCBs during pregnancy. These include low birth weight and negative effects on neurological and cognitive development. According to the National Research Council, PCBs are found in every site where fish have been tested. Indeed, fish is the most significant source of both PCBs and mercury for humans. Nearly all fish contain methyl mercury, but older, larger fish that feed on other fish, such as shark or swordfish, accumulate extremely high amounts of methyl mercury. These fish pose the largest threat to people who eat them on a regular basis.

In January 2001, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that, because of astronomically high levels of mercury, pregnant women should not eat four types of seafood—swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. Also noteworthy are DDT and DDE, these two pesticides were banned three plus decades ago when they were found to be extremely toxic and unfortunately, still reside in the environment. Studies have shown a direct relationship between consumption of fish and blood levels of PCBs, DDT, and DDE.

Two recent studies have shown that people with the higher amounts of mercury in their bodies, caused primarily by fish-eating, have more heart trouble.  The first one, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, found that higher levels of mercury in toenail clippings predicted a greater chance of future heart attacks. The next study looked at the mercury content of the hair and found, “High content of mercury in hair may be a risk factor for acute coronary events and CVD (coronary vascular disease), CHD (coronary heart disease), and all-cause mortality in middle-aged eastern Finnish men. Mercury may also attenuate the protective effects of fish on cardiovascular health.” 

FACT 3: FISH ARE BREEDING GROUNDS FOR MERCURY AND OTHER TOXINS

FACT 4: FISH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED HEART DISEASE ACCORDING TO SOME STUDIES

Common questions:

1.      But, the Eskimos – have protection from heat disease?

This is an easy one! The real question is - why would we want to base our dietary habits on a group of individuals (for example, the Asiatic Siberian Eskimos) whose life expectancy is only 45 years? ENOUGH SAID!

2.      But, the Okinawians eat lots of fish?

Recommendations to eat fish are based on laboratory research, but originate primarily from observations of various populations of people worldwide. For example, the rate of heart disease among fish-eating populations, such as the Japanese (Okinawians), is very low, and this has been attributed to the so-called “good fats” they receive from eating fish.  Researchers overlook the marked differences between overall Western and Japanese diets. The primary ingredient in the Japanese diet is PLANTS.  In fact, over 90% of all the foods they eat are plant based. The small amount of fish eaten daily is incidental. Unfortunately, this is not as marketable and profitable as promoting the omega 3 fish oil elixir every American has come to know over the last decade.