What is a Superfood?

The “super” in superfoods is measured by nutritional density

What is a superfood? Over the past few years, we are hearing the term superfoods being used more and more. What are the benefits of superfoods? It would be obvious that superfoods should be included on a super healthy grocery list.

Superfoods
Salmon
Blueberries
Walnuts
Almonds
Goji
Berries
Chia Seeds
Maca Root
Green Tea
Kale
Broccoli
Beets
Ginger
Garlic
Cacao
Seaweed
Nutritional Yeast

Primarily what puts the “super” in superfoods is measured by nutritional density. Most superfoods are plant-based, although there are salmon has been referred to as one. You may be accurately getting the sense that there is no standardized definition of what superfoods are and are not. The word can be used as a marketing tool, but also as a way to categorize certain foods that are nutritionally dense and highly beneficial to include in your diet.

Another perspective is that the top 10 most healthy foods are foods that are also considered superfoods. Not all superfoods are exotic superfoods or hard to find. In general, superfoods tend to have a larger dosage of vitamins, minerals, and other health benefits to support us in living longer, healthier lives.

The foods that we eat are either contributing to the optimal body functioning or depleting us and making it more difficult for us to sustain our optimal well-being. Superfoods allow us to support our bodies to thrive in their most optimal states of well-being.

Sometimes, even when we are eating a healthy diet our body is not receiving all the nutrition it may need to thrive. By mindfully adding in more superfoods into our diets, we are making it easier for the body to thrive by giving it high levels of nutrition simply by the foods we choose to eat.

So what are some of these superfoods everyone is talking about? The lists you will find out there will vary, but here is a list of some foods commonly referred to as superfoods due to their higher levels of nutritional density.

There could be more superfoods out there that are not on this list and possibly new ones that have not been discovered yet. From this list alone there are several superfood recipes you could make. To sum it up, it’s quite simple. We all need to be mindful and evaluate not only if the foods we are eating taste good, but examining what the food’s nutritional value is. Is it making it easy for our body to turn it into fuel and continue to operate at it’s most optimal levels? For each person the answer is different. We must become more in tune and aligned with what our body is saying. Observing what foods support our bodies to thrive, with the highest levels of energy and vitality and what foods zap us of our highest selves. It’s the choices we make 80% of the time that have the most impact. Doesn’t mean we can let loose every now and again and enjoy a drink or treat.

Written by Lisa Saremi