50 Healthy Foods You Should Add to Your Meals ASAP
For years, people have touted the powers of superfoods. Thought to benefit your overall well-being, these foods have been linked to a sharper mind, clearer skin, a healthier immune system, and more. And while many dietitians have questioned superfoods, there is no arguing that some fruits, vegetables, and proteins offer more health benefits than others.
So the next time you want to switch up your salad or try something new, consider stocking up on the best “superfoods” for your body. Whether it's brain-boosting blueberries or cancer-fighting broccoli sprouts, these options aren't just great for your health - they're also delicious.
According to the USDA, every egg has 6 grams of protein but just 72 calories. Eggs also have all nine essential amino acids and are rich in vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5, making them one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.
Recipe to try: Egg Pepper Rings with Carrot Salsa
Whether you prefer them in salads or on top of pasta, tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a plant nutrient that gives tomatoes their red color. Lycopene has been linked to many benefits, like keeping your heart healthy and protecting against strokes. A study published in Neurology found that middle-aged men with a high amount of lycopene in their blood had a 55% lower chance of having a stroke.
Recipe to try: Vegetable and Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Prunes, which are dried plums, are packed with polyphenols - plant chemicals that have been shown to boost bone density by stimulating your bone-building cells, according to research published in Osteoporosis International.
Recipe to try: Slow Cooker Chicken Marbella
Walnuts give you a healthy dose of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that's been shown to improve memory and coordination.
Recipe to try: Peach, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Salad
Brussel sprouts are rich in glucosinolates, compounds that combat cancer and detoxify our bodies. Add them to salads or pair them with a main like chicken or steak.
Recipe to try: Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
A serving or two of this anthocyanin-rich berry can dramatically boost the amount of antioxidants in your blood, according to researchers at Texas A&M University.
Recipe to try: 20 Delicious Smoothies for Weight Loss
Apples contain quercetin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that may reduce your risk of lung cancer, according to research published in Cancer Medicine.
Recipe to try: Apple and Pear Tart
This calcium-rich veggie can protect your bones and keep your skin glowing, Medical News Today reports.
Recipe to try: Soy-Glazed Salmon and Bok Choy
Because steel-cut oats are less processed and full of more fiber than traditional oats, they're digested more slowly, keeping you full all morning long.
Recipe to try: Carrot Cake Energy Balls
You'll get all the heart-healthy omega-3s you need in a day by eating a 3-ounce piece of salmon for dinner.
Recipe to try: Seared Salmon with Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Did you know that avocados have even more potassium than bananas? The healthy fat in avocado also keeps you satisfied and helps you absorb other nutrients. So go ahead and have all of the guac you want on Taco Tuesday!
Recipe to try: Lime Tilapia With Citrus-Avocado Salsa
Pumpkin is filled with the natural cancer fighters alpha- and beta-carotene.
Recipe to try: Pumpkin-Carrot Soup
A half-cup of spinach provides more than five times your daily dose of vitamin K, which helps blood clot and builds strong bones, according to Medical News Today.
Recipe to try: Creamy Garlic and Herb Spinach
Need a reason to add cauliflower into your diet? It's packed with cancer-fighting glucosinolates, the National Cancer Institute reports.
Recipe to try: Roasted Cauliflower Salad
A 3-oz. serving of steamed scallops has 17 grams of protein for just 90 calories.
Recipe to try: Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Collard greens are exploding with nutrients like vitamin A, zeaxanthin, and lutein, which keep your eyes healthy, the American Optometric Association reports.
Recipe to try: Stewed Black Beans with Collard Greens
They deliver the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat you get in olive oil, but for just 8 calories per jumbo olive.
Recipe to try: Green Olive, Walnut, and Pomegranate Dip
Brown rice is a top source of magnesium, a mineral your body uses for more than 300 chemical reactions, like building bones and converting food to energy.
Recipe to try: Healthy 'Fried' Rice
Oysters keep your immune system strong. A 3-oz serving (about 6 oysters) dishes up a quarter of your daily iron, a mineral that helps your blood transport oxygen to organs and tissue.
Recipe to try: Frisée with Fried Oysters
One cup of edamame has a whopping 18 grams of plant protein, as well as lots of fiber, folate, and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
Recipe to try: Edamame Salad
Strawberries are loaded with ellagitannins, phytochemicals that may halt the growth of cervical and colon cancers, according to research published in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Recipe to try: Strawberry and Snickers Sticks
A great source of meat-free protein, a half-cup of cooked lentils gives you your daily dose of folate, a B vitamin that protects a woman's unborn baby from neural tube defects.
Recipe to try: Lentil and Macaroni Soup
A review published in Nutrients found kiwi, among other fruits, may reduce asthma-related wheezing thanks to its high vitamin C content.
Recipe to try: Fresh Fruit Kiwi Pie
The whole grains in bran flakes keep your heart in tip-top shape by reducing inflammation and triglycerides, Healthline reports.
Recipe to try: Pumpkin Bran Muffins
A quarter-cup of sunflower seeds delivers 14 grams of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which keeps your heart healthy and reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, Time reports.
Recipe to try: Parmesan-Herb Spiced Seeds
Black beans are loaded with protein, fiber, and flavonoids - antioxidants that help your arteries stay relaxed and pliable.
Recipe to try: Stewed Black Beans with Collared Greens
A half-cup of asparagus supplies 50% of your daily bone-building vitamin K and a third of your day's folate. And since it's a natural diuretic, it banishes bloating, too.
Recipe to try: Mustard-Dill Salmon with Crispy Asparagus Fries
Because they're loaded with several kinds of good-for-you nutrients, Healthline says that bananas may help you flight cancer, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Recipe to try: PB and J Banana Pancakes
Broccoli sprouts have 10 to 100 times more of the cancer-preventing compound glucoraphanin than regular broccoli.
Recipe to try: Avocado, Cheddar, and Sprouts Pockets with Tangy Lime Mayo
Each potato packs a megadose of blood pressure-lowering potassium - even more than a banana.
Recipe to try: Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Balsamic Onions and Goat Cheese
Flaxseed is loaded with plant omega-3s, which are good for your heart health, according to WebMD. Store ground flaxseed in your refrigerator and sprinkle on yogurt, cold cereal, oatmeal, or avocado toast.
Recipe to try: Pineapple, Ginger, and Walnut Oatmeal
What you'll need: Flaxseed ($8, amazon.com)
Sweet potato delivers a healthy dose of vitamin A, which protects your vision and immune system.
Recipe to try: Mashed Sweet Potato and Carrots
Get this: Greek yogurt has twice the protein of regular yogurt.
Recipe to try: Lemon-Maple Icebox Cake
Wheat germ is the nutritious part of a wheat kernel that helps it produce new spawn. It's often removed from processed grains, like white rice or pasta. According to Healthline, you'll want to keep wheat germ in your diet: It's a great source of magnesium, zinc, thiamin, folate, potassium, and phosphorus. Just sprinkle it on top of your favorite salad or toast.
Recipe to try: Broiled Tomatoes with Farro Salad
A study published in Food and Function found that older adults who drank cherry juice experienced a reduction in LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.
Recipe to try: Ginger-Turmeric Cherry Tea
By pairing whole wheat English muffins with your morning eggs, you're getting 4 ? grams of fiber for only 134 calories, according to the USDA.
Recipe to try: Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
Tea prevents the hardening of the arteries, according to researchers at the University of Scranton.
Recipe to try: Pimiento-Cheese Tea Cookies
The king of the berry family boasts more antioxidants than strawberries, cranberries, or blueberries.
Recipe to try: Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies
A good source of vegetable protein, calcium-enriched soy milk has as much calcium and vitamin D as cow's milk.
Recipe to try: Spiced Chai Nog
This high-protein spread has arginine, an amino acid that helps keep blood vessels healthy.
Recipe to try: Crispy Peanut Butter Bars
These "greens" (actually a cruciferous veggie) are a top source of vitamin K.
Recipe to try: Beans and Greens with Lemon-Parmesan Polenta
Brazil nuts are high in selenium. In fact, one nut delivers more than an entire day's worth, according to Berkeley Wellness.
Recipe to try: Mixed Nuts With Honey and Mascarpone
Grapes are a leading source of resveratrol, the plant chemical responsible for the heart-healthy benefits of red wine.
Recipe to try: Fresh Green Pea Soup with Grape Salsa
A Tbsp of this heart-healthy oil has all the alpha-linolenic acid you need in a day, plus two different forms of vitamin E.
Recipe to try: Sesame Noodles
Blueberries improve memory by protecting your brain from inflammation and boosting communication between brain cells.
Recipe to try: Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Blueberry Compote
One orange supplies more than 100% of the vitamin C you need in a day. It's also a good source of calcium and folate.
Recipe to try: Orange-Peppercorn Chicken
With just 4 calories per cup, this cruciferous veggie delivers a hefty dose of vitamin K, zeaxanthin, lutein, beta-carotene, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
Recipe to try: Watercress Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
Barley is a top source of beta-glucan, a fiber that lowers cholesterol and helps control blood sugar.
Recipe to try: Barley-Corn Beef Chili
Turkey breast has 34 grams of satisfying protein, but just 167 calories per 4-oz serving.
Recipe to try: Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups
According to Healthline, shiitake mushrooms contain polysaccharides, terpenoids, sterols, and lipids, which have been linked to having cholesterol-lowering and anti-cancer effects.
Recipe to try: Kale with Mushrooms
For years, people have touted the powers of superfoods. Thought to benefit your overall well-being, these foods have been linked to a sharper mind, clearer skin, a healthier immune system, and more. And while many dietitians have questioned superfoods, there is no arguing that some fruits, vegetables, and proteins offer more health benefits than others.
So the next time you want to switch up your salad or try something new, consider stocking up on the best “superfoods” for your body. Whether it's brain-boosting blueberries or cancer-fighting broccoli sprouts, these options aren't just great for your health - they're also delicious.
They could fight disease and boost your metabolism.
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