"Super foods" are foods which have a significantly higher nutritional value than most others. I've listed five such foods, native to the Americas, which appear on almost all these "super food" lists. If you want to eat a healthier diet, start including these delicious foods in your meals. To get you started, I've linked in a recipe for each food.
Blueberries
Blueberries
are native to North America and were
an important food source for the
Native tribes for centuries. These
Native Americas used the blueberries
in something called pemmican,
which was dried meat pounded with
blueberries and fat. Since you may
not have any dried bison meat
around, I've linked an old fashion
blueberry crisp recipe for you
to try.
Blueberries are full of flavor and
nutritional goodness, yet at the
same time are very low in calories.
They are very high in vitamin
content, fiber and most importantly,
antioxidants. In recent studies
blueberries were found to be at the
top of the list of fruits in their
ability to destroy free radicals.
Many consider this an important
factor in preventing various types
of cancer. Red wine has been touted
for its antioxidant benefits, but
blueberries have almost 40% more
antioxidants than red wine.
While the best way to enjoy
blueberries is raw, they're great
used in all kinds of recipes.
Besides fresh, they can be found
frozen and dried, so you can enjoy
them year round.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin
seeds are another American "super
food" that the Native tribes prized
for its culinary and medicinal
value. They probably didn’t make
pumpkin seed pesto recipes out
of them, which is the recipe I've
linked for you here.
High in fiber and protein, these
seeds are also a rich source of
minerals including magnesium,
manganese, iron, and zinc. Pumpkin
seeds are believed to be beneficial
for things like prostrate health,
bones strength, and arthritis.
Pumpkin seeds also contain compounds
called phytosterols, which are
believed to reduce levels of harmful
cholesterol and also improve the
body's immune system.
Pumpkin seeds can now be readily
found at health food stores, or
higher-end grocery chains. They are
sold, raw, roasted, shelled, and
unshelled. Try them in this
pumpkin seed pesto recipe, which
uses the toasted seeds. It's a
delicious, and easy way use this
nutritious food.
Avocado
The
delicious and nutritious avocado has
been cultivated in Central America
for over 5,000 years. The Mayans
believed the avocado had magical
powers and was an aphrodisiac. We
can't confirm those claims, but what
can be confirmed is that the avocado
is clearly one of the world's
healthiest foods. Loaded with
vitamins, minerals, and fiber, the
avocado is also very high in oleic
acid. Oleic acid is a type of
monounsaturated fat that can lower
cholesterol. It has also shown
promise in offering protection
against breast cancer.
Studies have shown that another
unique benefit of avocados is that
when they are added to salads, the
body absorbs more nutrients from the
other vegetables and fruits than it
would have if the avocado weren't
included. That's why the recipe
linked is for a colorful, and
delicious
avocado, arugula and grapefruit
salad. The firm, creamy texture
of a ripe avocado is hard to beat,
and the fact that it's so good for
you is just another reason to start
eating more of this great American
food.
Sweet Potatoes
One
very simple way to eat healthier is
by adding sweet potatoes to your
diet to replace part of your regular
potato intake. In fact, you may find
sweet potatoes so delicious that
they become your potato of choice.
Now, there's nothing wrong with the
old baked russet potato. This is not
meant to imply that they are
unhealthy, but when compared to the
nutrient-rich sweet potato, the
winner is clear!
The sweet potato is one of the
oldest known cultivated foods in the
Americans, going back over 9,000
years, and is packed with vitamins,
minerals and fiber. Its sweet flavor
has been shown to satisfy the
palette, while at the same time
curbing ones appetite longer by
stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Sweet Potatoes are also rich in
antioxidants and have
anti-inflammatory properties.
Sweet potatoes can be used in just
about every recipe that calls for
regular potatoes. The recipe linked
here is for oven-baked
sweet potato steak fries. These
thick cut slices of sweet potato
roast-up beautifully, and make a
delicious, healthier substitute for
the standard French fries.
Wild Pacific Northwest Salmon
The
benefits of eating salmon have been
well chronicled, and it’s included
in almost every "foods you need to
eat" list. But, while eating more
salmon is a great idea, eating more
wild salmon is an even better
one. The majority of salmon sold at
the grocery store is farmed. This
farmed salmon doesn’t have the
opportunity eat a natural diet and
is instead given a "feed" which
often contains grains and other
foods not usually eaten by salmon in
the wild. There is also a concern
about contaminants and toxins in the
farmed salmon. So far that debate
has yet to be settled conclusively,
but no one will argue with the great
taste, and heath benefits, of wild
salmon.
Wild salmon is low in calories and
very high in protein. But, the main
reason for being on so many "must
eat" lists is that it contains large
amounts of the essential omega-3
fatty acids. Without getting too
scientific, these fatty acids are
essential for good health but they
aren't produced by the body, and
have to be absorbed from the foods
we eat. Wild salmon is a delicious,
and bountiful source of these
omega-3 fatty acids. These important
fats are thought to be very
beneficial in many areas including;
cardiovascular function, cancer
prevention, fighting high blood
pressure, and improved brain
function.
The dish linked to this section is a
delicious and easy
salmon cakes recipe made using
canned wild salmon. While most
grocery stores are now carrying
frozen wild salmon (which in my
opinion is a far better choice than
fresh farmed salmon), you can always
find canned salmon. This great, and
under-used product always contains
wild salmon, it's inexpensive,
delicious, and you get all the
health benefits described above!
Source: http://americanfood.about.com/od/keytipstechniques/a/5superfoods.htm