Everyone knows the word “”. And we are used to the fact that these are mainly exotic fruits (such as mango, coconut) and berries (goji, blueberries), less often – algae (such as spirulina).
But in fact, not only overseas berries and exotic fruits fill our “piggy bank” of vitamins and other useful substances! But sometimes the most “ordinary” products, the outstanding benefits of which are not known to everyone.
1. Oatmeal. Such a familiar “Hercules” – a superfood?! From the point of view of product, not marketing logic – yes!
Oatmeal Pros:
· A massive dose of vegetable protein and a whopping 6.2% vegetable fat!
Contains antioxidants
Lots of phosphorus and calcium!
It has an enveloping and anti-inflammatory effect on the gastric mucosa;
Cleans the intestines from toxins and stagnant formations;
Prevents gastrointestinal cancer, stomach ulcers and gastritis;
Useful for the condition of the skin;
Promotes weight loss and lowers bad cholesterol.
Two less happy moments:
Oatmeal should be eaten in moderation, otherwise it begins to wash out calcium.
· “Instant” oatmeal – unless, of course, it is enriched with a vitamin-mineral premix – contains much less nutrients.
2. Cocoa powder.
Yes, the same one that many of us were given to drink by grandmothers in childhood! Cocoa powder is “charged” with beneficial substances – – that help reduce high blood pressure and protect against stress. Cocoa powder has only 15 calories per teaspoon with mountain and almost no fat, so it’s a healthy “substitute” for chocolate for weight loss and beyond! If you crave chocolate, ice cream or a cake (and all this, unfortunately, is far from healthy) – cocoa is the best choice! It is ideal to find raw (raw) cocoa powder: it retains the most useful substances. You can cook as a hot drink, which is familiar to many, or knead a little cocoa powder in a smoothie to give the drink a chocolate flavor! Just keep in mind that drinking cocoa at night is not recommended, because it invigorates.
3. Tomato paste.
Often this product is considered to be somehow “poor”, budget, and therefore – they conclude – and low-nutrient. But tomato paste is not a cheap “canned food”, but a real storehouse of nutrients.
Tomato paste contains the valuable substance lycopene, which significantly improves skin condition, gives it a healthy glow, and is also good for the heart (reduces the risk of heart attack by 34% in women, according to doctors). Tomato paste is convenient to use, because. does not require heating, it can be added directly to the finished dish – stir and that’s it. Tomato paste according to GOST or similar does not contain dyes and starch, and table or even sea salt acts as a preservative. Natural, concentrated nutritional product!
4. Broccoli (asparagus or “green” cabbage)
– a fairly familiar dish on our table, but it is a superfood. Judge for yourself: in terms of 100 g, it has more calories than beef (our answer to meat-eaters !!), as well as a high content of vitamin A, which is sometimes considered “deficient”.
Just ONE head of broccoli contains:
904% of the daily intake of vitamin C,
772% of the daily value of vitamin K (which is good for bones and kidneys, is involved in the absorption of calcium and vitamin D),
96% of the daily requirement of folic acid,
29% of the norm of calcium (in a well-absorbed form!),
25% of the norm of iron,
32% of the norm of magnesium,
40% of the norm of phosphorus,
55% of the potassium norm.
The highest content of these nutrients is found in freshly frozen broccoli. When stored (not frozen), vitamins and other substances from green cabbage, unfortunately, “”. For the same reason, it cannot be put in a deep (strong) freeze!
Do you still have doubts that this is a superfood ?!. It is clear that gentle heat treatment will lose some of the nutrients. But do not cook broccoli, especially for a long time: it is better to blanch, quickly fry in a wok, or bake in a hot oven or on the grill.
5. Beets.
Another not at all exotic and seemingly far from “super” product that has truly outstanding nutritional properties with the prefix “super”!
· Beets reduce high blood pressure and help keep stress under control, good for the heart.
· Recently, there has been evidence that beetroot is a natural “energy”: it increases physical endurance! So it is a valuable product for people leading an active lifestyle.
The content of macro- and micro-nutrients in the beet is low, it is low-nutrient – it is not a food, but a food supplement!
· Beets are low-calorie, useful for hematopoiesis and for normalizing the evacuation of toxins with a tendency to constipation.
It is important to know how to cook and consume beets – just eating raw beets or drinking raw juice is harmful: they contain highly toxic and carcinogenic substances. Neutralizing them is very simple – adding to smoothies or juice with beets: for example, at least a little lemon, orange or apple juice (or even just ascorbic acid). Beetroot is the “highlight” of the vegetable palette of our diet, but as food, in large quantities, it is harmful to eat it: it weakens, there is a lot of sugar; Excessive consumption leaches calcium.
So we’ve found 5 Vegetarian Friendly Surprise Superfoods! The whole point of consuming “superfoods” is precisely in the set of vitamins and minerals, special usefulness, or high protein content, and not in the prestige and inaccessibility of the product. So, as you can see, some nondescript-looking “superfoods” have long been under our noses, and are widely available!