With all of this talk about superfoods and different types of health foods, have you ever started to think “do I actually want to eat this?”

Sure you may love the idea of being healthy to 110 years old and feeling great, but to do so you have to eat all of these weird exotic and maybe not always delicious plants and animals. Well this is not the case as there can be superfoods that are already in your fridge and you love the way they taste and already eat them on a regular basis.

This is something that makes so much sense and it never crossed my mind until I saw an article from Twin Cities PBS entitled 5 Superfoods You Actually Want to Eat. For me I knew a lot of healthy foods I ate were indeed superfoods already, but want to share that with you. However, it never sank in that not everybody wanted to be like me and try to find every single nutritional advantage possible and that you may just want to keep it simple and eat what you already have that is great for you too.

All that being said, let’s jump in and look at the five that the author listed:

Pickles: This is without a doubt a double edged sword and I love how it is addressed by the author. It is important to get fermented pickles that would be in the refrigerated section at the store. This truly takes these from a health food to a superfood.

An added benefit that I was not aware of is that there is research to show that eating pickles and other fermented foods can help with shyness and overcoming anxiety. Time to open up a jar for your next party and let loose!

Mussels: These certainly seem to be an underappreciated shellfish. They pack a wallop of all the omega-3s that everybody is gaga over and they contain B12 which certainly pops up as a deficiency as well.

What really gets me about them is the price and sustainability. They are really dirt cheap compared to my beloved oysters and scallops and even quite a bit less than clams, but still in the same nutritional potency category.

Watercress: The author points out that this little green actually scores higher than any other measured in a recent study by the CDC for nutrient density. However, I have not seen a lot of watercress available in my area. Now that I said that I’m sure I’ll see it all the time which is fine for me. Something new to try that really packs a nutrient dense punch.

Dark Chocolate: Do I need to sell you on this one at all? It is important to note that it should be at least 70-85% cocoa content with higher having an even better antioxidant and mineral profile. Now if you couple that with being raw you are really going to get the cognitive benefits that have been displayed by this lovely superfood.

Pumpkin Seeds: Of all the ones listed this is the one I have superfood that I would say might just be a healthy food, but that can also be personal bias. While I do like them I just do not tolerate nuts and seeds too well. That being said there are some nice minerals that you will get from them, but just make sure to not overdo it because of the anti-nutrients (lectins, saponins and phytic acid) that can actually leach minerals out of the body. Also, if eating them be sure that they are raw so that all of the sensitive fats are not damaged.

So which of these were you already eating as a superfood and didn’t even know it? That really is the beauty of eating healthy. There is already a lot in our fridge and pantry that can provide a ton of nutrition. The best part is that it tastes delicious.

Have a Great Day!

Nick Horowski