“Superfood” Diet

There is constantly news on the latest “superfood”, it seems now that there are so many superfoods that everything is a superfood; however, some big brands still like to cling to the idea that they are putting together “superfoods” to create drinks and dishes that are so new and exciting that it can merit charging at least twice what it is actually worth. I decided to do some digging to see if it is possible to combine these so called “superfoods” to create everyday healthy meals from ingredients you can pick up at the supermarket. These “superfoods” are named as such because of the fibre or vitamins and minerals that they contain and although it seems that everyone wants to boast about their flax seeds, all of these fabulous things are found in foods all around us which our parents have marketed to us as healthy. Maybe that’s why marketing people are branding them “superfoods” it sounds a bit better than your “5 a day”. So here is some of a day’s meals using the exciting “superfoods”

Breakfast: Boiled egg and a fried tomato- call it a light fry up. Now these may seem normal ingredients, and they are, but eggs are high in protein with 6g to and egg. In addition to this they also only contain 72 calories each, not bad. Tomatoes  contain an impressive amount of vitamins: A, C, K and B6; as well as folate, and thiamin. In addition tomatoes are also a good source of potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous and copper. So they have a bit of everything, they are good for your bones for your immune system, for your blood and for your bone structure. They also only contain 27 calories each and if you want to fry it you could do it in a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil at 109 cal. There you have it then, our “super breakfast” for only 208 calories.

Snacks: Fruit and nuts- classic I know but apparently “superfood” worthy. A dozen prunes contain 350 calories but they are high in fibre and boost bone density. In studies it is shown the prunes can reduce appetite helping with weight loss. A dozen walnuts contain 312 calories and have a very high omega 3 content which is very good for the heart.

Now if a bowl of fruit and nuts doesn’t do it for you as snacking food, or a treat then you could combine them with a tbsp of honey, only 64 calories, and 100g of oats, only 68 calories and then blend together and bake for 10 minutes. This should make about 10 biscuits/bars to nibble away on. This makes each bar roughly 80 calories. Pretty good and satisfies the sweet tooth.

Quick Lunch: Baked potato- no really that’s it. Weighing in at a tiny 120 calories you can afford to put a little cheese on it but if you want to embellish it with another superfood try tuna as a filling only contains around 50 calories and, like salmon and numerous other fish, is rich in omega 3 oils. Potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6 and contain potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid meaning they form a reasonable base for part of your meal. For only 170 calories then you could have a filling and super healthy lunch.

So that’s what I’ve got so far, check in next Wednesday for Dinner and Dessert.