What’s So Super About Superfoods?

Sometimes it seems as though food trends change as quickly as the season, am I right? You feel as though you finally got your fridge and pantry stocked up with the latest and greatest, and suddenly you’re reading about some powerful, new food, drink or ingredient on Instagram. Understanding what foods or ingredients are beneficial can be overwhelming, and as mentioned, hard to keep up with.  However, there are a few important provisions that have been around for a very long time, and although they may not be “trending” they are quite mighty and they aren’t going anywhere.

We’re referring to superfoods. While many of us have heard the word, we may not know exactly what the qualifications are to earn such a prestigious title. Simply put, superfoods are incredibly nutrient-dense foods with very few calories.  Basically, these foods can contain vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean protein without the high amount of calories many other types of food possess. In addition to this, they may play an important role in safeguarding our health by improving energy levels, fighting off free-radicals that lead to disease, helping us to maintain a healthy weight and keeping that heart as fit as a fiddle.  

Now that we’ve got the low-down on what superfoods are, let’s discuss some different types of superfoods. First and foremost, they are real foods; whole foods. They are not processed or created in a laboratory, they are in their true form.  

Ideally, a person should aim to eat as many superfoods as we can each day to achieve optimum wellness. Sure this is easy if you have ample time to prepare every one of your meals from scratch, using only choice ingredients. And, if you’re not a whiz in the kitchen this can quickly become very defeating. Not only that, you want to be sure you get a variety of these foods. Unfortunately, we can’t all be like Popeye and eat a can of spinach and call it a day. If your head is spinning right now, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.  

Here are some easy ways to incorporate superfoods into your daily routine. Keep it simple. Remember, superfoods are essentially foods in their true form. So, stick to whole foods as often as you can. Examples of these include: dark, leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters, coconut and avocado oil, ginger, turmeric, garlic, spirulina and mushrooms (to name a few). If you eat out often due to your busy lifestyle, look for robust salads or grain bowls on the menu. Often, these are chock full of a variety of superfoods from which you will reap several benefits. When grocery shopping, stick to the perimeters (refer back to our blog post from a few months ago for details) and avoid heavily processed foods as often as you can.  

Does an ingredient label have you stumped? It’s totally normal, take a deep breath and ask yourself if you recognize any of what is listed. An easy hack when it comes to food labels is, if there are several names you cannot pronounce, words you’ve never heard of, and very few, real food items on the label, it might be best to move on. Again, you want to keep it as close to the source as possible (aka real food). Foods that are not processed and without preservatives, are more bioavailable, meaning they are easily absorbed and utilized. Some common preservatives on food labels are: benzoates, nitrites, propionates, sorbates and sulfites. There is definitely a time, place and a reason for preservatives, but for peak health and wellbeing, the goal is to keep them on the back burner.  

If you want to keep it really simple when it comes to getting your daily dose of superfoods, especially when on the go, always have a supply of our OHi Wholesome Bars in your fridge. We’ve worked hard so you don’t have to. We’ve spent time and energy crafting a superb product that contains a multitude of superfoods in every single bite. Our bars include berries, nuts, seeds like chia, flax and hemp, as well as cacao, maca, chlorella, spirulina, and reishi mushroom; superfoods that can sometimes be a bit more difficult to incorporate into your daily food regimen. It really can be as uncomplicated as grabbing an OHi food bar and giving your body a megadose of superfoods.