4 Surprising Superfood Ingredients

Ever wondered what ingredients you can add to your foods when cooking to give them greater nutritional value? Wonder no longer… Instead, come with us and explore four options that can take your dish from ordinary in nutritional value to outta-this-world.

If you are keen to make sure that the food you are creating is as good for your health as possible, there are simple ways to approach this. For one, you might want to include as much variety as possible in your diet — this little tweak is something that really helps. Another simple change you can make to your meals is to think about the ingredients you’re using when you cook and aim to include a few more superfoods.

So, what are some of the best superfood ingredients to add?

Here are four of our favourites, which when used in your cooking help you to boost your overall health.

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Superfood #1 Basil

Basil is an incredibly diverse ingredient and a staple of a number of cuisines. Most notably, Basil is used in Mediterranean Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes. But did you know that basil can help you to have improved circulation throughout your body, or that it can reduce platelet aggregation, making it a useful anticoagulant? Try including a little more basil in your cooking, whether it’s simply used on top as a garnish or stirred through your homemade pasta sauce, you’ll be grateful you did.

You shouldn’t feel all that guilty about your chocolate habit, as it might be something of a secret superfood. If you regularly consume cocoa, you are going to have more hydrated skin and less chance of acne, while also helping to lower your blood pressure.

Superfood #2 Jalapeno

We all know jalapeno as the go-to chilli in Mexican cooking. But the truth is that this fiery addition to your meals can also be one of the best things for your overall health. Like many other fruits and vegetables, jalapenos contain a considerable amount of fibre, and they are known to be especially effective in helping to boost your metabolism too. So if you are trying to lose weight, including more jalapenos in your cooking could be a good way to go. Looking for an amazing recipe? Click here for jalapeno jelly – a recipe that you are absolutely going to love, and which you can use to spread on cheese as well as using it as a glaze for meats.
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Superfood #3 Chocolate

This one is definitely good news for most of us. You shouldn’t feel all that guilty about your chocolate habit, as it might be something of a secret superfood. If you regularly consume cocoa, you are going to have more hydrated skin and less chance of acne, while also helping to lower your blood pressure. That’s not a bad combination of benefits just from eating a square or two of dark chocolate in the evening. You can also throw a little into chilli-con-carne, if you prefer.

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Superfood #4 Kefir

Yoghurts of many kinds have a lot of benefits for your gut health. But kefir in particular is known to be especially profound in helping to boost your overall health. You can easily ferment your own kefir milk or yoghurt, and just include it in your morning granola. This little addition could be one of the best things you have ever done to improve your diet. With daily kefir, you will have much regular bowel action as well as clearer skin and a lower chance of developing colon problems. So it’s definitely worth thinking about.

By including more of these four in your diet you will find your health will gradually improve overtime. Plus, you’ll enjoy your meals more and have a smile on your face when your cooking culinary delights.