3 Of The Healthiest Foods on The Planet and How to Get Them Into YOUR Diet

Are you wanting to upgrade your diet to feel better? AND get the most bang for your buck? There are so many different food options out there, and they are certainly not all created equal. ​

Some foods build and nourish our bodies, decrease our risk of disease, and promote longevity.  Other foods are more neutral. And then you have some food items that don’t do much good and are just downright damaging to the body, usually just highly processed man-made edibles. 
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In this article I want to share three of the most high quality, healthy foods you can eat and practical ways to add them to a diet. In exploring which foods are the most healthy, it’s important first to define what I mean by “most healthy.” Basically I mean foods that are extremely rich in nutrients and have very little (if any) downsides to eating them. Lots of foods have great nutrients in them. But five grams of wheat, for example, has a lower vitamin and mineral content than five grams of asparagus. 

In understanding why something is healthy, it’s important to keep in mind all the reasons we even eat food. It is definitely not just for energy, otherwise why would any of us eat spinach, which has only 7 calories in one cup? Food does provide us with energy to move our bodies and stay alive, but it does so much more than just that! Our bodies are designed to get many needs met through food, beyond just energy. Other vital purposes of food include:

• Growth and repair
• Fiber (for digestive function)
• Vitamins and minerals (for immunity, repair, oxygen transportation, bone health, and a wide range of other functions)
• Other important compounds (such as plant chemicals that initiate a liver cleanse!) ​

It’s usually easy for most of us to get plenty of calories. But often the popular foods we are consuming don’t contain very high levels of the other nutrients. Here I will outline some foods that are extremely nutritious, along with their cousins; so nutritious, in fact, that they are often referred to as “super foods.” Nutrition and diet are very controversial topics, but the three foods I have chosen to highlight here are almost universally acknowledged as healthy and good, whether you’re a vegan or a person following a paleo diet.

1. Broccoli (and other similar cruciferous vegetables)
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​Broccoli is amazing! It is high in fiber and contains amazingly high amounts of micronutrients, including potassium, calcium, and vitamin C. Here are some ideas of how to get broccoli into your diet:

• ​Save the prep time and simply eat it raw! It is yummy dipped in hummus or ranch, or chopped up in a salad. 
• Steam it. You can eat it plain or top it with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or butter, or you can try what I just recently discovered is the secret to getting my little kids to eat steamed broccoli: top it with parmesan cheese! A gentle steaming is thought to be the best method of preparation to get the most nutritional value.
• Roast it. I coat broccoli with avocado oil, garlic, salt and pepper and then roast it on a sheet pan, sometimes with diced potatoes but sometimes by itself to be a side dish. 

There are lots of delicious recipes out there that include other ways to eat this amazing vegetable, including stuffing it inside casseroles or calzones. Closely related to broccoli, other cruciferous veggies have a similar nutrient profile and are also great dietary choices. These include cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage.
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2. Kale (and other leafy greens)

​Kale is arguably the most nutrient dense food on this planet. It’s high in all types of nutrients, including vitamin K and Iron. But let’s be honest, one challenge with kale though is learning to like it. It’s got a bitter taste and a chewy texture. I recommend eating baby kale, as it is much less chewy and bitter. Here are a few ways to sneak it into your meals:

• Chop it up small and cook it into a stir fry, breakfast burrito, soup, or anywhere else you think it would fit well. When it’s small and cooked, it’s not very noticeable.  
• Use it in your green smoothies. If the taste is too overpowering, use just a little combined with other leafy greens that are more neutral, like spinach. 
• Have it in a salad. You can google ideas for salads that kale fits nicely into with other ingredients that compliment it's flavor and texture.

​Of the leafy greens, kale is often regarded as king, but other leafy green vegetables are also spectacularly beneficial including spinach, swiss chard, and romaine lettuce. 

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3. Blueberries (and other berries)

Packed into those round little blue balls are high amounts of so many things that make our bodies feel and function great! They are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and have amazing antioxidant properties. And, compared to a lot of other fruits, they have a low glycemic index so they will have less of an effect on your blood sugar. Blueberries make a delicious snack all on their own. However, they can get pricey. Buying them frozen is a great way to get them year round at a much better price. The ideas included below all work with frozen blueberries:

• Blueberries go great in smoothies. They can be a great addition to green plant-based smoothies, or they also make a delicious combination with yogurt or kefir. My personal favorite is a simple smoothie made with kefir, a banana, frozen blueberries, and a touch of vanilla.  
• On oatmeal. Frozen blueberries work great here. What better way to cool down your hot oatmeal than with cold blueberries? I personally like blueberry and chopped banana oatmeal. With all that whole fruit, your oatmeal needs very little additional sweetener. 
• In or on pancakes. If you’re using frozen berries, you can defrost them in the microwave and then drop them into your pancakes while they’re on the griddle. Sprinkling defrosted berries onto your pancakes with a drizzle of 100% maple syrup is another delicious option.​​

Other types of berries including raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are all extremely healthy (and delicious!) foods you can include in your diet and get many of the same benefits.  In the fruit world, berries come out on top in many ways when it comes to nutrient density and any potential drawbacks that may come with eating them. 
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Eating healthy does not have to mean major, difficult changes. When working with some of the most nutritious foods on the planet, one little change can go a long way! And you will give yourself the gift of a healthier body, now and in the future.  

​Author: Hannah Clements​