Healthy Eats

The New Superfoods

Eating healthfully just got a lot more interesting. Introducing eight fresh cancer-fighting, age defying, energy-boosting ingredients to add to your plate now.

By Allison Young

Chia seeds: There is this drink in El Salvador called Chan that I would drink and it contained a cup full of these seeds. They were so good. But now that they are a lot more accessible in health foods stores, everyone is able to experience the nutrient packed awesomeness of these little seeds.

Chia

One tablespoon of these nutty-tasting edible seeds has as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, plus bone-building calcium and heart-healthy omega-3s. Chia is also a good source of iron, which many women don’t enough of, notes Freuman.

Try it: On cereal, oatmeal, salads, and soups, or use it to thicken puddings and stir-fries. ( The seeds absorb liquid and acquire a gel-like texture.)

Note: If you don’t like a gel-like seed, then you should steer away from them. As a kid, I would play with them in my mouth by trying to crack them between my teeth because they were so slippery. But they were really good.

Jicama: These root may be intimidating at first because it’s one ugly root, but unlike the beet, you can eat this one raw. And if you pick the right one, they are sweet and crunchy, and so so yummy to eat like fries once cut in that shape.

Jicama

This slightly sweet and crunchy root veggie stars inulin, a belly-flattening fiber that acts as a prebiotic to promote helpful bacteria in the gut. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, which may boost collagen and fight wrinkles.

Try it: Cooked or raw in slaws, stir-fries, tacos, and salads, or tossed in lime juice, sprinkled with chili powder. {I still eat it like that, with a bit of salt. DIVINE!}

Kefir: I have actually never had this, but looks like the yogurt drinks I have seen in Middle Eastern restaurants. It’s a probiotic milk drink made by inoculating cow, sheep, and goats with Kefir grains. It originated with the shepherds of the North Caucasus region [1].

Kefir

It had more protein and less sugar than yogurt, but with the same creame texture, tangy taste, and probiotics. These healthy bacteria are a known immune enhancer, and may protect against colon cancer, says Tamara Freuman, R.D.

Try it: Instead of yogurt in salad dressing or smoothies. Kefir is in the diary aisle.