Best Foods You Don’t Eat - But Should

Here is a list of nutrient-packed super-foods that you don’t typically include in your diet – but should. 

Beets:  Beets are a rich source of folate and have natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat:  Add fresh, raw, grated beets to your salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

Cabbage:  Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat:  Make an Asian-style slaw or use as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

Swiss chard:  A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat:  Chop and sauté in olive oil.

Cinnamon:  May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat:  Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

Pomegranate juice:  Lowers blood pressure and is loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat:  Just drink it.

Dried plums:  Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat:  Wrapped in prosciutto and baked or plain, as a snack.

Pumpkin seeds:  The most nutritious part of the pumpkin.  These seeds are packed with magnesium, a mineral associated with a lower risk for early death.
How to eat:  Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

Sardines:  This is ‘health food in a can’.  They are high in omega-3, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium.  They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat:  sardines packed in olive or sardine oil.  Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with Dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

Turmeric:  The ‘superstar of spices,’ it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat:  Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

Frozen blueberries:  Though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, the advantage with frozen blueberries is that they still retain a lot of nutrients, are available year-round and don’t spoil.  Blueberries are associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat:  Blended with yogurt or soy milk.

Canned pumpkin:  A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fibre and immune-stimulating vitamin A.
How to eat:  Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.