My Top Five.... No, Six :)

I'm pretty sick of hearing the term "super food" especially because the essential "super foods" list seems to change depending on the sponsor.

So, here are my top five... turned six, top top "super food" choices

Now, before you read further, please forgive me for not adding dark chocolate, red wine, and all of those other justifiable goodies to this list. This is not a pretty list, but it is real, not gimmicky or go-with-the-flow-y, just my research and me :)

For starters, let me get these out of the way, real quick

1. Dark Chocolate is only good for you when its sugar content is low... think baker's chocolate, pretty bitter, and not very tasty. If it serves as your sugar fix, the benefits of the dark chocolate are far outweighed by the drawbacks of the amount of sugar it contains

2. Red wine, has health benefits when there are no sulfites added and it is made organic... Unfortunately, this is not the case with many of the wines on the market, making the nutritional benefits far inferior to the drawbacks.

No more of this doom and gloom! Moving onto some bigger and better things!

Here they are, in no particular order, my top five... turned six...

1. blueberries

- natural sugar fix - low in calories - high in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants - fight free radicals in the body - have almost 40% more antioxidants than red wine - raw is best, but are delicious with almost anything -

2. avocado

- loaded with vitamins minerals and fiber - high in oleic acid which helps lower cholesterol - when added to salads, the body absorbs more nutrients from the other vegetables and fruit eaten -

3. wild salmon

wild is better than farmed, because it has a natural diet and can better develop - low in calories - high in protein - contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids - low mercury content - comes canned too (think instead of tuna fish?) -

4. pumpkin seeds

- high in fiber and protein - full of minerals like magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc - contain phytosterols, which help cholesterol levels and immune system - convenient snack and yummy to cook with (I love to add them when I make granola) -

5. cranberry


- low calorie - high fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants especially - help prevent UTIs, lower cholesterol, and oral health/reduces tooth decay - help prevent food-borne illness in GI tract -

6. sweet potato


- satisfies sugar cravings - curbs appetite - helps stabilize blood sugar - easily substituted for regular potatoes (in pretty much any recipe) - high in antioxidants - has anti-inflammatory benefits - is also high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber -

I am sure there will be recipes to follow soon :)