SUPERFOODS
As a dietitian, I am regularly asked about the latest dieting fad; but more recently there have been less questions about ‘celebrity diets’ and more questions about foods. What sorts of foods? Acai? Quinoa? goji or chia or noni or Macca powder or adzuki? Hard-to-pronounce foods that have been either activated, cold pressed or grown organically?
Still scratching your head wondering what I am writing about? Clearly you are not up-to-date with the bold new face of buzz foods branded ‘super’, While superfoods certainly pack a nutritious punch they won’t have you leaping over buildings in a single bound! So, let’s investigate the benefits of these superfoods against our pantry staples.
The term ‘superfood’ is not a scientific expression, but rather a word coined to describe natural foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins or minerals. ‘Super’ berries ‘acai’ and ‘goji’ have been touted as the king and queen of the berry world for their powerful antioxidant content, but the humble blueberry – with its trademark blue colouring – indicates a superb source of anthocyanins, itself a powerful antioxidant. Blueberries are a spectacular addition to fruit salads and frozen blueberries make magnificent smoothies!
Quinoa has been hailed as a fabulous protein packed carbohydrate, but did you know that oats are also a protein rich carb? While quinoa makes for a delicious, gluten-free porridge boasting 9 amino acids, traditional oats feature an outstanding amount of soluble fibre to keep your bowel healthy and lower your cholesterols levels. So, depending on your dietary and health concerns, choose a porridge grain or seed that best suits your needs.
When creating meals think about including a variety of colours – the more colour the greater range of vitamins and minerals, and they tend to look much more appetising! So whether you choose curly kale or baby spinach, adzuki beans or lentils, it’s not going to make a significant difference.
Try and incorporate at least 4 vegetable colours on your plate and use a range of lean protein sources. You can go for an expensive ‘Superfoods’ or more common items, but be sure to include a range of colour and a variety of choices. ‘Superfoods’ are pretty fabulous, but for the average household these foods can be hard to access or may be beyond the budget.
A ‘super’ day using pantry staples (budget option)
Breakfast: A bowl of rolled oats with blueberries, crushed almonds, natural yoghurt and skim milk
Lunch: A wholegrain mountain bread wrap with baby spinach, beetroot, tomato, grated carrot, lean turkey and a spread of avocado
Dinner: A grilled salmon steak with broccoli, corn, beans and sweet potato mash
Snack: A cup of strawberries with a generous dollop of natural yogurt and one cup air-popped popcorn
A ‘super’ day using ‘superfoods’ (premium option)
Breakfast: A bowl of quinoa porridge with acai berries, chia seeds, coconut yoghurt and almond milk
Lunch: An organic gluten-free wrap with curly kale, golden grape tomatoes, kangaroo prosciutto with tapenade spread
Dinner: A grilled piece of organically farmed game meat with broccolini, purple cauliflower, fennel and adzuki bean mash
Snack: A cup of coconut yogurt with chia seeds and dried goji berries and 1 cup organic Kale chips
Nutritionally, both examples are jam-packed full of superb nutrition, but the overall cost can make a big difference.
Bottom line: If you haven’t got the finances to splurge on these trendy ‘Superfoods’, you can get plenty of nutrition from commonplace foods. My best advice is to eat a large variety of whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds and lean proteins in a broad range of colour. This will ensure that you are consuming a range of vitamins and minerals.
My personal philosophy is to eat close to nature and minimise your intake of processed foods. When you nail this, your body will reap the rewards!
Lisa Donaldson (APD) – nee Simpson
www.FEEDinc.net
FEEDinc. Nutrition Clinic
4 Kennedy St, Kingston ACT
Follow me on Twitter: @Lise_Simpson
