Are you wondering what powerhouse foods you should be eating now to achieve your health goals?
According to the top dietitians and nutritionists, what are the top superpowered ingredients that should be incorporated into our diets regularly?
Here are their combined picks, plus some simple and delicious preparation suggestions.
Powerhouse Foods: Mushrooms
Meaty and filling, as a stand-in for beef they can slash up to 400 calories from a meal. They may also protect against breast cancer by helping to regulate a woman’s estrogen levels.
What to Try: Sauté sliced mushrooms and shallots until tender. Add a splash of white wine and cook until evaporated. Serve over roasted fish or chicken.
Powerhouse Foods: Walnuts
A surprisingly good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Those are the fats that lower the bad-for-you cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good-for-you kind (HDL).
What To Try: For a healthy on-the-go snack, pack a handful of walnuts with some dried figs and a few anise seeds (as the ingredients sit together, the anise releases flavor).
Whole-Grain Pasta
Contains three times the amount of fiber per serving as the typical semolina variety. Skip pasta labeled “multigrain”: It may be made with a number of grains, but they aren’t necessarily whole ones.
What To Try: Toss whole-grain pasta with pesto, chopped arugula, and grated lemon zest.
Powerhouse Foods: Peanut and Almond Butters (All-Natural)
Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats abound in these protein-rich spreads. Opt for those with just two ingredients—nuts and salt.
What To Try: Mix with soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar to make a quick Asian dipping sauce for chicken skewers.
Oatmeal (Steel-Cut or Old-Fashioned)
Holds cholesterol in check, helps fight against heart disease, and keeps you full until lunch, thanks to its soluble fiber.
What To Try: For a savory breakfast, drizzle cooked oatmeal with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Quinoa
It may cook like a grain, but quinoa is actually an herbaceous plant. It’s a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids, and offers the same energy and satiety you would get from meat, all without the fat or cholesterol.
What To Try: Stir fresh lemon juice and chopped fresh dill into cooked quinoa.
Powerhouse Foods: Almonds
Packed with monounsaturated fatty acids, which keep blood vessels healthy. The plant fibers help lower cholesterol.
What To Try: Fold chopped almonds into cooked whole grains, along with raisins or dried currants.
Lentils
A protein powerhouse, these are flush with folate, a nutrient that may prevent certain birth defects.
What To Try: Toss cooked lentils with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped celery, and fresh thyme. Serve over salad greens.
Powerhouse Foods: Blueberries
Packed with fiber, this superfruit was one of the top antioxidant-rich picks in a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study.
What To Try: Serve over vanilla frozen yogurt with a pinch of ground cardamom.
Bulgur
Made from wheat that has been steamed, dried, and cracked, this delivers more fiber than brown rice, plus you get a boost of potassium, B vitamins, and calcium.
What To Try: Cook bulgur as you would oatmeal. Top it with honey and chopped nuts for breakfast or a hearty snack.