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Nutrition Articles  ›  Meals and Food

Over 100 Super Foods for a Super You

Include These Foods for Maximum Body Benefits

-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian
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Faster than a speeding bullet…
More powerful than a locomotive…
Nutrient-packed with health enhancing properties…


Here come the SUPER FOODS!

These foods benefit your body in so many ways. They power your brain, and correctly and efficiently fuel your body. Super foods fight infection, enhance your immune system, and protect against diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and respiratory infections.

While this list of super foods may be longer than most, it shows that great things do come in small packages. These foods are not only healthy, but they're also affordable, familiar, and readily available at regular grocery stores and farmers markets. With so many choices, you'll discover just how easy it is to eat super healthy every day…even when on a tight budget.

This is an all-inclusive list, but some foods might not be right for your tastes, preferences or health goals. Remember that no single food can provide everything you need to be healthy. That's why it's important to choose a variety of super foods from each category to meet your daily nutrition needs.

Vegetables
 
Asparagus
Avocados
Beets
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Crimini mushrooms
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Green beans
Kale
Mustard greens
Onions
Peas
Portobello mushrooms
Potatoes
Rainbow chard
Romaine lettuce
Shiitake mushrooms
Spinach
Summer squash
Sweet potatoes
Swiss chard
Tomatoes
Turnip greens
Winter squash
Yams








Calcium-Rich Foods
 
Almond milk
Cheese, low fat
Cottage cheese, low fat
Milk, skim or 1%
Orange juice with calcium
Rice milk
Soy milk
Yogurt with active cultures, low fat
Fruits
 
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Black olives
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Cranberries
Figs
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew melon
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Prunes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

Grains
 
Amaranth
Arborio rice
Barley
Brown rice
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Corn
Jasmine rice
Millet
Oats
Quinoa
Rye
Spelt
Triticale
Wheat berries
Whole grain breads, cereal, pasta
Whole wheat breads, cereal, pasta
Wild Rice
Proteins
 
Almonds
Beef, lean
Black beans
Cashews
Chicken, skinless
Chickpeas
Egg whites
Eggs
Fish, unbreaded
Flaxseed
Garbanzo beans
Hemp seeds
Hummus
Kidney beans
Lima beans
Lentils
Miso
Navy beans
Nuts
Peanut butter, natural
Peanuts
Pinto beans
Pork, lean
Pumpkin seeds
Salmon, canned or fresh
Seafood, unbreaded
Sesame seeds
Soybeans
Sunflower seeds
Tahini
Tempeh
Tofu
Tuna, canned or fresh
Turkey, skinless
Veggie burgers
Walnuts
Wild game, skinless







Miscellaneous
 
Canola oil
Dark chocolate
Green tea
Olive oil
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About The Author

Becky Hand Becky Hand
Becky is a registered and licensed dietitian with almost 20 years of experience. Through her company, An Ounce of Prevention, she makes nutrition principles practical, easy to apply and fun. See all of Becky's articles.

Member Comments

  • Funny that my Grandma would look at this and scuff - to her these aren't superfoods - just foods. But then again, Grandma grew up on a farm and still doesn't eat all of the junk processed food that makes these superfoods in comparison.

    BTW Grandma is a very healthy slim 90 year old with good mental health and a great outlook on life - Could there be a relationshio between her good health and her diet of "SuperFoods" ? Probably. - 2/12/2013 8:37:53 AM
  • What is your suggestion on foods for a person with clotisis and heart burn and stomach issues. I try to eat fruits and vegetables but my body don't tolerate them. I am trying to lose weight. I am on cymbalta and lyrica which causes weight gain. - 2/3/2013 10:39:54 PM
  • LOL, I once set a Sparkpeople goal of eating at least 10 foods from this list every day. The problem was that the goal was too easy so I deleted it. If you follow sparkpeople guidelines and make daily meal plans that fall within the recommended ranges in the Nutrition Tracker, that goal just takes care of itself. - 1/22/2013 12:05:38 PM
  • Actually SO are TOMATOES and CUCUMBERS any thing with seed in it is technically a fruit in botany. - 11/19/2012 7:59:18 PM
  • BSUNKISSE
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    *Product must be used with diet and exercise. Weight loss results vary depending on the individual. For in-house preliminary study, weight l... - 5/7/2012 12:33:02 AM
  • JWOOLMAN
    By the way, if you bake your own bread - you can substitute amaranth flour for some of the wheat and it makes an irresistable loaf of bread. When I did that long ago, I found that the bread didn't need any spread at all. You will need to look up recipes to be sure, but I think a substitution of up to 1/4 of the wheat was acceptable. Or maybe 1/5, can't remember. I would advise doing a lower substitution to make sure you like it, though. - 4/23/2012 6:02:47 PM
  • JWOOLMAN
    I don't know about the healthiness of canola oil, but I avoid it because it's so darned tasteless... Even when buying potato chips (gasp!), I will only buy brands that are 1) on sale and 2) use peanut oil or sunflower seed oil or safflower oil or corn oil. Makes a huge difference in taste. Oddly enough, it's the major, heavily advertized brands of potato chips that keep shifting to canola oil and soybean oil or blends (the list of OR oils so you have no idea what's in the chip). I assume canola is used because people assume it's healthy. In my local grocery store, it's the cheapie house brand that uses the good oils (and I can tell from the taste) so it can't just be about cost.

    And as some others have said - coconut oil is so good! I use it instead of dairy butter most of the time. I also use coconut oil or coconut butter in my "sinus tea" for sinus infections: 1 tbsp coconut oil or coconut oil or a blend of both, plus 1 tbsp honey, plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Actually, I'm not into eating it as a "tea" (in warm water) and so eat it as a tasty paste with water on the side. All the ingredients have a medicinal purpose for such infections. Can't verify the efficacy, since I do a lot of other things for sinus infections that might explain why I toned down the last one in record-breaking time, but it sure tastes good! I've heard that 1 tsp of cinnamon per day also has a beneficial effect on blood sugar (verifiable by diabetics who monitor). - 4/23/2012 5:45:09 PM
  • OK, other commenters, I'll bite:

    What's wronge with Canola oil?

    You can't convince me that fruit is bad for you, though, lol.

    Good list! - 4/18/2012 3:46:22 PM
  • MDICARLO65
    Yes, where are sauerkraut, chia seeds, coconut oil, or matcha tea? - 4/16/2012 1:33:59 PM
  • im finding that what i thought i knew has to be revamped because i have a child with 48 xxyy and we.re thinkin celiac and the autism just one of the symptoms. and foods even affect depression grains good? no grains bad preservatives good? no bad they affect the autism
    well we live we learn n im just glad spark people r here - 4/16/2012 8:31:51 AM
  • INDIANAMIKE
    I recently finished reading "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, and he make as strong case that meat, milk, cheese, eggs and other animal-based proteins are anything but healthy. In fact, Campbell's research shows animal proteins to be the trigger that sets off many cancers, including breast, prostate and colonrectal. If you want healthy food, stick to whole fruits and veggies and whole grains. They're packed with micronutrients and fiber to keep cancer, heart disease and diabetes at bay. - 4/15/2012 5:19:23 PM
  • Actually canned salmon is there- under proteins. - 4/15/2012 3:06:46 PM
  • What, no coconut oil, sardines, canned salmon? And what is canola oil doing on the list, it's not a healthy oil.
    Don't even get me started on soy milk and grains ...
    The list is reflective of supporting Big Food and Big Ag. I'd like to see a Registered Holistic Nutritionist write it, not a dietician. - 4/15/2012 11:20:56 AM
  • Pretty decent list, actually. Naturally, not perfect! And "expert" opinions certainly vary.
    Various sources may provide somewhat different lists of which "super foods" are included. Also - an item that is listed under one category typically isn't cross-listed under another, even if it "fits" there as well -- such as the high-protein/ high-calcium salmon someone mentioned. At least FEW processed foods made the list [though I still can't imagine how overly processed, probably genetically modified, soy veggieburger/ protein can be considered a super-food!]
    Keep in mind also that the medical community and food industries have PUSHED the low-fat/ high-carb (especially grains) agenda for years, with minimal supporting scientific evidence. [ In fact, our nation as a whole is heavier than ever.] Several of the items pushed - and listed here - have been shown to have some negative health consequences in some situations.
    So, I plan to just keep reading and researching, and recognize that sometimes even Sparkpeople.com will cite the "party line," which manages to ignore or downplay research findings that contradict current politicized interests, including those of agribusiness/ medibusiness. -- Maryjean - 4/15/2012 11:12:12 AM
  • Avocados are fruits. Just sayin'. ;) - 4/15/2012 7:14:14 AM