6 Superfoods You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Just because bikini season is over doesn’t mean you should stop eating healthy until next year. Registered dietician and founder of The Nutritious Life, Keri Glassman, tells us about the best superfoods you should be eating right now.

GHEE

What Is It? This funny-sounding ingredient (pronounced ɡē) is basically “a fancy word for clarified butter!” jokes Rach.

What Makes It a Superfood: Butter is comprised of three ingredients: butterfat, milk solids and water. Remove the milk solids and water, and you’re left with ghee! Glassman says that eating ghee is actually good for you since it’s loaded with healthy fats and contains vitamins A, D and E. Watch Glassman explain in the video above.

How to Use It: Smear it on toast, corn, or whenever you would use regular butter!

MATCHA

What Is It? As opposed to regular tea leaves, which you steep to infuse water then remove, matcha is ground up whole green tea leaves that you actually mix into your drink.

What Makes It a Superfood: Glassman says this it can help improve mental alertness and clarity, strengthen the immune system, help lower cholesterol, and provide proper hydration for faster cell turnover leading to healthy, glowing skin.

How to Use It: Serve it as a hot beverage, add it to your guacamole, or use it as a savory seasoning in your favorite dishes.

BLACK RICE

What Is It? You’ve heard of white rice and brown rice, but have you met their lesser known cousin, black rice? It’s dark color comes from an excess of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that’s responsible for most dark purple colored plants and foods, like blueberries.

What Makes It a Superfood: Glassman says it has less calories and more protein per serving compared to white and brown rice, plus it’s jam-packed with antioxidants that fight inflammation.

How to Use It: Try it in a homemade burrito bowl with beans, corn, tomato, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. Yum!

CHICKPEA FLOUR

What Is It? As you could probably guess, chickpea flour is nothing more than ground up chickpeas.

What Makes It a Superfood: Glassman says it’s gluten-free and loaded with protein.

How to Use It: Check out how she used this ingredient to make Chickpea Flat Bread topped with roasted veggies!

SOURDOUGH BREAD

What Is It? A tangy-tasting bread that is made with dough fermented with natural cultures and yeast.

What Makes It a Superfood: Glassman says while it’s comparable to traditional bread in calories, the dough’s unique fermentation process creates lactic acid which makes nutrients readily available for absorption during digestion.

How to Use It: Anywhere you would use white bread! Use it to make grilled cheese, sandwiches, patty melts, you name it.

SAUERKRAUT

What Is It: Sauerkraut is simply shredded cabbage that’s been doused in salt and allowed to ferment over several weeks, resulting in a crunchy, tart relish.

What Makes It a Superfood: Glassman says it’s high in probiotics, and regular consumption of fermented foods is associated with several health benefits, including gut health.

How to Use It: Pile your sandwiches hihg with it. We especially love it in Rach’s Sourdough Patty Melt Reubens!

Now get out there and eat (healthy, of course)!

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