Not-so-super superfoods

I know I should like broccoli. I know it’s really, really good for me. (I’ve seen those commercials about how broccoli is such a miracle food!) I’ve sautéed it in olive oil, pureed it in soups and even smothered it in cheese. And I still don’t like it.

Who cares if I like broccoli or not? Well, it turns out that broccoli is one of a number of “superfoods” that not only provide you with a ton of the vitamins and minerals your Healthy Body needs, it could also help prevent and fight cancer. That’s a whole lot of goodness packed into just one food.

There are plenty of other superfoods as well. Salmon, beans, walnuts, blueberries, flax seed, sweet potatoes… they all have properties that can help improve health and fight disease. In fact, in “The skinny on superfoods,” featured this week on Primacy Life, writer Sydney Loney had a chance to talk to leading Canadian nutrition specialist Dr. David Macklin all about superfoods, and the advice he gave was pretty spectacular.

Yes, these foods do exist, and no, it’s not that hard to work them into your diet. You can buy them all at your local grocery store and they require little to no preparation at all. You can pop a few walnuts or blueberries as a quick afternoon snack, or stick a sweet potato and some salmon in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. It couldn’t be easier – or more convenient.  So why aren’t we all eating more of these foods?

Sometimes it’s a fear of the unknown. We’re not used to eating these foods, therefore we continue to grab what’s known and familiar. Or we think they’re too hard to prepare so we avoid them.

But what if you’re like me and you just don’t like one of the foods? Am I missing out on something if I don’t eat broccoli? Could I be putting myself in harm’s way?

According to the experts, probably not. As long as I eat a good variety of fruits, veggies, lean meat and whole grains, that’s good enough. Throw in a few of these superfoods, and that’s even better. But if broccoli’s not my thing, I can chow down on spinach, kale and other leafy greens to get my fair share of green superfoods.

Best of all, it means I don’t have to eat broccoli any more!