Culinary Blog
The Top Seven Shelves Superfoods of 2022
Superfoods have been a big thing in the world of healthy eating for well over a decade, now. Ensuring that you’re getting fruit, veg, and everything in between that’s bursting with nutrients is important to everyone. Knowing that you’re getting the ultimate version of that is ideal! A superfood is any food that is unusually dense with nutrients and beneficial compounds. There are quite a few of them out there, and we can assure you that all the options on our list fit the bill. On top of that, most of the items on our list here are part of the Seven Shelves Holyflavours range - a group of superfoods that are of the highest quality, and assured to be fairtrade at every step in the production process. Here are the Top Seven Shelves Superfoods of 2022 we recommend.
CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES
Cruciferous vegetables are likely things that you’ve been eating for a long time, thereby garnering superfood points without even noticing. Essentially, ‘cruciferous’ just means any food within the cabbage family, such as kale, cauliflower, and broccoli. These foods are wonderfully packed with antioxidants, vitamin K, folate, and fiber that will ensure you’re always bursting with the good stuff after a hearty portion. Increased cruciferous veggie consumption has been linked with decreased depression and a benefit to cardiovascular conditions! The Seven Shelves Holyflavours kale powder is sure to provide you with these benefits. We’d suggest adding it to green smoothies to boost their mineral content while also providing you with a rich, earthy flavor.
FERMENTED FOODS
Fermented foods have been on the up and up for a while now, and they’re showing no signs of fading in popularity. The reason they’re so popular is that the fermentation process leads to the production of probiotics, which can greatly improve overall digestive health and reduce inflammation. As a reference to last week's Real Bread week, we would suggest combining two trends and starting a sourdough starter in your kitchen. This is, essentially, a way to produce your own yeast, which you can use to make bread and all manner of things rise. Using Seven Shelves Holyflavours bee pollen to kickstart your sourdough will work wonderfully well! Bees spend their time flying between meadows and orchards collecting this pollen - it’s packed with beneficial yeast and bacteria that you can harness in your diet. Give it a go, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed!
GRAINS
Ancient grains have had a boost in popularity recently since they’re so incredibly nutrient-dense. They’re rich in phytochemicals (plant chemicals) which can combat chronic disease within your body, leading to improved overall health. On top of that, the grains are Earth-friendly, meaning that they are gentle to the soil, and the production process doesn’t have an atrocious carbon footprint associated with it. We would suggest adding some ancient grains to the dough of the sourdough loaf that we suggested you make earlier - it will improve the overall texture hugely, making the loaf into something fascinating! Alternatively, you could simply steam some quinoa and add it to your Mexican food - it blends in well, and soaks up flavors marvelously!
Next on our list is a green tea powder that is just as tasty as it is good for you. This spectacular example of matcha powder is a wonderful way to get all the health benefits of the Eastern tea while also making sure that you’re helping out small producers - all the holyflavours products are fairtrade, which ensures local communities are helped as much and as often as possible. The main benefit of matcha is that it’s incredibly high in antioxidants. The powder is made from the entire leaf of the green tea plant, while other forms of green tea only use some of the leaf. This means that there are more antioxidants in the average cup of matcha tea than a cup of regular green tea. This typically leads to a reduction in cell damage and prevention of chronic disease.
MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms have long been known to have a host of health benefits. They provide wonderful levels of nutrients while also being delicious, and easy to cook with. The Seven Shelves Holyflavours seven mushroom mix is a fantastic combination of some of the best mushrooms out there, from shiitake to cordyceps. Different types of mushrooms have different levels of beneficial compounds, but on the whole, you just can’t go wrong. They are bursting with antioxidants, beta-glucan, and B vitamins too. Most impressively, they have a high selenium content, which has even been shown to have some anti-cancer properties! We would suggest adding two tablespoons of the seven mushroom mix to your broth next time you make ramen noodles. While the combination might seem odd at first, you won’t regret it after the first slurp! The unmistakable umami of mushrooms fits right in with exceptional noodles, leading to a divine lunch that you’ll go back for again and again.
POMEGRANATE SEEDS
Pomegranate seeds, while sometimes a hassle to get out of the pomegranate, are both delicious and hugely beneficial to you and your diet. Pomegranate seeds are a nutrient powerhouse, containing a huge amount of antioxidants. These chemicals help to protect your cells from damage and prevent disease, leading to a healthy body as well as some happy tastebuds. Our personal favorite way to enjoy pomegranate seeds is to mix them into greek yogurt with a little honey - it’s sweet, crispy, smooth, and delightful! Give it a go, you definitely won’t be disappointed.
TURMERIC
Turmeric has been a superfood (or, rather, a medicinal food) for centuries. It’s been used in traditional Ayurvedic healing remedies all that time, and now that science has taken a closer look - we know that it’s got a lot of science behind it. Turmeric has been proven to improve memory, reduce general pain, and fight against free radicals. The way that it does this is through universal reduction of swelling, which is the number one cause of pain in our bodies. If you’ve got a headache, for example, it’s typically because a portion of tissue in your head is slightly swollen. Turmeric can reduce the swelling, leading to a reduction in pain. Of course, turmeric is a big part of classic Indian food, though it can be added to nearly anything that you might like to use it in. We would suggest mixing a tablespoon each of turmeric and good-quality honey, dissolving the mixture in hot milk for a morning pick-me-up drink. How tasty!
