20 Top Superfoods to Get Into Your Diet

You’ve likely heard the term “superfood” tossed around quite a bit and have probably heard about all of the benefits offered by these nutrient-rich dietary additions. But what are superfoods?

Superfoods do more than just help you meet your vitamin and mineral needs or aid in shedding a few extra pounds when it comes time for swimsuit season. In fact, these foods can help you achieve better health, prevent chronic disease, and improve the way you feel day in and day out — and they’re some of the top anti-aging foods around.

When combined with regular exercise and a balanced diet, adding a few of these top superfoods into your day can benefit many different aspects of your health.

What Are Superfoods?

Although the concept of “superfoods” can be traced back to the start of the 20th century, it has experienced a rise in popularity in more recent years as it became a buzzword for better health.

However, with no real definition or criteria to determine what exactly superfoods are, they have caused quite a bit of confusion for consumers and were often used by the food industry to market unhealthy “health foods,” meal plans for extreme weight loss and detox diets.

In recent years, several sources have tried to set a more specific definition for superfoods. Oxford Dictionary, for example, defined them as “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” Meanwhile, according to Merrian-Webster, superfoods are “a food (such as salmon, broccoli, or blueberries) that is rich in compounds (such as antioxidants, fiber, or fatty acids) considered beneficial to a person’s health.”

Today, more and more studies continue to emerge, evaluating the powerful effects that food can have on health and confirming the extensive benefits that superfoods have to offer.

We all know that eating healthy can have a major impact on the way you feel. Load up on the fast food and processed junk and you’ll probably start to feel sluggish, tired and weighed down. Cram tons of nutrient-dense fruits and veggies into your diet and you’ll likely find yourself full of energy and feeling good.

Superfoods take it to the next step, helping optimize your body’s ability to function by supplying a megadose of nutrients.

What are superfoods? Although there’s no set criteria as to what defines a superfood, these are foods that are jam-packed with nutrients and can help provide your body with the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive, survive and feel great.

Include a few servings of the ingredients on the superfoods list into your day paired with a balanced diet and regular physical activity and you’re bound to feel better than ever.