You may imagine that “superfoods,” foods packed with high concentrations of health-boosting vitamins and minerals, are only grown in far-off tropical regions and can only be had by paying a hefty price tag.
But that just isn’t so. There are many super foods you can grow in your own backyard, especially if you find prime seeds My Seed Needs offers on their site. Consider these seven superfoods you could grow in your home garden:
1. Kale
A cup of kale (uncooked) has a meager 33 calories, which is already a reason for weight-watchers to relish this tasty, dark-green member of the cabbage family. But those calories are by no means empty. They give you loads of protein, dietary fiber, folate, and vitamin A, C, and K.
Kale is filling, which helps you reduce your appetite. It assists diabetics in managing blood-sugar levels. Its folate and omega-3 benefit your brain, and lutein (which gives kale its distinctive dark green color) helps guard against macular degeneration and cataracts.
2. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard, also known as Roman kale or strawberry spinach, is another leafy powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. Iron, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber all abound in each one of these rainbow-hued leaves. And there are only 35 calories per cup.
And besides these general health benefits, Swiss chard’s stash of nitrates helps to lower your blood pressure and boost your performance while working out even while reducing how much oxygen your body needs to reach that level of performance.
3. Spinach
This low-calorie, low-fat, low-cholesterol superfood is more widely consumed than the two just mentioned above, though kale consumption is on the rise. Spinach may not make you Popeye the Sailor Man, but its high concentrations of iron, zinc, niacin, calcium, potassium, copper, and other minerals (plus vitamins like A, B-6, C, and K) could certainly help to keep you “strong to the finish.”
Antioxidants in spinach help to cleanse your system. Its folate boosts your cardiovascular health. Its magnesium tends to lower blood pressure, and there is evidence spinach can improve memory and thinking skills.
4. Artichokes
Artichokes have more antioxidants than even cranberries, which is saying “a mouthful.” Their dietary fiber is also extremely high, and studies suggest that eating artichoke hearts can improve digestion, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, improve cognitive function, boost bone health, and much more.
Growing your own artichokes will require some gardening training and a little tender loving care, but it will be worth it. Fresh-grown artichokes will beat canned or bottled by miles in nutritional value.
5. Kohlrabi
A favorite in German cuisine for centuries, kohlrabi is a large bulb-like vegetable that also has edible leaves. Find a German cookbook, and you will discover numerous ways to eat it both cooked and raw.
Kohlrabi is packed with all manner of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, besides being high in dietary fiber. Its many benefits include: improved digestive health, weight loss, a strengthened immune system, better regulated metabolic processes, better blood circulation, and stronger bones, muscles, nerves, and eyes.
6. Chamomile
Growing your own herbs can be as beneficial as growing your own vegetables. Grow chamomile for tea, and you will enjoy a multitude of health effects, as chamomile is among the most ancient and most versatile of all herbal teas.
Chamomile is valued especially for its antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects, and for reported anti-cancer effects. It helps fight depression, hay fever, muscle spasms, insomnia, arthritis, ulcers, digestive problems, and the list goes on.
7. Dill
Dill is used for far more than pickling cucumbers. It is a great condiment to add to meats, soups, salads, and other dishes. In fact, it is an unnoticed ingredient in numerous commercially produced food products.
Dill grown at home will be fresher and richer in vitamins. And dill’s many health benefits include: reducing menstrual cramps, fighting depression, lowering cholesterol levels, aiding digestions, and boosting energy.
