Top Super Foods for the Budget Savvy

Do you want to supplement your diet with whole, natural foods but don’t want to go broke doing so? I’m going to review the top super foods that you can buy that are cheap yet effective.

WHAT IS A SUPER FOOD?

What differentiates food from a super food? First, a super food contains a higher level of nutrients. Not necessarily all around nutrients but typically the super food is above average in a few key categories.

Another quality of a super food is that it has to help with or alleviate symptoms of certain ailments. Keep in mind that these foods are NOT a cure. They simply help with the symptoms.

THE TOP 4 SUPER FOODS

Many companies have capitalized on the super food movement, charging a high price for these powerful foods. Lucky for you, there are still plenty of super foods that you can get at your local market and they cost just a few dollars. Let’s take a look at the top 4 super foods for the budget savvy shopper.

1. Ginger

Have you ever had someone suggest eating ginger or drinking ginger ale when you have an upset stomach? Ginger is famous for its stomach calming benefits but it can do so much more than that. Making ginger a part of your daily diet has been shown to provide the following benefits:

• Reduces inflammation
• Promotes healthy blood circulation
• Supports digestion and nutrition absorption (1)

Note: If you don’t like the taste, ginger is also available in supplement form.

Average cost:

• It depends on the size of the piece of ginger you buy. It could be as little as $0.50 or as much as several dollars. The latter is a very large piece of ginger.

2. Turmeric

A popular and delicious spice, turmeric has been the subject of a number of recent studies with the focus on alleviation of pain. Turmeric is now being considered as a serious alternative to many over-the-counter treatments such as ibuprofen, which are harsh on the stomach. Here are a few key benefits of turmeric:

• Alleviates arthritis pain
• Reduces post-workout soreness
• Decreases the symptoms from a number of diseases including IBD (2)

Note: If you don’t like the taste, turmeric is also available in supplement form.

Average cost:

• Like ginger, it depends on the size of the piece you buy. It can be less than a dollar or more than six dollars. Either way, it’s very inexpensive considering the benefits.

3. Garlic

If you thought all garlic was good for was making your pasta taste good, think again. Garlic is an extremely powerful super food with a number of benefits that make it invaluable to the alternative medicine community.

• Acts as an anti-microbial
• Alleviates and protects against food poisoning
• Used as a cancer fighting supplement (3)

Note: Best if taken raw. If you don’t like the taste, garlic is also available in supplement form.

Average cost:

• Extremely cheap but size dependent. A bulb of garlic will cost you around $0.60.

4. Honey

It’s delicious and nutritious. Honey has been used for thousands of years as a whole food but also as a natural medicine. Even today, the medical community takes honey seriously as an alternative treatment.

• Acts as an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial
• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps with adjusting to seasonal pollen (4)

Average cost:

• The most expensive item on the list but the most worthwhile, local honey can be found for $7 to $10 a pound.

Here's another great article on the topic of food choices "High Protein Diet and the Rich Protein Foods". 

CONCLUSION

Have you tried any of these super foods? What was your experience?

Do you have any others that you want to recommend?

Tell me about them below!

Are you ready to break through your weight loss plateau?

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REFERENCES

1. Bode AM, Dong Z. The Amazing and Mighty Ginger. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 7.
2. Subash C. Gupta, Sridevi Patchva, and Bharat B. Aggarwal. Therapeutic Roles of Curcumin: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials. AAPS J. 2013 Jan; 15(1): 195–218.</li
3. Leyla Bayan, Peir Hossain Koulivand, and Ali Gorji. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2014 Jan-Feb; 4(1): 1–14.</li
4. Manisha Deb Mandal and Shyamapada Mandal. Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2011 Apr; 1(2): 154–160.