Everyday Superfoods to Keep in Your Kitchen

Nutrition has food fads just like fashion and home decorating have their trends — one year everyone's eating quinoa and munching on kale. Then gluten-free foods and chia seeds become the next big thing. Following these trends can be a little confusing, very expensive.

Superfoods don't have to be expensive, exotic foods only found at the trendiest health food stores. There are plenty of untrendy, nutrient-dense foods, waiting for you on the shelves of any supermarket..

Apples

Apples contain several vitamins and minerals, with higher amounts of vitamins C, B-6, and potassium, plus they're high in fiber. The colorful red skins are rich in a phytochemical called quercetin that has anti-inflammatory properties. Eating apples has been associated with several health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, asthma, and Alzheimer's disease.

Artichokes

Artichokes are high in vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and niacin. They're also high in fiber and low in calories. Artichokes also contain polyphenols that may work as antioxidants to help protect the cells in your body from free radical damage. An extract from artichokes may help treat high cholesterol levels too, but more research needs to be done to know for sure.

Bananas

Banana bunch — Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

I'm pretty sure bananas are the most popular ingredient used in fruit smoothies, which makes sense because they're sweet, and they're so good for you. Bananas are high in potassium, a micronutrient that is important for balancing out the sodium in your body. Plus, they contain antioxidants and compounds similar to dopamine, a neurotransmitter.

Cabbage

This leafy green vegetable contains lots of vitamin K that's needed for normal blood clotting, and a fair amount of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and B vitamins. Cabbage also contains other compounds such as chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid that may good for your health. Cabbage is extremely low in calories as well.

Carrots

Eating carrots is an excellent way to get beta carotene antioxidants which convert to vitamin A that your body needs for normal vision and cell differentiation. Carrots are also a good source of fiber and low in calories. In addition, they contain beneficial antioxidants called polyacetylenes, beta-carotene, and lutein, which may have health benefits.

Celery

Celery is a great source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, so it's good for healthy bones, muscles, and nerves. Celery is also rich in vitamins A and K, is low in calories, and high in fiber. It's perfect for a weight loss diet or any healthy diet. Celery also contains flavonols called luteolin and apigenin, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

Onions

Eating this flavorful vegetable as a side dish might help reduce inflammation because it contains flavonoids and sulfur-containing compounds. Using onions as a seasoning might be a good way to cut back on your sodium intake by reducing the amount of salt you need. But be sure to use fresh or dried onions — be careful with onion salt and various seasoning blends that include onion because they may also be high in sodium.

Oranges

Oranges are usually consumed as orange juice — usually with breakfast. They're known for their vitamin C content, but they're also a good source of potassium, folate, and fiber. It's best to eat the whole orange — rather than the juice — to make sure you take advantage of fiber that's normally lost by the time it's turned into juice. But, still, 100% orange juice with no added sugar, is a good anti-inflammatory beverage.

Strawberries

Sweet juicy strawberries are high in vitamin C that your body needs for normal immune system function and strong connective tissue, and folate, one of the B vitamins. They also contain an assortment of beneficial compounds called ellagic acid, anthocyanins, quercetin, and catechins that may have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. Tomatoes also produce compounds called lycopene and α-tomatine that are reported to have potential health-promoting benefits. Just like strawberries, tomatoes may have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

10 Sources

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Yang DK. Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) protects against h2o2-induced oxidative stress by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction in h9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018;2018. doi:10.1155/2018/2179021.
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Salehi B, Venditti A, Sharifi-Rad M, et al. The therapeutic potential of apigenin. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(6). doi:10.3390/ijms20061305.
Li Q, Wang Y, Mai Y, et al. Health benefits of the flavonoids from onion: constituents and their pronounced antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory capacities. J Agric Food Chem. 2020;68(3):799-807. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.9b07418.
Li Q, Wang Y, Mai Y, et al. Health benefits of the flavonoids from onion: constituents and their pronounced antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory capacities. J Agric Food Chem. 2020;68(3):799-807. doi:10.1186/s13065-015-0145-9.
Afrin S, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernandez TY, et al. Promising health benefits of the strawberry: a focus on clinical studies. J Agric Food Chem. 2016;64(22):4435-4449. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00857.
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Additional Reading

Basu A, Nguyen A, Betts NM, Lyons TJ. "Strawberry as a Functional Food: An Evidence-Based Review." Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(6):790-806. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2011.608174.
Coelho RC, Hermsdorff HH, Bressan J. "Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Orange Juice: Possible Favorable Molecular and Metabolic Effects." Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2013 Mar;68(1):1-10. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11130-013-0343-3.
Friedman M. "Anticarcinogenic, Cardioprotective, and Other Health Benefits of Tomato Compounds Lycopene, A-Tomatine, and Tomatidine in Pure Form and in Fresh and Processed Tomatoes." J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Oct 9;61(40):9534-50. doi: 10.1021/jf402654e. Epub 2013 Sep 30. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf402654e.
Hyson DA. "A Comprehensive Review of Apples and Apple Components and Their Relationship to Human Health." Adv Nutr. 2011 Sep;2(5):408-20. http://advances.nutrition.org/content/2/5/408.full.
Kanazawa K, Sakakibara H. "High Content of Dopamine, a Strong Antioxidant, in Cavendish Banana." J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Mar;48(3):844-8. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf9909860.

By Shereen Lehman, MS
Shereen Lehman, MS, is a former writer for Verywell Fit and Reuters Health. She's a healthcare journalist who writes about healthy eating and offers evidence-based advice for regular people.

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