Well-known superfoods are always being replaced by newer ones that are discovered. Some of the superfoods that have received more than their fair share of attention has been acerola, cloves, maqui berry and baobab fruit. If you like to keep up with the latest and greatest in regards to your health then you’ve probably heard about all of these. But what is it that makes them so powerful? Let’s take a look at them a bit more closely and you’ll see why these foods should always be on your shopping list.
Maqui Berries
Maqui berries are similar to blueberries. They’ve hit the headlines and stolen some of the attention from the very popular acai berry. Originally from Patagonia in South America, this berry is an antioxidant powerhouse. They get very high scores on the oxygen radical absorbance capacity test (otherwise referred to as the ORAC test). This test measures how potent foods are in regards to antioxidants. If you think blueberries are good for you, consider this: maqui berries score at least ten times higher on the test than blueberries.
Acerola
You may have seen these red fruits in the store and not even know it. They’re often called Amazon cherries or Barbados cherries. Originally from South America and Central America, they have 40 times more vitamin C than oranges. They’re sometimes hard to find in the United States though, so most of the time people get the health benefits from them in the form of a supplement: capsules, extracts and powders.
Cloves
Cloves have been a staple in many kitchens long before they started being touted as the newest superfood. If you’re the one who cooks holiday meals then you probably use them on your ham or in your pumpkin pies, right? Did you know that Spanish researchers say that cloves have a powerful antioxidant to them may even be able to take the place of synthetic ones we often use for preserving food?
Baobab Fruit
This potent little fruit comes from Africa and has only recently been approved for export. They have a naturally powder-like texture even without any kind of processing. If you aren’t a fan of dairy products are can’t eat them due to health reasons, then this fruit should definitely be in your kitchen. They have a lot of calcium and vitamin C. If you roast the seeds from baobab fruit, you can eat them and get plenty of protein. It’s often used for flavor in yogurt, but hopefully it’ll start showing up in your local grocery stores since its export approval.
