3 New Superfoods You Definitely Haven't Tried Before
By Lynn Andriani
Jerusalem Artichokes
Alternately known as sunchokes, these vegetables look nothing like the artichokes we're used to; they are actually tubers, which puts them in the same family as potatoes. They have double the fiber of spuds, though, and a whopping 400 times more thiamine (vitamin B1), which is important for muscle function, the functioning of the central nervous system, the metabolism of carbohydrates, and digestion. (These numbers and other nutritional information come from the USDA's National Agricultural Library.)
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Also, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported last year that eating foods high in thiamine can help decrease the occurrence of PMS. You can cook Jerusalem artichokes the same way you'd make potatoes: roasted, sautéed, baked or boiled. Tricia Williams, a nutritionist with certificates in holistic nutrition and food therapy, and founder of the food and nutritional counseling service Food Matters NYC, roasts them at 400 degrees with safflower oil and thyme, and eats them as a side dish. Or try dipping the cooked "chips" in guacamole or hummus. Look for them in the produce area; they're in season during winter.
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Black Garlic
Take one clove garlic, ferment for three weeks, age for one week, and you've got black garlic. Thankfully, you don't have to do this yourself; the California company Black Garlic now sells it online and in health food stores and specialty food shops around the country. The darkly colored bulb will definitely raise eyebrows in your kitchen-it wouldn't seem out of place going into a witch's cauldron-but it's worth trying for two key reasons: it has double the antioxidants of white garlic, and it tastes sweeter too-almost like molasses. Williams loves it during cold and flu season because its antioxidants help support the immune system and-bonus-it doesn't stay on your breath like other garlic does. You can use it any recipe that normally calls for white garlic.
Black garlic, $4 for two bulbs, BlackGarlic.com
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Hemp Seeds
If 2011 was the year of the flaxseed, 2012 is all about hemp seeds and chia seeds (more on chia later). Rich in magnesium, potassium, iron, protein and essential omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids, hemp seeds are tiny but filling. And unlike flaxseeds, they aren't bound up in a hard shell, so you don't have to grind them to unlock their nutritional benefits. They taste a bit like pine nuts, and their soft texture makes them ideal for mixing into smoothies; Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, and founder of the nutrition counseling and consulting practice Nutritious Life, blends them with hemp milk (though you could also use soy, almond or rice milk), bananas, cinnamon and a spoonful of peanut or almond butter for a power breakfast. You can also sprinkle them on salads.
Hemp seeds, $6 for 2 ounces, Happy-Hemp.com
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