10 Superfoods & Supplements I Use Regularly

It’s no secret that I strive for an uber healthy but balanced lifestyle. If you’ve read through my journey to health you’ll know that this hasn’t been a quick, or even full conscience, choice. It’s just what I do. And while there are many ways to improve your health, there’s also many items that boost your nutrition even further. These items are more commonly known as superfoods.

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Superfoods are exactly what the name entails: a superior food. While eating vegetables is no doubt awesome for you, consuming some of the foods below is all out amazing. These foods tend to be nutritionally dense and loaded (more so than normal) with health boosting nutrients.

The truth is, for a long time I laughed at the word “superfood”. To me, eating pre-made yogurt was pretty darn healthy!

And even after altering my nutritional habits pretty radically, I still never utilized the foods below. Why? Some of them I had never heard of but mainly I didn’t really see the need to have them in my diet. After all, “I eat healthy enough already” (<– how many times have you uttered those words?!).

It wasn’t until the last two years that I really began making use of superfoods and including them in my diet. Part of this is because I started reading so much regarding cancer and nutrition (thanks initially to Chris Beat Cancer.

The more I read about it the more I began making a few tweaks here and there to mine, and my daughters diet. We obviously already reduce sugar intake and eat balanced, veggie filled meals. But improvements can always be made.

When it comes to supplements, it’s been a bit of a different story. I used to take a lot of supplements. Sometimes, I think that’s the natural way to go when you work in the fitness world. Now-a-day’s there’s very few supplements I take unless I’m trying to fix a specific issue.

Because the truth is, while there are certain benefits to pre-workout shakes, CLA and so many other “gym” supplements, for the average mama looking to become healthier they’re really not overly necessary.

So below are 7 Superfoods & Supplements that I use on a daily or extremely regular basis.

Keep in mind that I am not a doctor. These supplements are items I take personally because I believe they will improve my overall health. Some are more tame than others but before consuming them (specifically the supplements) chat with your doctor first. I feel the need to say “reader discretion is advised”... you know, liability and all that 😉

Organic Cacao Powder

Honestly, I freaking love cacao powder. So much so, that I have an entire blog post dedicated to its awesomeness.

On top of it having a host of benefits (more calcium than cow’s milk, lots of antioxidants, high in magnesium etc) it also tastes great because, well, chocolate!

 

Cacao powder is chocolate in one of its purest forms. The powder itself is a bit bitter tasting but when mixed with maple syrup or your choice of sweetener it’s utterly delicious.. and healthy! I use cacao powder for an insane amount of things but here’s a few of my favorites:

Chocolate Banana Nice Cream, Dairy Free Hot Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Green Smoothie

My go-to brand of cacao powder is Organic Traditions. Truthfully they’re just a kick butt brand with quality items.

 

Tulsi (Holy Basil) Tea

I first heard about this tea in my cancer/nutrition books. It’s been touted about for quite a while in other cultures and has been shown to aid in natural cancer treatment. The tea has been said to have very strong anti-carcinogenic properties and can reduce tissue damage.

The more I looked into it the more I learned about its other benefits also- improvements in digestion, cardiovascular health and fever reduction.

The more I read, the more I fell in love with it. Now-a-days I add a spoonful to my daily loose leaf tea in the morning. It’s simple and full of benefits.

There are various places to buy this tea but once again I place my trust in Organic Traditions. If I’m going to drink the tea to boost my health I might as well make sure it’s a quality product.

Turmeric

Turmeric is.. everything. I have become mildly obsessed with this herb because it has so many health benefits! You can read all about Why I Love Turmeric but the biggest reason is it’s anti-inflammatory properties.

It can help boost your health because its purpose is to reduce inflammation. This nor only helps prevent disease but can combat arthritis too.

 

Chlorella

This superfood is a recent addition to regime. Chlorella is a cousin to spirulina, which is a freshwater algae. It’s been said to be one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

 

It has a high protein content (which I love) but is primarily known for its detox abilities (which makes it great for cancer patients which is where I first heard of it) and it’s immune boosting properties.

That said, some of the reading I’ve done talks about chlorella being “too much of a good thing”. Basically, be careful intaking a lot of this superfood if:

• You’re pregnant
• Have iodine allergies
• Have clotting disorders

Personally I add about half a teaspoon to my smoothies a couple times per week (this is the chlorella I use). If you want some more information on this superfood, Wellness Mama has an awesome write up on it!

Matcha

By now, you’re probably heard of Matcha Tea! Matcha is a POTENT tea full of ECG’s and so many other vitamins and minerals. It’s been shown to help boost the metabolism, detox your body, perk you up, lower cholesterol.. literally everything.

One of the easiest ways people consume matcha is by drinking it. And don’t get me wrong, a matcha latte isn’t too bad. Buuttt I normally don’t have time to make them. Instead, I add a bit into my smoothies a few times per week.

I know, I know, you’re probably wondering what I don’t add into my smoothies! It’s kind of crazy really 😛

 

Mushroom…. Coffee!

Yup, you read that right. I have totally become obsessed with mushroom coffee (check out my favorite blends). Mushrooms are loaded with health benefits (antioxidants, immune system boosts, and whatnot) but I really became obsessed with the coffee when I noticed the extra increase in energy.

Mamas, if you need some extra energy check out the Chaga & Lions Mane blend, it’s become a staple for me and I find it gives me a mini energy jolt on top of all the health benefits and a focus boost when I need to get sh*t done (which, as a work at home mom is always).

Collagen

I. Love. Collagen.

Really and truly I am a firm believer that collagen is pretty much the essence of life 😀 You may be wondering where you’re heard of collagen before and that would be via bone broth!

One of the reasons homemade bone broth is so good for you is because it’s full of collagen. This superfood helps your skin and nails grow and replenish. It heals your gut, it improves your joints, the list goes on.

Collagen is a protein and an awesome one. Easily one you need to be getting in. However, making and drinking bone broth everyday doesn’t always happen- which is why collagen powder rocks.

I have two brands that I love on this actually. I do like to use this brand and find it works well in (you guessed it) smoothies but I also adore the Perfect Supplements brand which is grass fed and works really well in homemade cold fighting gummy bears, hot chocolate or even mixed into yogurt when I need it. Really, having some on hand is awesome.

 

Vitamin D

I live in Canada. This means that while snow is pretty I don’t get a lot of daily sunshine. Since vitamin d helps with calcium absorption, immune function, preventing inflammation etc.

This vitamin can’t be made so it needs to be obtained from an outside source. Which is why myself and my girls rock vitamin d drops daily.

Note: all of these health boosting ingredients can be purchased through my favorite retailer Well.ca– and the best part is that they offer free shipping!

 

Don’t forget to pin these superfoods!

There you have it! The truth is, those are the basic superfoods I consume on a daily or regular basis. In attempting to keep this blog post a somewhat regular length I didn’t touch upon protein powders (why I use them and why you may not need them), fish oil, loose leaf tea or any of that fun. These are just my favorites.

Everyone has a different idea on what it means to be healthy. For me, that means preventing disease and being able to move and feel the way I want. These superfoods don’t erase or top food daily habits but I do think that they boost you in the right direction.