Health-Boosting Superfoods To Add To Your Meal Prep

You’re probably no stranger to the idea that you should be eating a healthy, balanced diet – it’s probably one of the reasons you’ve begun meal prepping in the first place. Your carbs should be complex and fibrous, your protein should be lean, and there should always be lots and lots of vegetables.

So what else can you do to make your meal prep as healthy as it can be? 

Try adding in some superfoods! The term might make you think of strange and exotic foods, but this isn’t actually the case. Superfoods are, simply, really healthy whole foods that pack on tons of nutrition. Adding more superfoods into your meal prep will ensure that you’re hitting all of your nutritional needs! 

What are superfoods? 

When we talk about healthy eating, we’re often talking about the major macronutrients – namely, your carbohydrates, protein, and fats. However, there are many micronutrients that we need to be getting in our diet as well. This includes our vitamins, minerals, and fiber to keep every system in our body running smoothly.   

“Superfoods” is a term that refers to any food that has multiple health benefits and can be added into a healthy diet. While no one food has all of your nutritional needs, superfoods provide enough nutrients to cover several different vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. Adding these uber-healthy foods into your meal prep means you don’t need to have quite as many ingredients to meet all your daily nutritional needs. 

Some examples include: 

• Fish: Seafood like salmon has omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein 
• Berries: Berries are full of polyphenols and antioxidants that combat the daily oxidative stresses that can lead to chronic disease 
• Whole grains: These grains (notthe simplified, overly-processed kinds!) contain both fiber and protein, and are good for your heart health. 
• Leafy greens: There’s a reason why kale has such a big reputation in the nutrition game. These greens contain a ton of vitamins and minerals your body needs 
• Yogurt: Low-fat yogurt is packed with dairy, calcium, and probiotics. 
• Nuts: Nuts contain lots of healthy fats and protein, plus they’re delicious and filling. 

As you can see, superfoods aren’t complicated. In fact, you’re probably already eating a lot of these to some degree! Make sure to add as many superfoods as you can to your weekly meal prep to keep the nutrition benefits going all week long.  

How to incorporate superfoods into your meal prep 

The next time you’re making your grocery list, make sure to grab some power-packed superfoods to add into the week’s meal prep plan! Here are just a couple of ideas: 

Breakfast: 

• Make a berry-based smoothie with low-fat yogurt. You can even make them into smoothie bowls and top with more fresh berries and nuts like almonds for a whole satisfying meal. 
• Make a healthy parfait by layering low-fat yogurt and berries. 
• Make your morning toast healthier by exchanging your white bread for sprouted whole grain bread. 
• Make it as easy as possible and eat those berries on their own! Mix them up – include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and more for a delicious treat first thing in the morning.  

Lunch:  

• Make salads with a mix of leafy greens like spinach and kale, then top with your protein of choice and add a healthy sprinkle of nuts for your healthy fat serving. 
• Olive oil is full of polyphenols and healthy fat. Ditch the store-bought dressings that can be full of preservatives and added sugars and make your own olive-oil based dressings instead. 

Dinner: 

• Use different whole grains like brown pasta and rice for a sturdy meal prep base. 
• Combine all your favorite superfoods for one power-packed super-bowl: top a leafy green base with fish, brown rice, berries, and nuts with a yogurt-based low-fat salad dressing for a meal that will check all your nutrition boxes and keep you satisfied for the rest of the day

Snacks: 

• Buy healthy nuts like cashews and almonds in bulk then divide them into smaller baggies or containers for portion-sized snacks without the added salt and fat
• Keep small yogurt cups and portioned fruit in the fridge for grab-and-go fresh snacks

If you’re really committed to eating as healthy as you can, make sure to add in those superfoods. Make your food work as hard as you do! 

 

My Healthy Penguin is one of the leading meal prep delivery companies in the Inland Empire and Southern California!