insideKENT Magazine Issue 51 - June 2016 | Page 72

FOOD+DRINK

Surprising Superfoods
Coconut oil and quinoa? Pah; they’re so 2015. From the moment black pudding was hailed as
a nutritional powerhouse in January this year, all manner of unexpected superfoods have been
pulled out from the back of the kitchen cupboards and encouraged to bask in all of their healthgiving glory. Once a buzzword reserved for only the greenest of greens (preferably juiced), the
‘superfood’ is now a term that encompasses some very unusual suspects. We’ve rounded up a
list of foods set to soar on the health radar in summer 2016.

Popcorn

Not cinema popcorn smothered in butter, salt
and sugar, of course, but popcorn - as a snack
in its natural form - is actually really good for
you. Studies in the US have concluded that a
single serving of plain popcorn contains almost
double the amount of antioxidants found in the
equivalent portion of fruit and veg thanks to its
surprisingly high levels of polyphenol, a group
of micronutrients that make (metaphorical)
mincemeat of pesky free radicals.

Beef liver

Beef liver is a veritable powerhouse of life-giving
goodness: a single 100g portion packs in
seven times the recommended daily allowance
of copper, twice the amount of riboflavin we
need daily, and a whopping 12 times the
recommended daily allowance of vitamin B12.
As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also bursting with
calcium, potassium and phosphorous and,
overall, contains more vitamins and minerals
than almost any fruit or vegetable imaginable.

Oysters

Often put into one of two camps – an
aphrodisiac to get you in the mood, or a little
bit lavish and best paired with champagne –
oysters are in fact very beneficial to both body
and mind and we should probably get shucking
more readily. They’re rich in calcium, iron and
selenium, and half a dozen provides three days
our recommended d aily intake of zinc – an
essential mineral for both brain development
and a healthy reproductive system. To boot,
they’re also high in amino acids, which are
essential for keeping stress levels under control.

Teff

Black pudding

Even the most adventurous of eaters can be
put off by black pudding’s other name: ‘blood
sausage’, and then put off further still when they
realise that, barring a handful of oats, it really
is made from little else other than pig’s blood.
If you can get past that though, you’ll find this
low-carb friend of the fry up is an excellent
source of protein as well as being rich in iron,
potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc.

Pork scratchings

Regarded widely as the ultimate companion
to a cold pint of beer, pork scratchings are
not the first thing that spring to mind when
considering your health. Fatty they may be, but
two-thirds of that fat is actually a combination
of mono and polyunsaturated fat, which is
great for keeping hearts healthy. What’s more,
a scratching is effectively a curl of concentrated
collagen from skin, so it’s high in protein with
added muscle- and bone-health benefits too.

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Move over quinoa, there’s another gluten-free
grain in town and it scores massively on the
superfood scale. A type of millet, teff is an
Ethiopian staple and is a tiny grain that looks a
bit like watercress when it first starts to sprout.
High in resistant starch, which helps to keep
blood sugar under control, it’s also a good
source of magnesium, calcium, potassium and
zinc, as well as being super high in protein.
Unlike a lot of grains, teff packs a welcome
flavour punch too with grains in white, brown
and red that range from mild and nutty to sweet.