On a Budget? Add These 5 Cheap Superfoods to your Shopping List.

If you are looking to get healthier this year, then look no further than superfoods – foods that are known to pack more of a nutritional punch than average foods at the grocery store.

While certain superfoods such as goji berries and spirulina powder are incredibly beneficial for your health, they can also be a tad pricey and hard to find in stores.

However, with all of the disease-preventing nutrients that are packed inside superfoods, you don’t want to miss out on all of the benefits they provide. Here are five superfoods that go above and beyond in terms of health benefits, but won’t put a dent in your wallet!

1. Blueberries

Blueberries are filled with antioxidants, including vitamin C and polyphenols, which can help prevent heart disease.

These antioxidants fight off free radicals, cell-destroying molecules that are in the air we breathe as well as the food we eat. Blueberries are also a great source of vitamin K and manganese, both of which are important for bone health.

Blueberries can be pricey to buy in the winter when the fruit is out of season, so consider buying frozen fruit instead.

Purchasing organic berries may increase the cost, but you won’t have to worry about pesticides that may have been sprayed onto the fruit. If you don’t want to shell out the extra cash for organic, you could also rinse the fruit gently with water and pat dry to help remove any unwanted chemicals.

Incorporate blueberries into your daily diet by tossing them into your cereal, yogurt, or just snacking on them by the handful!

2. Dark, Leafy Greens

Kale, spinach, romaine, mustard greens – when it comes to leafy greens, grab whatever happens to be in season! Dark, leafy greens are some of the most nutritious and beneficial vegetables in the human diet but, unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of them.

Packed with vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as minerals and an abundance of phytochemicals, leafy green vegetables are one of the best superfoods for your diet.

Known for their role in strengthening the immune system, preventing cancer, improving blood circulation, lowering cholesterol, and a plethora of other health benefits, leafy greens are crucial to our overall well-being and health.

Leafy green vegetables are easy on the wallet too, especially if you buy greens that are in season. Incorporate leafy greens into your diet by tossing them into a fruit smoothie or sautéing them with garlic and heart healthy olive oil for a tasty side dish!

3. Quinoa

Quinoa is one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods on the planet. In fact, the year 2013 was deemed “The International Year of Quinoa” by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations because of its highly nutritious properties. Loaded with protein, fiber and minerals, quinoa is also gluten free, making it an ideal source of nutrition for gluten intolerant diets.

The protein in quinoa is actually considered to be a “complete” protein due to the fact that quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce.

Quinoa also contains a large amount of flavonoids, which are plant antioxidants that have been proven to have beneficial effects on health.

Two specific flavonoids, quercetin, and kaempferol have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer benefits in animal studies, leading scientists to believe they could have a positive effect in humans as well.

Quinoa is on the rise in terms of popularity and can now be found in most stores. Look to bulk bins when purchasing quinoa to find the best price.

Quinoa can be easily incorporated into your diet by using it as a side dish instead of rice or even as a binder in burgers or meatloaf!

4. Sunflower Seeds

People have been consuming sunflower seeds for years, just ask athletes and sports fans! An excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, sunflower seeds are more than just an in-between-innings snack.

Loaded with selenium, a proven cancer fighter, sunflower seeds help to control cell damage, thus playing an important role in preventing the disease.

Sunflower seeds also contain magnesium and copper, two minerals that are needed for bone health.

The antioxidants in the seeds can also help to ease most inflammatory conditions such as joint pain, gastric ulcers, and asthma. As an added bonus, and perhaps most importantly, just 1/4 cup (a serving size) of sunflower seeds a day can help ward off heart attacks by not letting bad cholesterol stick to the arteries in your heart.

Available year round in hulled or un-hulled form, sunflower seeds are at their healthiest when they are unsalted and plain. Incorporate the seeds into your diet by sprinkling them on salads or in yogurt!

5. Avocados

Avocados get a bad rap for being loaded with fat, but this fruit is actually quite the nutritional powerhouse. While fat makes up three-quarters of the calorie count of an avocado, most of the fat is monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat that helps to reduce the level of bad cholesterol in your blood.

Avocados are also a terrific source of potassium and vitamins K, B, C and E. While being an excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, avocados can help reduce the risk of heart disease, lower your risk for cancer and help maintain a healthy weight.

Avocados can be pricey depending on where you are located, so look for avocados that come in bunches. They may be unripe, but avocados ripe up quickly when placed next to other fruit such as apples. Be sure to use the fruit quickly, however, avocados go bad once fully ripened in only a few days!

While avocados are incredibly beneficial to a diet, they are also very calorie dense and can add hundreds of extra calories to your diet if you aren’t careful.

Use avocados as a healthy spread instead of mayonnaise, or top a healthy green salad with a few slices to get all the benefits from avocados without breaking the calorie bank.