Salmon and Broccoli

Welcome back to What Makes Super Foods So Super. I really appreciate you all reading my blog again. As a reminder, I am exploring the super foods and finding ways to incorporate two of them into my diet each week. A super food is a food that is very high in nutrition but low in calories and overall helps the body function at its best. This is my fourth week with this challenge, and I have learned about six healthy and delicious super foods that I enjoy eating and continue to include into my meals today. For those of you who are just checking into my blog, so far I have tried blueberries, mushrooms, quinoa, dark chocolate, kale, and nuts. This week the two that I tried were salmon and broccoli. Keep on reading to learn more about each food and ways to try them.

            The first super food I tried this week was salmon. When I was growing up, my family never really ate much fish, so I have never known much about it. I had been told before that salmon is one of the best types of fish one can eat because it has so many benefits for one’s body. First, according to Self Magazine, a magazine that focuses on health, fitness, and nutrition, “salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that improve insulin sensitivity, which helps build muscle and decrease fat” (Self Magazine). Because our bodies cannot produce these omega-3 fatty acids on their own, we must consume foods that contain them because of the positive outcomes they will have with our body’s health. Also, “salmon contains A and B vitamins and has been shown to decrease heart disease in many people” (Superfoods Rx). Because I did not grow up eating fish, I had to research the best types of salmon and how to cook it. I learned that wild salmon has much more flavor and less fat than farm raised salmon does and that it is best to eat between June and October. Also, it is best to buy salmon from a farmers market, where it is guaranteed to be fresh; however, I bought mine from Whole Foods market. An employee at Whole Foods said that even if their fish are farm raised, they know exactly where they are coming from and what the fish are being fed. Furthermore, Whole Foods has an agreement with the farmers that says, “there can be no use of antibiotics or growth hormones, monitoring the water, and that wildlife around the farm is protected” (Whole Foods Market).

The recipe I tried, from MyRecipes.com, was for grilled salmon with garlic, lemon and basil. It was simple enough for me to cook on my own and only required a few ingredients. All I needed was salmon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. To prepare it, I combined the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a bowl and let it sit. Then I put the salmon in a pan and added salt and pepper to it. I only had to grill it in a pan for about five minutes and then poured the ingredients in the bowl on top of it. It was so delicious and easy to make myself for dinner. Learning about salmon helped me incorporate a new type of food into my dinners, rather than just usually eating chicken or steak.

            The second super food that I tried during this fourth week was broccoli. I have had broccoli before and never really enjoyed it until now in college. It is one of the most nutritious vegetables and is packed with fiber, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin K. According to Superfoods Rx, “broccoli has been shown to prevent and reduce tumors and also contains antioxidants to fight types of cancer.” Furthermore, there are only about thirty calories in one cup of broccoli, making it very beneficial for one’s health while remaining low in calories. Just one cup of broccoli provides a person with most of his or her daily nutrients. Our cafeteria serves broccoli, so I tried it two different ways this week. First, when I had a salad for lunch I added it in with the rest of my vegetables and ingredients. It gave a bit more flavor to my salad; however, it was not very satisfying. The flavor was a bit bland, and it was too chewy and crunchy for my liking. For dinner, I went to Sauté in Benson and I tried sautéing broccoli and peppers with a little bit of olive oil and then adding chicken and brown rice to it. I enjoyed this much more because it had a lot more flavor than when it was raw and I liked the texture better. The website MyRecipes.com says, “eating broccoli two or more times per week will boost your immune system and provide your body with several health benefits that other foods would not” (myrecipes.com). Although I had had broccoli before, I learned all about the nutrients it contains and the benefits that it would have on my body. Also, I found new ways to incorporate it into my meals rather than just eating it raw. I know that I will continue to eat broccoli throughout my life because it will definitely help my body overall.

            This week, I loved learning about one food that I had barely tried and knew nothing about and another food that I had grown up eating, but never knew about all its benefits. It gave me a whole new perspective on what I should be putting into my body and the ways to be eating each one. Salmon and broccoli are both full of nutrients that provide for a healthy lifestyle, and I know I will continue to eat them. Check back in again next week to read about my final two super foods that I will be trying!