6 Low Cost Superfoods + How to Use Them
Superfoods can be overwhelming! It’s hard to understand which ones to purchase, and when you do buy them, you forget about them sitting in your pantry or fridge. And why are they so expensive?! I’ve made it simple for you with these 6 low cost superfoods you can use everyday. Here’s what you’ll learn:
1. What superfoods are and why we should be including them in our diet.
2. Three superfoods that are hiding in your very own pantry!
3. Three superfoods that are low cost and life-changing.
What are Superfoods?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a superfood is, “a food that is rich in compounds (such as antioxidants, fiber, or fatty acids) considered beneficial to a person’s health.”
Natalie Butler, (RD, LD) expresses how some superfoods have the ability to help fight cancer, heart disease, memory loss, and other health problems (healthline.com).
So let’s include superfoods into our diet! They are proven to be beneficial to our health!
What Superfoods Should I Buy?
Where do we even start? There are so many superfoods and superfood powders out there! It can be really tough to determine what you actually want to spend your money on.
If you took a look in my pantry now, you would see probably 20 different superfoods. From powders to seeds, to nuts, to teas. It has taken me quite some time to “build” my superfood pantry. And at first, I was OVERWHELMED with all the options! I was watching people use CACAO NIBS, HEMP HEARTS, and ASHWAGANDHA POWDER. Thinking to myself… I need all these in my diet ASAP!
Let’s be real. Buying every single superfood I heard of would literally BREAK MY BANK. I started to make a list on my phone of all the superfoods I eventually wanted to try. I hope I’m not the only one here that’s felt stressed when trying to figure out which superfoods to invest in first.
Superfoods Made Simple
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have spent years aboard the superfood train and I am here to tell you the superfoods that have benefitted me the MOST. The superfoods that I have noticed actually make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE in my health. The superfoods that YOU can buy today without breaking your bank! So grab your chia seeds, come aboard, and we will ride this superfood train together!
You Might Already Own Some Superfoods!
There are some superfoods that are quite common. They are probably sitting in your pantry as we speak! So, there ya go, you’re already ahead of the game! Here are a few superfood staples that are most likely in your house already: (And if not, you can pick them up today because they’re cheap!)
Cinnamon
Is cinnamon a superfood? Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants, LOWERS blood sugar levels and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also boosts your metabolism and helps you BURN FAT! PLUS it tastes amazing! Just a dash of cinnamon enhances almost any recipe. Check out some of my recipes that include cinnamon: (Peppermint Mocha Overnight Oats; Secretly Healthy Fudge Brownies). This spice is also extremely affordable and you can find it at most (if not all) grocery stores! You can also buy it online!
Nuts
Are nuts a superfood? They may be small…but they are MIGHTY in health benefits! Nuts are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and contain numerous vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. They are a great source of fiber too! Nuts make the perfect afternoon snack! Speaking of perfect, they would be amazing added into my Secretly Healthy Banana Bread recipe! Nuts are a little pricier but eaten in moderation they will last you a fair amount of time. If you buy them in bulk, you can save money!
Oats
Are oats a superfood? Most people have these laying around the kitchen. Well… not literally, that would be a bit messy. What a lot of us don’t know is just how AMAZING oats are for us! They may be bland, but OH MY WORD there are limitless things you can do with oats. Such as making them into Oat Flour (Find out how to make oat flour) and using the oat flour to bake delicious gluten-free recipes like my Secretly Healthy Banana Bread! Yum! If you haven’t noticed, I really want you to try that recipe 😉
Oh yes, back to the health benefits. Oats contain antioxidants, fiber, and a long list of vitamins and minerals. They also help lower bad cholesterol in the body! Oats are probably the cheapest superfood out there. Coming in at a whopping $3 for a large 18 oz container. You can get them for even cheaper if you buy them in bulk!
Top 3 Superfoods You Can Use Everyday
The wonderful superfoods I listed above are some of my favorites! Now, I’m going to give you the not so usual superfoods that I own and use on the daily. These are the superfoods that I have done research on and found to be very beneficial to my health.
Want glowing skin or a boosted metabolism? Jot down these three superfoods for your next grocery trip!
Cacao powder
“Wait, Claire, you spelled it wrong… it’s cocoa.” Thanks for keeping my spelling accountable (we all know I’ve struggled since kindergarten). But I actually mean CACAO. Pronounced “CAAAA-COW.” Very similar to cocoa, but I’ll explain their oh-so distinct difference via this lovely visual chart:
The price point is also very reasonable for cacao powder! Only about .59/ounce! Which is not that much more than processed cocoa powder. Use cacao powder just like cocoa powder! You’ll have endless baking and drink ventures ahead of you. Don’t just take my word for it though, whip up some of my Dark Chocolate Granola and taste for yourself!
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is a great superfood option! This sweet stuff tastes spectacular AND has SO MANY health benefits its almost unreal. Coconut sugar contains electrolytes, potassium, magnesium, and essential minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium. It also has a low glycemic index; meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar levels like refined granulated sugar. You can easily replace refined white sugar with coconut sugar because it is a 1:1 ratio. You can find coconut sugar for as cheap as .19/ounce! Compared to .14/ounce for processed white sugar. That’s only .5 cents more for QUADRUPLE the health benefits. Worth it? Totally!
Coconut Sugar Recipes:
Chia Seeds
Only .21/ounce! These tiny little seeds are convenient and affordable. You can put them on basically anything and they add extra Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. They are also a great source of iron and calcium. One of my favorite ways to eat chia seeds is blended into smoothies or on top of peanut butter toast in the morning.
How To Use Chia Seeds:
- Make A Chia Egg: If you’re vegan, avoiding eggs, or if you ran out of eggs, making a chia egg is a great egg substitute! My Vegan Raspberry Brownies and Vegan Sugar Cookies are amazing healthy recipes that use a chia egg.
- Blend them into smoothies! I have a ton of smoothie bowl recipes on my Instagram page that you can check out.
Your Superfood Pantry Checklist
There you have it! The 3 superfoods you probably already have in your pantry:
Top 3 superfood picks for beginners:
I hope you give these superfoods a try! Tell us what you think, and tag us on Instagram! @secretlyhealthyhome
Happy Superfooding!
More Superfood Recipes:
PIN FOR LATER
4 Comments
Megan
Thank you for this! You mentioned that coconut sugar is a 1:1 ratio with white sugar. Do you know the ratio if switching it out for brown sugar in recipes?
Claire
Thank you for reading! The ratio is still 1:1 when you are replacing brown sugar with coconut sugar. No need to pack the coconut sugar down like you would with brown sugar either. 🙂 Happy baking!
Megan
I’m very excited for your blog…pinned on my shortcuts! We’ve been learning a lot since we did Whole30 last January. Sadly we saw a difference and didn’t stick to a lot of the changes we made that month. We’re wanting to be wiser and teach our kiddos about it while they are young. The price always is the scary part but we’re excited to start slow and you have great tips!
Claire
Awh so excited for you guys! It definitely doesn’t have to break the bank. We live on. Budget too and everything is accounted for while still being able to love healthy and invest in foods that will benefit our health. Can’t wait to see the recipes you remake and the foods you incorporate ♥️Thanks for being here!!!