Here at Ethnic Foods R Us, we like to share ethnic foods that are everyday fare for cultures around the world, but unusual and “ethnic” foods to people of other cultures. But we also promote healthy diets and eating habits.
So, in keeping with that secondary purpose, this post will provide you with a list of 20 bizarre but healthy super foods you should know about and have in your diet. Looks can be deceiving, but these foods are loaded with health benefits.
1. Millet
Yep, good old bird feed, a staple in lots of the mixes you put out for our feathered friends. But you should be eating this yourself.
A gluten-free food, Millet is chocked full of phytic acid, fiber, magnesium, and Magnese, and not only safe for human consumption, very beneficial. Magnese promotes good development of connective tissues and bones, and get this – Millet is sexy too, it promotes the production of sex hormones in the body.
If you can’t find millet locally, you can purchase some if you go here, on our online foods store.
2. Chicken Liver
(Photo Attributed to Author: Poupou l’quourouce)
Lots of people are familiar with, and like, chicken liver pate, but with its ability to deliver to the body a lot of iron, Vitanims A and B12, it should be an inclusion in your diet as an ingredient in menu items as well. Or just sauté some up in butter and eat with a little salt and pepper – delicious.
Another health benefit is how it helps keep your thyroid healthy, because of the Folate it contains, which also promotes fertility.
3. Kohlrabi
(Photo Attributed to Author: Anita Martinz from Klagenfurt, Austria)
This weird looking vegetable is actually a cousin to broccoli and cabbage, but looks more like a turnip with a bunch of spires sprouting out of it. Usually purple or sometimes a light green color, kohlrabi contains a large level of potassium and Vitamin C, as well as many cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
It makes a great addition to salads, and can be added as a tasty and healthy addition to your stir-fry dishes.
4. Amaranth
(Photo Attributed to Author: Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA)
This attractive plant produces a grain that excels over wheat with its extremely high fiber content. Loaded with Vitamins A and C, and potassium, Amaranth is a very good food anytime, but especially good for people recovering from injury or illness, because it is very gentle on the digestive system.
If you can’t find Amaranth locally, you can purchase some if you go here, on our online foods store.
5. Blood Pudding/Sausage
(Photo Attributed to Author: Rainer Zenz at German Wikipedia)
I know, I know, most people are like, “Seriously? Pudding made from blood?”
But yes, this food, quite popular in England, is made from the dried blood of cows or pigs. It tastes like sausage, is often sold in sausage form, and contains “heam,” which is a type of iron.
Heam happens to be the form of iron most readily absorbed by the human body, hence, it is valuable in aiding in the defense against anemia.
Brave enough to try it? You can get some if you go here, on our online foods store.
