BC’s Best Superfoods

These naturally occuring superfoods are easy to find throughout BC, chock full of antioxidants and taste great!

It's easy to be seduced by a superfood. Like Superman, it will swoop in with a burst of power to save the day.

The benefits of naturally occurring antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are hard to deny, but what about the environmental consequences when superfoods are flying in from halfway around the world?

Luckily, British Columbia has one of the most fertile landscapes in the world with an abundance of native superfoods that are available at local farmers' markets. Lessen the carbon footprint of your kitchen cupboards and enjoy the benefits of BC’s best superfoods.

Nettles

Use nature as your cue – nettles are one of the first plants to grow in the spring and are an excellent tonic for detoxifying the body.

Avoid the prickles with a pair of gloves and harvest nettles for pesto, in smoothies, or in place of spinach in just about any recipe.

Once they’re cooked or blended, a nettle's sting is neutralized and it's nothing but an excellent source of vitamins A and C, protein, fiber, tannins and minerals – iron, silica, potassium, manganese and sulfur.

Sea Vegetables

BC's coastline is teeming with sea vegetables. Take a walk on the beach at low tide and you'll see Bladderwack there on the rocks – one of the best sources of iodine, a trace mineral essential to the production of thyroid hormones that maintain the metabolism in all of the body's cells.

Sea asparagus is crispy, salty and a delicacy around the world. It can be eaten fresh, sautéed, pickled and is a perfect complement to fish. It's also packed with antioxidants, vitamins A, K, B and folic acid – all known for keeping the skin looking young and healthy.

Berries

Summer is berry season: strawberries first, then raspberries, blueberries, and before you know it, even pockets of downtown Vancouver are erupting with blackberries. Don’t leave home without a basket or a bowl or ice cream!

While blueberries are considered one of the most antioxidant rich of all fruits and vegetables, the other berries are also beneficial. Full of super-powered phytochemicals, they have been known to reduce the risk of cancer, strokes and age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are beneficial for the body, inside and out. Rich in essential fatty-acids, vitamin E, copper and manganese, they are packed with free radical fighting antioxidants.

Also full of fiber, B vitamins and anemia-inhibiting folate, hazelnuts produce a versatile oil excellent for cooking, massage, hair and skin. Whether blended into a dressing or paired with chocolate, hazelnuts add soul-satisfying richness to any dish. And all this goodness comes right from the Fraser Valley.

Mushrooms

Chanterelle, blewit, pine, hedgehog, lobster, cauliflower and belly button, oh boy!

These mushrooms, expertly foraged in the forests of BC, are exported around the world for their culinary and medicinal properties. The Chinese have known the benefits of mushrooms for thousands of years, and finally North Americans are catching on.

Thanks to a plethora of unique compounds, mushrooms are antioxidant, immune boosting, aphrodisiac and delicious. You can also grow your own!