Real Superfoods: Everyday Ingredients to Elevate Your Health

by Ocean Robbins, Nichole Dandraea-Russert

Complete with over 65 recipes and full-color photos, a deep dive into the affordable and easily findable superfoods that can do the most good for the most people, from the co-founder of Food Revolution Network and author of 31-Day Food Revolution.

When most people think of superfoods, they picture exotic and pricey products with magical healing abilities. But how "super" is a food that only a few can afford?

Real superfoods are the ones that do the most good for the most people. They're loaded with nutrients, affordable, easy to find, and simple to prepare. When you know how to use them, they can taste amazing, and make you feel great.

Ocean Robbins, co-founder and CEO of Food Revolution Network, and Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN, show that the greatest superfoods on earth have been right under our noses all along. After reading Real Superfoods, you'll love leafy greens, mushrooms, legumes, berries, alliums, spices, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, coffee, and tea in a whole new way. Brimming with powerful disease-fighting nutrients, these superfoods can transform your health and bring new joy to your everyday cooking.

For each type of superfood, complete with full-color pictures, you'll

their health-promoting super powers accessible ingredients, including some of our most common supermarket groceriesweekday-friendly cooking techniquesmouthwatering, easy-to-make recipes for every part of your day
Embrace a lifetime of health and vitality with these super healthy and super delicious plant-based recipes!

Genres: Cookbooks, Health, Vegetarian, Nonfiction

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2023

Reviews

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth buying, lots of great nutritional information, for a plant based diet. I tried a couple recipes, they were good, easy and had recognizable ingredients.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a little helpful to read a bit about superfoods that are not exotic (as in: not quinoa, not chia, not acai, etc.), but none of the recipes in this book seemed enticing to me at all and I did not make any of them. I was hoping for some interesting smoothie recipes, but they seemed pretty standard. I did buy extra leafy greens and mushrooms at the grocery store, so that's something, but for a person like me who already cooks often and avoids processed foods this book didn't have much to offer that was new.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I enjoyed the author’s casual, friendly manner in this easy-to-read, plant-based book full of great information, easy recipes to try with beautiful color pictures. Basically, there’s no need for those unusual or exotic, expensive “superfoods” for health and wellness. Just your everyday produce, beans/legumes, nuts & seeds, herbs and spices, coffee and tea will do the trick.

The book has 2 main sections:
Section 1, the superfoods, is broken into 9 categories: Leafy Greens, Mushrooms, Legumes, Berries, Alliums, Herbs & Spices, Sweet Potatoes, Nuts and Seeds and Coffee & Tea.

Especially helpful here are the charts for each food group that list the varieties/nutrients/serving size/benefits. The spices section lists charts on which spice prevents or treats various issues, what to use the spice with and how to use them. What was interesting for me here is how many different varieties there are of the foods listed. Among the charts listing the variety of greens, mushrooms, and potatoes, there are some of which I’d never heard of before. A great challenge to look for different varieties if they’re available in your area.

Section 2, the Recipes. The photos of each recipe are large, colorful and hunger inducing. Chef Notes at the end of each recipe are listed for substitutions, how to make a recipe nut free, how to prep ahead and storage suggestions. There are even icons identifying each superfood group in each recipe.

At the back of the book is the Appendix with charts on each superfood, its key nutrients, benefits, suggestions on how to use superfood, etc.

Overall, a wonderful addition to my plant based cookbook library. And a delight to read.

[Dawn Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this book! Whether you’re new to plant based or have been WFPB for years as I have, this book will be the new star on your shelf. In addition to fulfilling the promise to provide recipes with easy to find ingredients, this book also has an invaluable appendix. There you’ll find 1) how to cooking tips, 2) culinary use suggestions, and 3) nutrient info and more. You know all those scattered notes you keep about what type of garlic to use or how to choose the right mushrooms? Well, you can get rid of that mess. This book has it covered. The recipes are affordable, easy to make, and varied. So if you’re new, very accessible. If you’re experienced, it will up your game with tasty sauces and new takes on old favorites. Extremely happy with this book.

[Gloria Zak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative book. First part describes each category, with few surprises for me. It describes the category, provides list of foods in each category, includes info on why each should be considered a superfood. It includes sections on each health condition the superfood will help provide protection, how to sore and use each.

Then comes the recipes. No nutritional info on recipes. Not calories, not carbs or fiber. Why ? Seems like a very glaring error in this book!
I honestly would make few of these recipes. I will only try a recipe that I believe would be a repeat event myself. Unfortunately these seemed, to me, to be one and done.

I did appreciate each recipe’s chef’s Notes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book by Ocean Robbins of the Food Revolution Network contains a variety of appealing recipes featuring superfoods, and has one major shortcoming for a book promising health and nutrition -- no nutritional information for the recipes. This would be acceptable in the 1950s-1960s but people expect more information today, especially when co-written by a RDN. The absence of nutritional information for the recipes makes this a 1 star for me.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with some easy to read basic nutritional information and charts. Lots of recipes with beautiful photographs to motivinate (tempt) you to try. I've only tried a couple so far but have half of them earmarked to try asap.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

NB: Haven't tried recipes as yet, but it's a great, informative read with healthy, delicious-looking recipes. I'm a big fan of Ocean's work through Food Revolution Network. Will edit review once tried some of the recipes.

[MonkeyBusiness · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nutritional information is a five. The recipes a 4.