20 Superfoods to Get You Ready for Summer

Dieting is so yesterday. Instead of restricting yourself, why not indulge in healthier foods, like fiber and vitamin-rich watermelon, that won't just satisfy your hunger, but deliver a megadose of good-for-you benefits, too? Discover some of the best superfoods around that will get you summertime ready with each bite.

This popular fruit of the Amazon palm tree is a heavy hitter in the superfoods world. Known to deliver high doses of free-radical-fighting antioxidants while having very few calories, these South American berries are a superior superfood choice. Can't find açaí? Don't worry, it turns out cranberries have very similar health properties to açaí and are more readily available (and cheaper).

There's a reason avocado toast is a popular breakfast choice for healthy eaters. The buttery richness of an avocado comes from its megadose of plant-based mono-unsaturated fats that help you stay full for longer, while also helping reduce bad LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream and giving you a plentiful serving of nutrients, like vitamin E. Plus, it doesn't hurt that avocados taste amazing, too!

Another surprising little berry to make waves on the health scene is the black raspberry, which has three times more antioxidants than both red raspberries and blackberries. Not only do these juicy fruit gems taste delicious, they're also chock-full of phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids—which are believed to be antimicrobial and stave off cognitive decline.

They may be the annoyance in your jar of mixed nuts, but they're incredibly nutritious and deserve some recognition. Rich in inflammation-fighting selenium, these hefty tree nuts may help protect us from heart disease. Not only that, but they're a tasty source of healthy fat, copper and magnesium, and you only need about two per day to get major health benefits.

Broccoli is one of the most nutritious superfoods around. Researchers have found that quick steaming (five minutes or less) is the best way to prepare this fiber-rich cruciferous vegetable. Loaded with B and C vitamins as well as sulforaphane—a compound known to fight cancer and inflammation—broccoli should be a part of everyone's healthy-eating plan.

They might seem like the newest trendy health food, but it turns out chia seeds have been a part of a healthy diet for more than a millennium. Aztec and Inca warriors knew that a spoonful of chia seeds would keep them full and energized before battle. These tiny seeds offer supersized benefits like fiber, protein and nourishing omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, they help keep you satiated, which can help you eat less and lose weight.

Hooray! It's not a myth that some chocolate in your life is better than none. It's even better if that chocolate is of the dark, less-sweet variety, as it's loaded with antioxidants, iron, magnesium, copper, and can help improve your blood pressure, as well as your mood. While dark chocolate might not be as palatable to some as milk chocolate, we're of the opinion that eating any kind of chocolate while living a healthy lifestyle is a win-win situation.

It's a little bit spicy, a tad lemony and all kinds of good for you. The intoxicating flavor of ginger comes from its main compound, gingerol, which provides antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory benefits. Used for centuries as a natural nausea cure, it has also shown promising results when used to treat post-exercise muscle pain. Plus, it's delicious, making it an easy superfood to incorporate into our daily diets.

If you're not enjoying a cuppa tea at least once a day, you're missing out on an easy source of super nutrition. Like many superfoods, green tea is full of antioxidants that fight cancer-causing free radicals, but that's not all it has to offer. Loaded with L-theanine, an amino acid that increases neurotransmitter activity, green tea can help calm anxiety while still giving an energized boost with a low dose of caffeine.

These tiny little wonder legumes are a powerhouse of good nutrition. A source of dietary fiber, protein, iron, folate, magnesium and more, lentils are believed to lower our risk of heart disease, aid our digestive systems and stabilize our blood sugar. They taste great in a variety of dishes and give us the nourishment we need while helping us stay healthy.

It's a musky, tropical fruit that's so incredibly healthy, we think everyone should give it a chance. Loaded with papain, a digestive enzyme that helps the body break down protein, papaya is known to help people who struggle with digestion problems. Ripe, its sweet flesh and peppery seeds offer a luxurious dose of vitamins and minerals like folate, vitamin C, potassium and copper. Unripe, it can be used as a crunchy, refreshing, fiber-rich vegetable replacement.

It's a fragrant herb used for centuries as a culinary ingredient and tea, but it turns out this popular plant offers more than just a refreshing flavor. Known to calm upset stomachs, peppermint has the palliative effect of relaxing smooth muscles, which can offset indigestion. Plus, along with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals typically found in leafy greens, peppermint has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties to keep us healthy.

It's sweet, tropical, juicy and a wonderful addition to your superfoods menu. Research has shown pineapple is a rich source of bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme that can help reduce post-injury swelling. It's also loaded with fiber, antioxidants and trace minerals like manganese and thiamin. Just don't toss the core. It's even healthier than the soft flesh and can be a nutrient-rich snack.

The over-21 crowd can rejoice! It turns out a glass or two of red wine is basically health food. Made with the entire grape (including the nutrient-dense skin and seeds) wine provides an abundant source of antioxidants like polyphenols that can reduce our cancer risk while also helping decrease inflammation. Resveratrol, one of the main polyphenols in red wine, has even been linked to anti-aging benefits, helping us stay younger longer.

There's a reason this fish is so popular among the health-conscious crowd and it's not just because salmon is a rich source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon also has a hefty dose of bioactive peptides, which are protein segments known to help aid the body in healing itself. High in protein, low in mercury (aim for wild-caught salmon) and full of flavor, this is one fish we should all be eating regularly.

You've likely had toasted sheets of nori with your favorite sushi roll, but did you know there are numerous varieties of edible seaweed that are delicious and nutritious? Each serving of this sea-based algae has a concentrated amount of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iodine, an important mineral in helping regulate hormones and keeping our thyroids healthy. Look for bags of dried kombu or wakame or even snack packs of toasted nori to give yourself a tasty, healthy treat.

Fresh spinach, like other leafy greens, is a powerhouse of nutrients, including vitamins K, A, manganese, folate, magnesium, copper, iron and more! Loaded with chlorophyll—the pigment that gives leafy greens their vibrant color—spinach has the ability to regulate our hormones, deodorize our bodies and promote detoxification.

It's a blue-green algae that has been hiding out in some of your favorite green smoothies, but do you know that spirulina is a superfood in its own right? While studies are mixed about the nutritive properties of spirulina, it does have twice as much protein than carbohydrates per serving and is an excellent source of vitamin B12. One surprising result you might not know is that twice-daily doses of spirulina can also help effectively reduce nasal allergies.

Love them or hate them, this semi-sweet fruit has a long history as a superfood. In its fresh form, tomatoes have potent levels of vitamin C, A and K, as well as a whole host of minerals like potassium, copper and manganese. They've shown an ability to prevent platelet clumping in our blood and can reduce our bad (LDL) cholesterol. In their cooked form, they are an outstanding source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that can help the body heal.

Known in Indian cooking as a earthy flavor enhancer and medicinal root, turmeric has become more familiar across the United States as a superfood in the last decade. Its main compound, curcumin, has been shown to prevent heart attacks in patients who've undergone bypass surgery. It's also shown promising results as a potent cancer-fighting ingredient. Interestingly, another compound in turmeric, ar-turmerone, has the potential to repair stem cells in the brain.