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Don’t forget your greens when you’re beginning the Paleo lifestyle. (Photo by CCat82/iStock/Getty Images)

For a diet that’s often misconstrued as bacon-centric, devotees of the ancestral health movement seem far more concerned with getting the most nutrition possible from their food choices. (Even if that means putting bacon on the back burner.)

So what are the best food choices for someone wanting to upgrade their diet, Paleo or otherwise?

Nettles A prime example of food as medicine, a nettle plant is packed with nutrition and has been long used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), allergies, arthritis and inflammation.

Related: How Eating Organic Affects Pesticide Levels in Your Body

How to get some nettles in your day? Steep this herbaceous sprig for a tea, simmer with bone broth for soup or blend into a raw, vegetarian pesto. Worried that heating will cause the loss of its nutritional quality? This incredible herb is so nutrient dense that it will still be effective even after heating.

Note: If using a nettle to treat hay fever, work it into your routine a few months before allergy season so that the benefits will be in full effect once allergens run high.

Camu Camu This Amazonian berry is loaded with vitamin C. Loaded. It has 10 times the amount found in an orange. You could eat 10 oranges or just one teaspoon of camu camu. And you’ll skip the 30 grams of fructose that comes with navels!

Beyond vitamin C, camu camu juice has unique properties that have been shown to reduce inflammation and is being studied as a food that could help prevent immune-related diseases.

Reishi A giant mushroom, reishi is absolutely supercharged with healing benefits. Perhaps its effectiveness over the last 10,000 years is why it’s considered a holy, spiritual food. Modern research supports that this plant could be valuable in cancer treatment because it has the ability to reduce tumors. Additional studies have also revealed it as an immune modulator that can reduce both chronic and acute inflammation.

Taken as a tea, tincture or soup, this fungus can be as delicious as it is nourishing. Make a batch for the next flu season.

Blue Green Algae Humans have been consuming blue green algae (BGA) for more than a thousand years. Its health benefits are as real today as they were for the Chinese 1,600 years ago or for the Aztecs in the 14th century. Modern researchers have found BGA to be rich “in essential amino acids, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, iron, B-carotene and chlorophyll.”

Related: 10 Sweet Treats You Won’t Believe Are Gluten-Free

This potent superfood has demonstrated “antiviral, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antidiabetic and antibacterial properties” in medical studies. And perhaps best of all: Supplement capsules make this an easy superfood to work into your diet.

Oysters An oyster produces 10 times as much zinc as any other food. (A trivia note: The next closest? Pumpkin seeds.) This dense concentration of the mineral is great for healthy hair and nails. Oysters also provide a great alternative to over-the-counter cold medicines because zinc is a potent immune booster. And speaking of potent, the jury is still out on oysters as aphrodisiacs, but it couldn’t hurt to give ‘em a shot and conduct your own research. The original article “Supercharge Your Paleo Diet With These 7 Superfoods“ appeared on LIVESTRONG.COM.

By Mary Cunningham

Read more from LIVESTRONG.COM: Crush Dinner With These 7 Simple Buddha Bowl Recipes Is an Elimination Diet Right for You? How to Make Healthy Food Decisions at Work

5 Superfoods to Supercharge Your Paleo Diet

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YH Spring Breakfast #3

As spring start’s finally feeling like, well, spring, it’s time to utilize in-season produce! Strawberries, zucchini, spices, and coconut oil all make an appearance this week in our roundup. 

Green Omelet from @KitchenCreative 

Load your breakfast with seasonal spring greens for this savory start to your day. (Photo: Sally of Kitchen Creative)  

I absolutely love cooking, as well as developing and sharing recipes. I find so much inspiration from other health related Instagram accounts, and hope to be able to provide inspiration to others who may be looking to achieve better health and wellbeing. I have also very recently started my blog, where I plan to share many more recipes and healthy eating ideas (my blog is brand new, but will be growing!). You can find out more at https://akitchencreative.wordpress.com.

This is an incredibly simple but nutritious and delicious omelet recipe. Eggs are a great spring breakfast choice - they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high quality proteins, good fats, and other nutrients. The yolks mostly contain the nutrients, while the whites are mostly protein (so eat the whole egg!).

Green Omelet 

serves 1

1/2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds 1 tsp coconut oil 2 eggs Sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese (about 1 oz) Handful of baby spinach, thinly sliced (chiffonade) Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt coconut oil in a small pan over high heat. Add the zucchini rounds and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until softened and golden brown. Lightly whisk eggs with a drop of water. Pour mixture into pan containing zucchini and move around so the egg mixture is distributed. Turn down heat to medium-low. Add grated cheese and cook for about 5 minutes, until just set. Top with baby spinach and salt and pepper. Enjoy! 

Breakfast Polenta with Muddled Strawberries from @TheSweetSkillet

This gluten-free breakfast changes the way we all think of polenta. (Photo: Shrutika Sachdev)

Of Indian origin but grew up in Singapore and Thailand all while attending an international school, food from all over the world was introduced to me at an early age but in my household the indian spices trumped all! Now living in New York I'm blessed to be around all the diverse food that I grew up with, and so much more for me to explore just subway rides away. I'm one of those people who you should not talk to me before I've had a hearty filling breakfast (and on the weekends, that would be brunch!) and then let's talk food all day and night :) I love experimenting with grains, fresh fruits and fusion food!

Ingredients

3 cups water 1 cup yellow polenta ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ¼ cup milk (I used Almond Milk, whatever you have around is fine!) Spices as desired (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice etc.) 1 Cup Fresh Strawberries, Quartered 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter ¼ Cup Water

Instructions

In a medium sized pot, bring water to a boil, and add salt and turn heat down to a simmer.

Add polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. The Polenta should thicken soon after but continually whisk for 6 to 8 minutes.

Near the end, add the butter and milk to the polenta and whisk over heat until your desired consistency is reached.Remove from heat (Or turn heat to low if strawberries aren't ready)

In another medium pot, combine and cover the strawberries, butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt on medium high heat. Leave for 2 minutes.

Then Uncover and mash up the strawberries (I used a fork). Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened. Stir occasionally or else it will burn!

Divide Polenta between two bowls and top with muddled strawberries! If you have any herbs like Rosemary or Thyme on hand, sprinkle them on top or cook them into the strawberries mixture for a flavour twist.

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Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

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The easiest vegan Thanksgiving side ever! Roasted spicy acorn squash:

1 acorn squash, sliced horizontally (so the shape turns out ridged like this)

2 tbs olive oil

3 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs tamari (or any soy sauce)

salt, pepper, and chili flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Toss all ingredients together until thoroughly coated, and place on lined pan. Bake for 30-4o minutes. That's it!

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Paleo Carrot Cake! For this recipe I really made it up as I went along so be warned if if doesn't turn out perfectly (it came out REALLY well for me). 5 large carrots, shredded 1/2 cup maple syrup 5 dates blended with a splash of water 1/2 cup coconut oil 7 eggs 3/4 cup coconut flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp vanilla Grease a spring form pan with coconut oil and set oven to 325. Combine shredded carrots with maple syrup and blended dates. Set aside. Whisk 7 eggs gently until well combined. Melt the coconut oil and slowly add to the eggs. Add the vanilla. Mix together the carrot and egg mixture. Whisk together coconut flour, baking soda, and spices. Add wet mixture to dry. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about half an hour or until top of cake is firm. It's going to seem like it's not ready, but it is. When the coconut oil cools it will harden more. Once the cake is room temperature, run a knife around the edge and pop open the pan! Frost with whatever you'd like. I suggest a cashew cream cheese vegan frosting, organic grass fed cream cheese frosting, or top with almond butter! Enjoy.

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Gluten free cornbread: This recipe was super easy because Bob's Red Mill makes super usable mixes. They have organic cornmeal with an awesome cornbread recipe on the back. For this I used their GF cornbread mix, and subbed coconut oil for butter, and almond milk for regular milk. Add salt and pepper to the mix too!

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Sweet Potato Mash with Oat-Nut Crumble: This is an amazing vegan and gluten free side for any winter holiday. It's making it's first appearance on my Thanksgiving table this year and was inspired my OhSheGlows.com's recipe. Sweet potato mash: 7 sweet potatoes, baked and peeled 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt Cinnamon Nutmeg 1/2 cup almond milk Mix sweet potatoes with coconut oil with an electric mixer, blender, or a strong arm and a whisk! Once well combined, add remaining ingredients. Place into baking dish or Pyrex and set aside. Crumb topping: 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup almonds 1/2 cup pecans 1 cup gluten free oats 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 1/2 cup maple syrup Pulse together oats and nuts for about 30 seconds or until a coarse meal is formed. Add in remaining ingredients and stir by hand until well combined. Top mashed potatoes with mixture and make at 375 for 15-20 minutes. If you want, you can keep topped mixture in fridge up to 2 days until ready to bake!

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Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte

I used to be addicted to the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. Specifically, in Frappuccino form. However, I have learned that you can make a pumpkin spice latter at home with actual pumpkin and real ingredients and it actually tastes amazing and is good for you. Here's what I did:

Make two cups of strong brewed coffee. I did 2 cups of water to 4 scoops of organic ground coffee. Set aside.

3 tbs organic pumpkin puree

2 tbs of the top chilled part of canned coconut milk

2 cups almond milk

1 tbs honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp almond extract, if desired

Heat almond milk over stove until just simmering. Add all ingredients to high speed blender and blend until frothy. Pour into big mugs and top with more chilled coconut milk if desired. Also, feel free to add more sweetener if you like!

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Pumpkin Almond Butter

As fall continues, I find myself wanting to add pumpkin to EVERYTHING. This week I had a lot of organic pumpkin on hand and I decided I need to make something practical I can use everyday with it, so why not pumpkin almond butter? This is the easiest most delicious recipe to eat on apples, toast, or out of the jar! Here's what you need:

1/2 cup creamy almond butter

2 cups organic pumpkin (using organic is important because it has a cleaner, more pumpkin-y taste)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla

Mix it alllll together and store in a jar in the fridge. This recipe can easily be doubled, because chances are you are going to eat the whole thing.

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Superfood Oats with Cacao and Raspberries

This is the perfect autumn morning pick-me-up or any season when you just want something low sugar, healthy, filling, and delicious. I use Purely Elizabeth organic Original hot cereal which has hemp seeds and flax and chia in the mix, but you can use any kind!

1/2 Cup gluten free oats

1 cup almond milk (I use Califia Farms)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Microwave on high for two minutes, or stir of heat in a small pot for about 10 until cooked.

Afterwards you can add whatever you want! I added chia seeds, raspberries, defatted shredded coconut, raw cacao, and blueberries.

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Avocado toast is always a good move.

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Vegan and Gluten Free Pumpkin pie:

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  For crust

4 morning sunshine cookies

3/4 cup coconut oil, plus extra if needed

Pulse cookies with oil in blender or food processor until moist "wet sand" like cookie crumb is formed. Add a bit more oil if you feel like it's too dry. Press into greased pie pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

For filling:

1 can coconut milk, chilled

1/4 cup almond butter

2 cups organic pumpkin purée (make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling- just pure pumpkin!)

2 1/2 tbs corn starch 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

The chilled coconut milk will be separated into a creamy top portion (the coconut fat) and the bottom (essentially just coconut water). Separate the two, and mix the cornstarch with 2 tbs of the coconut water until well combined. Throw away the rest of the water or use in another recipe -- all you need is the creamy portion now!

Blend all the ingredients together with the dissolved corn starch until well combined. Scrape down the sides and blend again. If you like it a bit sweeter, feel free to add some more sweetener of your choice -- I like the sweetness of the crust contrasting with the strong pumpkin flavor.

Spread into cooked crust and bake for about 30-40 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, the top will be lightly browned. Let cool on the counter for an hour, and then let set in the fridge for several hours for the ultimate, cool slice of vegan pumpkin pie!

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Always feel free to ask me anything about my lifestyle, photography, favorite spots in NYC, or whatever is on your mind :)

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I might die without knowing your chai almond milk pudding recipe....

Hey love! All my recipes are in the recipe tab. If there is a specific photo of one that I didn't include just tell me the date of the Instagram post and I'll add it for you :) 

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Gluten free pancakes, maple syrup, and bananas will always have my heart.

I use Purely Elizabeth pancake mix because it is unsweetened and loaded with superfoods!

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Savory unsweetened yogurt with pistachios, figs, and raspberries at Sohha Savory Yogurt in Chelsea Market in New York City.

The women who worked there were amazing and so passionate about their product. They explained to me how their products were made the "old fashioned" Middle Eastern way and they cared so much about the aesthetics of my order.

It is always nice to support small businesses like this, especially owned by women who hold value to their passion!

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1-Bowl Autumn Muffins (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

  These pumpkin-apple muffins are made with no grains, only coconut flour. I sweetened with only a bit of honey, and an overripe banana for the perfect healthy breakfast.

  1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 overripe banana, mashed

3 tbs honey

3 tbs coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Macintosh apple, chopped into small cubes

1/4 cup chia seeds

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add coconut flour, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until uniform batter is formed.

  Line a muffin pin with papers, or grease with coconut oil or baking spray. Fill each tin to the top -- they don't rise too much. Sprinkle tops of muffins with chia seeds for an added crunch when baked. Bake for 20-22 minutes. 

  Let fully cool before removing from tin, the coconut oil and eggs will cause the muffins to shape to whatever they cool in. Enjoy with almond butter, jam, or alone!