9 important foods you aren't eating that you should be this summer

Jun 24, 2017 1:00 PM

The items on this list might not be popular yet among Americans, but they're all either good for your health or beneficial for the planet.

null  (Shutterstock)

Sure, you know one of the best ways to improve your diet is to cut back on red meat and sweets.

But what about the things you can add to your diet for improved health? The items on this list might not be popular yet among Americans, but they're all either good for your health or beneficial for the planet.

Plus, many of them make great additions to a summer meal — either in salads or on the grill.

Breadfruit.

An open raw breadfruit.  (dubofadubofadub (Flickr)/CC BY NC 2.0)

Breadfruit is found throughout regions with hot, sunny, moist climates, such as the Pacific Islands. The football-sized fruit is covered in prickly, geometric-patterned skin. When hacked open, it resembles a giant kiwi, and the flesh inside is whitish yellow.

Some have called breadfruit "the perfect candidate for tackling world hunger," and it's easy to see why. The trees are easy to grow (no seeds are required, merely a root and a pot of soil), and they begin bearing fruit in 3-5 years, according to the Hawaiian Breadfruit Institute.

Plus, it's good for you: Breadfruit is rich in energy-providing carbs but low in fat, and a single fruit packs about 10 bananas' worth of potassium.

Chicory.

Chicory salad.  (Flickr/T. Tseng)

Instead of adding kale to your next salad, try chicory. It's a flavorful addition to any food. Chicory is also a good source of fiber, vitamins, folate, and zinc, and it's very low in calories. In fact, a whole cup of it raw is just seven calories. Chicory was also included on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of "powerhouse" target="_blank" foods. All of the foods on the list pack a lot of key nutrients into each calorie and are linked with a reduced risk of chronic disease. Studies also suggest that people who eat more of them tend to be thinner and live longer than those who rarely or never eat them.

Jackfruit.

Jackfruit being weighed, packaged, and sold by a vendor.  (neajjean on Flickr)

At markets around the world, vendors slice open monstrous yellow orbs called Jackfruit, hack out the fleshy bulbs of the inner part of the fruit, and sell them by the pound. Raw and ripe, the fruit tastes like a cross between a mango and a pineapple.

But young jackfruit can also be shredded, seasoned, cooked, and served up as an alternative to meat. I recently taste-tested some. It was surprisingly tasty — with a texture similar to pulled pork and a flavor that reminded me of a cross between hearts of palm and kimchi.

Some experts call jackfruit a 'miracle' crop, since so many parts of the Jackfruit tree can be used and because the fruit itself is so versatile and nutritious. The flesh is high in calcium, iron, and potassium and low in fat. The edible seeds are good sources of protein.

Watercress.

Watercress salad.  (Shutterstock)

The number one item on the CDC's "powerhouse foods" list was a leafy green you've probably never heard of. Watercress is an easy addition to salads and it's easy to grow, too.

A 2012 meta-analysis of five studies that involved more than 179,000 people found a lower risk ratio of developing type-2 diabetes in people who ate the most fruit and veggies compared to those who ate the least. The link was strongest for green leafy vegetables like watercress, and it got stronger the longer the study progressed.

Lionfish.

Fried lionfish with mango salsa.  (Flickr/Florida Fish and Wildlife)

Lionfish, which are native to the western Pacific Ocean, are now an invasive species in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. They eat anything and everything, and they've thrown the delicate balance of life in many of these waters into chaos.

Experts blame the problem on decades of dumping unwanted lionfish from home aquariums, and say the best way to control the population is to start eating them.

National Geographic describes lionfish — which have venomous dorsal fins that can be painful to humans if stung — as having "moist, buttery meat." Floridian fisherman are trying to build a commercial market for the fish in the state, which are mostly caught there in lobster traps.

Banana peels.

Grilled bananas.  (Scott Veg on Flickr)

That's right, you can eat that handy package your banana comes in. Not only are banana peels edible, but they're also surprisingly healthy. The peels are high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, potassium, and magnesium. To eat it, try blending some into smoothies or frying, baking, or boiling them until tender. Heat breaks down the fiber, making the peel easier to chew and digest.

Crickets.

Exo blueberry-flavored protein bar.  (Business Insider/Steven Tweedie)

Earlier this year, rap legend Nas invested in a company called Exo that makes protein bars out of crickets. Yes, crickets. The Brooklyn-based startup has $5.6 million in funding.

And Brooklynites aren't the only people hip to the value of bugs as food: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently reported that eating insects could help reduce world hunger. Not only are bugs easy to raise; there are also lots of them! And, since they use less water than pigs or cows and feed on waste materials, they're far easier on the planet than other sources of protein.

Broccoli water.

Broccoli water.  (ilovebutter on Flickr)

Next time you boil a head of broccoli, don't toss the water! It's full of nutrients and can be used in soups, sauces, or even gravy — wherever you'd normally use plain-old water. The reason you want to re-use it instead of just tossing it is because boiling the green veggie leeches its water-soluble vitamins.

Kohlrabi.

Baked kohlrabi with cheese.  (Flickr/Superscheeli)

Kohlrabi — aka that cream-colored veggie you've never heard of — is high in fiber, folate, vitamins C and B6, and potassium, and was also included on the CDC's list. A cup of raw kohlrabi packs just 37 calories but a whopping five grams of fiber. Try it baked.