Jamie Oliver on the 10 delicious superfoods you need to be eating now (2024)

Maybe it’s the English accent, the rakish sandy-colored hair or the charming British vocabulary peppered with words like “lovely,” “veg” and “fantastic,” but Jamie Oliver makes healthy eating seem surprisingly easy and enjoyable.

“Nourishing food should be colorful, delicious, and most importantly, fun,” the celebrity chef writes in his new book “Everyday Super Food” (Ecco).

The vibrant, lighthearted approach to healthy living imbues the book and Oliver’s life.

Earlier this year he turned 40, and one of the biggest changes he’s made as he’s gotten older isn’t related to diet, but to sleep.

“I used to survive on three to four hours a night, but that isn’t anywhere near enough,” he tells The Post. “I’m now averaging six to seven hours a night, and I feel like a completely new person. I wake up ready to hit the ground running!”

See Also

Chicken and tarragon pieThe best budget-friendly batch-cook recipes | Features | Jamie OliverThe Best Sunday Brunch Recipes - The Tortilla ChannelSlow cooker Beef Stroganoff - Something Sweet Something Savoury

View this post on Instagram

Guys today my new book Everyday Super Food hits the shelves here in the UK !!! I'm really proud of it I've been on a complete journey through the world of nutrition, and travelled all over this wonderful planet of ours meeting the healthiest people living the longest lives to uncover their secrets !! You can cook from this book every day – I'm talking breakfast lunches dinners and snacks – and my hope is it will be really useful to you and have a positive impact on your life, I promise you'll enjoy it too – what's not to love…?? Big love to @penguinukbooks and all the gang that helped me along the way. If you want to buy your copy simply hit the link in my profile love j XXX #JamiesSuperFood #instavid

A post shared by Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) on Aug 26, 2015 at 11:47pm PDT

To keep running throughout the day, Oliver subscribes to a diet packed with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy proteins — and the occasional indulgence. Cooking and eating nutritious fare, he insists, can be as simple as making easy substitutions and tossing in a superfood, be it chia seeds or acorn squash, to everyday meals.

“I want people to know that any change, even if it’s small, can make a difference,” he says. “Simple things, such as choosing whole-meal and whole-wheat varieties of things like bread or pasta, can make a big difference.”

Read on for his favorite nutritional powerhouses, with tips and a recipe for incorporating them into your diet.

Jamie Oliver’s favorite ingredients for maximum flavor and nutrition

• Squash

“It’s versatile and a brilliant carrier of flavor,” says Oliver. Gourds are also high in vitamin A, which is vital for the immune system and vision.

•Eggs

“Just two give us over a day’s worth of vitamin B12, which helps our bodies produce red blood cells, keeping us awake and alert,” says Oliver.

•Mushrooms

“[They’re] a great source of essential B vitamins, which help our metabolism function so we can utilize the energy and nutrients from our food,” writes Oliver, who uses the flavorful fungi as the protein for a “mighty” curry or as a nutrient-packed breakfast side dish.

•Chia seeds

“Not only are they really high in protein and fiber, they’re a source of magnesium for strong and healthy bones and teeth,” Oliver says of the trendy seeds. “They’re great added to smoothies and fruit soups.”

•Oats

“[They] fill us up and act as a slow-burning fuel, so [oats] are a perfect start to the day,” Oliver writes. “They’re high in fiber, and the minerals phosphorus and magnesium, keeping our bones strong and healthy.”

•Shrimp

“[They’re] superhigh in vitamin B12, which helps our metabolic and nervous systems function properly, [and] helps with energy,” Oliver says. “One of my absolute favorite recipes in this book, my fragrant curried fish stew, is dotted with beautiful shrimps.”

•Sweet potatoes

“They’re an excellent source of vitamin A … vitamin C, thiamine, potassium and manganese,” says Oliver, who has five sweet potato recipes in the new book, from simply roasting the whole vegetable to incorporating it into a savory breakfast muffin.

•Dates

“You don’t get much sweeter than dates, and yet unlike sugar … they’re a source of both fiber and chloride,” which aid digestion, says Oliver, who makes “energy ball” snacks with dates and seeds. They’re “the perfect boost.”

•Seeds

From pumpkin to sunflower, “these little guys really pack a punch and are a great vegetarian and vegan source of protein,” says Oliver. Toss them in a smoothie or snack on them plain. “[Seeds] have lots of lovely nutritional benefits.”

•Sardines

“People sometimes avoid [them] because of their fishy flavor, but that’s a mistake,” says Oliver. Sardines are “high in omega-3 fatty acids, and packed with a bunch of vitamins and minerals, including chloride.”

A hearty lunch under 600 calories

This delicious, colorful lunch will cause massive office envy. Keep in the fridge and mix before serving.

Portable Jam Jar Moroccan Salad

Spoon 1 cup cooked whole-wheat couscous into the base of a 1-liter jam jar. Add the seeds from half a pomegranate. Mix 2 heaping tablespoons of fat-free plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon finely chopped preserved lemon, then season to taste and spoon over the couscous.

Fill up the rest of your jar with 2 inches of sliced English cucumber, ¼ head of shredded bibb lettuce, ½ of a coarsely grated carrot, one peeled and sliced blood orange, 2 ounces drained chickpeas, the torn leaves from two sprigs of fresh mint and two sprigs of fresh cilantro, ½ an ounce of feta cheese, 1 good pinch each of toasted sesame seeds, chopped pistachios, and cumin seeds.

Put on the jar’s lid, and you’ve got a lunch to go. Serves 1.