In our 30 years of being in the restaurant industry, we’ve discovered many different food trends. While the popularity of some simply fizzles out, there is at least one that keeps proving itself time and time again; and that is healthy eating. Being health-conscious is a concern that crosses over into how we eat. Now more than ever, Americans are watching their calories and the types of foods they consume.It is no wonder that we are finding much of our consulting work to be focused on the “better-for-you” space. What’s leading this trend? Superfoods. As their name implies, superfoods are powerful because they possess many nutritional elements. These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.Take the humble blueberry. This common fruit is actually a superfood because it contains elements like anthocyanins (what makes the fruit blue) which fight off cancer-causing free-radicals and high amounts of phenols which can help protect our brains from degeneration.Did you know that edamame is a great source of fiber, containing healthy omega-3 fats, protein and is low in calories? These green soybeans are also known to help decrease the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Speaking of omega-3 rich superfoods, sardines are full of this. Another surprising benefit of the small fish? Sardines provide more than 100% of your daily vitamin D (sorry, milk!).If sardines are not your favorite fish, salmon is another superfood which is abundant in heart-protecting omega-3 fatty acids as well as B vitamins, protein, and potassium. Read more about the benefits of salmon here.Looking for more superfoods? Check out Prevention magazine’s article on 52 healing superfoods.Tune in next week for our next post where we share how you can implement superfoods into your menu.