Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is the much-forgotten about younger brother in the brassica family, which also houses cabbage, kale, broccoli, collard greens and brussels sprouts. It’s characteristics are a blend of the former vegetables; its bulb looks and tastes like a small cabbage or large brussels sprout, while its green, leafy stems resemble collard greens and taste similar to broccoli. This tuber is incredibly high in fiber and vitamin C: per cup, it serves 4.9 gram of fiber and more than 100% of the RDA for vitamin C with 84 mg. It’s also high in cancer-fighting glucosinolates, organic sulfur-containing compounds that inhibit malignant cell and tumor growth. Try roasting kohlrabi with garlic and olive oil and serving it with Romesco sauce for a simple side dish, or enjoy its dark greens wilted in a pasta dish.

Aronia Berry
The Aronia berry, also called a chokeberry, are North America’s answer to Brazil’s açai berry and the Himalaya’s goji berry. Aronia berries may rank as the highest fruit on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale, giving them incredibly potent antioxidant powers. Aronia berries get their dark purple (almost black) hues from anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that protects against inflammation, age-related neurological deficits, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have also indicated that Aronia berries are effective aids to weight maintenance by preventing the storage of dangerous fat around the abdomen. Aronia berries are known for their tart taste (hence the name chokeberry), but you can still enjoy them sprinkled on yogurt, cereal, or in pancakes for a zesty kick. To tone down their tartness, mix them up into smoothies, mixed berry jams and compotes, or sip on some chokeberry-spiked green tea.

Hemp Seed
You can do a lot more with this seed than sport homemade hemp necklaces. Hemp seeds, which actually are not seeds, but fruit, contain all nine essential amino acids, making them an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. Omnivores may want to jump on the bandwagon too, because hemp seeds go where beef and chicken can’t: they contain both healthy fatty acids and fiber, making them quite a multitasking food. Hemp seeds naturally have the optimum 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, a balance that is important to maintain cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory health (the average American diet delivers more than ten times the recommended amount of omega-6 fatty acids ). Rounding out hemp seed’s trifecta of macronutrients, they contain fibers and plant sterols that aid digestion decrease your risk of colon and prostate cancer. Though similar to flaxseed oil and chia seeds, hemp seed oil distinguishes itself as one of the only sources of gamma linoleic acid. GLA is an anti-inflammatory fatty acid that supports a healthy metabolism and facilitates fat burning, improves cholesterol, and can help in balancing hormones. Hemp seeds and oil have a mild nutty flavor and can be added to smoothies, baked goods, soups, salads, and oatmeal without overpowering their tastes. Store your hemp seeds in the refrigerator to prevent the breakdown of omega-3 fatty acids from heat and oxygen.

Nori and Kelp
You’re probably already eating one of these sea vegetables: nori is the dark green wrapping around the sushi you order. These foods, both a type of seaweed, are relatively new in the West, but they’ve been enjoyed and eaten in the East for thousands of years. Sea vegetables were held with such regard in Hawaii that only royalty could keep gardens with sea vegetables. These small but mighty vegetables are remarkable for their high mineral content. In fact, 40% of nori’s weight comes from minerals alone, running the gamut from vitamin A to zinc. Sea vegetables are the richest source of iodine, a mineral that is necessary for thyroid efficiency and also plays a role in depression, obesity, and fatigue. Nori and kelp also contain vanadium, a mineral that may help control diabetes and insulin sensitivity by converting blood sugars to storeable starches and preventing the overproduction of glucose. Further distinguishing themselves from other vegetables, nori and kelp contain fucoidans, branched and sulfated polysaccharides. This slimy component of seaweed has multiple benefits: they enhance immunity by increasing natural killer cell activity and the activation of macrophage, B-cells, and T-cells; they act as an anti-inflammatory by blocking inflammatory pathways; and they increase cardiovascular health by decreasing unwanted clotting behavior. Nori and kelp are popular in Japanese restaurants in sushi, salads, soups and tofu dishes. In your own kitchen, try sprinkling crumbled nori on top of rice and other grains. Kelp is a great natural thickener and can be added to soups, stews, and bean dishes for a an extra hearty kick.

Coffee Berry
You may already have heard about coffee berry as a potent ingredient in anti-aging and depigmenting skincare products. It’s a good thing that these same antioxidants are just as beneficial when ingested instead of being slathered on, because one gram of coffee berry is said to have the same antioxidant effects as a pound and a half of blueberries! Because coffee berry is grown at high-altitude areas near the equator, it gets a lot of sun exposure. The protect itself from damaging rays and oxidative stress, the fruit synthesizes antioxidants called phenolic acids – most notably, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid. Phenolic acids, along with bioflavonoids called anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, can protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, too: they react with damaging free radicals to protect the skin’s tone and elasticity. They also have anti-inflammatory properties, which can aid in the treatment of acne, eczema, and dermatitis. Coffee berry is a virtuous fruit, because once inside your body, it helps to preserve other antioxidants already chipping away at oxidative stress, thus improving cardiovascular and neurological health. In the lab, coffee berry extract, which is rich in chlorogenic acid, has been shown to fight diabetes and metabolic disorders by maintaining balanced blood sugar levels and may help in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. You can get some of these benefits by sipping a cup of coffee every day, but you’ll get more bang for your buck with coffee berry teas and extracts.

Purslane
Purslane is regarded as a weed in the U.S., yet across Asia and Europe it’s grown as a staple leafy green vegetable. Perhaps it’s time that we start using it in our dishes too, because this weed packs more of a nutritional punch than several other more popular superfoods: it contains more vitamin C than cabbage; more vitamin A than beets; and more iron and calcium than swiss chard. Like these superfoods, it contains plenty of free radical-scavenging antioxidants, and its vitamins A, C, and E help enhance skin health, immunity, and essential metabolic processes. Like the superfood spinach, purslane also contains alpha linolenic acid, making it a great source of omega-3 fatty acids for vegetarians. But with 8.5 mg of ALAs per gram, it contains five times the amount found in spinach, making it the richest source of ALAs found in a green vegetable. Alpha linolenic acid is a precursor to DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that contributes to cardiovascular health by regulating blood pressure and decreasing cholesterol. Purslane is the eighth most commonly distributed plant in the world, so this supercrop should be popping up in groceries everywhere. Purslane has a lemony taste that is more mild than spinach and arugula. Use it as a salad base or for garnish in meat, pasta, and soup dishes.

-Contributor Kate Schlag

The Good
Kids will probably leave disappointed if you hand out apples, stickers, and tattoos. If you’re good with portion control, pick candy that has low per-serving calories, such as DumDums (26 calories), Smarties (25 calories per roll), and Tootsie Roll Midgees (23 calories). These can satisfy sweet cravings for relatively few calories, and you can even have two or three without breaking the calorie bank. Halloween Specialty Peeps are also a great pick. They have 15 calories per serving, and because of their fluffiness, serving sizes seem big. Stick with other puffy, fluffy candies, such as 3 Musketeers Minis – one has just 24 calories and zero grams of fat, compared to a Butterfinger Mini with 45 calories and 2 grams of fat. If you like a nutty crunch, pick candies with whole peanuts, such as M&M Peanuts (90 calories per Fun-Size bag). Even though they have more calories, candy with nuts provides filling protein, potentially limiting cravings. Just be careful with individually wrapped candies: studies show that participants eat more calories when they eat individually wrapped candy as opposed to full-size candy bars or candy in a bowl.

The Bad
Most of the Fun-Size candy bars, such as Snickers, Milky Ways, and Kit Kats, are under 100 calories. But they can also be high in saturated fat, and their ingredients lists contain more than just chocolate: teeth-pulling caramel as well as partially hydrogenated soybean oils and additives such as TBHQ and PGPR. And although most of the non-chocolate candies are low in fat, they’re still sickly high in sugar. Candy corn, the top-selling candy (20 millions pounds are purchased every Fall), is a sugar bomb: it’s made with sugar, corn syrup, and additives. Combined with their unworthy serving size – nineteen pieces per 140 calories – cravings will be strong, setting you up for a caloric disaster. Sugar-covered chewy candies, like sour gummy worms and Laffy Taffy, are similarly dangerous, and their chewy, sticky texture allows them to linger on your teeth – attracting enamel-rotting, acid-producing bacteria.

The Ugly
Probably one of the worst things you can grab out of the candy bowl is a Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin. The package contains 180 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 16 grams of sugar. Granted, some of the fat comes from the healthy monounsaturated kind found in peanuts. But surprisingly, most of the peanut filling is not peanuts: additives, fillers, and sugar make up a good amount of the dense filling. If peanuts and chocolate are your Halloween gold, stick with simple chocolate (aim for dark) with whole peanuts. Of the chocolate-, nougat-, wafer-, and caramel-filled bars, Twix bars are the biggest offenders. Three minis contain 150 calories and 6 grams of saturated fat, filling almost one third of your daily allowance for saturated fat. And with all the splurges that occur around the holidays, you’ll have little room for error after eating these bars. Avoiding these treats is best, but if you think you’re saving calories, fat, and sugar by choosing a caramel apple, think again: these sugar- and fat-covered fruits can run as high as 300 calories. And when you add nuts, candies, and chocolate dips, they turn into a calorie bomb. For a sinless swap, pick sliced apples with peanut butter dip; add chocolate chips for a sweet punch.

-Contributor Kate Schlag