5 Superfoods You Can Buy at the Supermarket for Next to Nothing

By Emma Hartley, CNE

Reviewed by the 40+Healthy Editorial Team

The word "superfood" has a lot to answer for...

It conjures images of obscure berries flown in from the Amazon, powders that cost more per gram than gold, and wellness influencers with suspiciously perfect kitchens. It has made eating well feel exclusive — like something that requires either a specialist health food shop or a very generous budget.

It doesn't. Some of the most nutritionally powerful foods on the planet are sitting quietly on the shelves of your local supermarket, priced at a few pence per serving, waiting to be noticed.

For women over 40, these foods matter more than most people realise. As our bodies move through perimenopause and beyond, our nutritional needs shift — we need more support for managing inflammation, maintaining bone density, keeping our minds sharp, and stabilising metabolism. The good news is that nature has been quietly providing exactly what we need all along. We just stopped looking in the right places.

Today I want to introduce you to five of my absolute staples — turmeric, raw cacao, blueberries, sardines, and chia seeds. Unglamorous names, extraordinary nutritional profiles, and prices that won't make you wince.

Turmeric: The Golden Spice That Earns Its Place in Every Kitchen

Turmeric has been used in South Asian cooking and traditional medicine for thousands of years — long before the wellness industry decided to put it in a latte and charge six pounds for it. The active compound responsible for most of its benefits is curcumin, and for women navigating the inflammatory shifts of midlife, it is genuinely remarkable.

Chronic low-grade inflammation becomes more prevalent after 40, contributing to joint discomfort, metabolic disruption, and fatigue. Curcumin works at a molecular level to suppress many of the pathways that drive this inflammation. A 2022 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that curcumin significantly improved inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in postmenopausal women. There is also emerging evidence for its role in mood regulation and cognitive support — both increasingly relevant during menopause.

The practical challenge with turmeric is absorption. Curcumin on its own is not particularly bioavailable, but adding a small amount of black pepper — which contains piperine — increases absorption dramatically. This is why traditional recipes almost always combine the two.

From a kitchen perspective, turmeric is one of the most versatile spices you can own. A teaspoon stirred into warm milk with a pinch of black pepper and a little honey makes a genuinely comforting evening drink. It works beautifully in lentil dishes, roasted vegetables, scrambled eggs, and soups. The colour alone — that deep, vivid gold — makes everything it touches feel intentional.

Cost per serving: approximately 5–10p per teaspoon. There are few better value nutritional investments in your spice rack.

Raw Cacao: The Case for Eating More Chocolate (Seriously)

I have never met a woman who didn't perk up slightly when I tell her that chocolate belongs in a healthy diet. Raw cacao — the unprocessed, unroasted form of cocoa — is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on earth. Its flavonoid content rivals or exceeds that of blueberries, and the health implications of those flavonoids are substantial.

For women in their 40s and 50s, cardiovascular health becomes a more pressing consideration as oestrogen levels decline and its protective effects on the heart reduce. The flavonoids in cacao have been shown to support blood flow, reduce blood pressure, and improve cholesterol profiles. A 2021 study in Neurology found that long-term dietary flavonoid intake was associated with maintained cognitive function — relevant for anyone navigating the brain fog that perimenopause so frequently brings.

Cacao also contains compounds that support serotonin production. This is not a coincidence. The traditional association between chocolate and comfort has a genuine neurochemical basis.

The distinction to be clear on: raw cacao powder is not the same as standard cocoa powder, which is typically processed at high temperatures that destroy many of its beneficial compounds. Raw cacao costs a little more, but not dramatically so — and a tablespoon goes a long way.

Stir a tablespoon into your morning coffee for a healthy mocha. Blend it into a smoothie with banana and almond milk. Mix it with a little coconut oil and maple syrup for a dark chocolate sauce that works over fruit or yoghurt. If you prefer chocolate in its solid form, aim for 70% cacao content or higher — lower than that and the sugar begins to outweigh the benefits.

Blueberries: Small, Affordable, and Quietly Extraordinary

Blueberries have an image problem — they're so familiar that people have stopped being impressed by them. They should be impressed. The anthocyanins that give blueberries their deep blue-purple colour are among the most potent neuroprotective compounds found in food, and the evidence for their cognitive benefits is particularly compelling for women in midlife.

A 2022 study involving middle-aged participants at risk for cognitive decline found that daily blueberry supplementation improved cognitive performance and brain function. For women experiencing the memory lapses and concentration difficulties that perimenopause frequently brings, this is not a trivial finding. It's an accessible, pleasurable, evidence-based intervention that costs less than a cup of coffee per day.

Beyond brain health, blueberries provide substantial Vitamin C, fibre, and anti-inflammatory compounds that support gut health, immune function, and skin integrity.

Here's the practical tip that changes everything for most of my clients: buy them frozen. Frozen blueberries are picked at peak ripeness and flash-frozen, which locks in their nutritional profile at its best — often better than fresh berries that have spent days in transit and on shelves. They cost a fraction of the fresh equivalent and last for months in the freezer.

Stir them into porridge straight from frozen — they thaw beautifully in warm oats. Blend into smoothies. Scatter over yoghurt with a handful of seeds. Make a simple compote by warming them in a pan with a squeeze of lemon — extraordinary over Greek yoghurt or wholegrain pancakes at the weekend.

Sardines: The Most Underrated Food in the Supermarket

I know. Bear with me.

Sardines are the food that most people walk past without a second glance, which is a genuine nutritional tragedy. Tin for tin, they are one of the most complete and affordable sources of nutrients relevant to women over 40 — and they deserve a serious rehabilitation.

The omega-3 fatty acid content of sardines rivals that of salmon, at a fraction of the price. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular-protective, and support brain function and mood regulation. But the real nutritional surprise of sardines is their calcium content. Because you eat the whole fish — including the small, soft bones — you get a substantial dose of calcium and Vitamin D in a single tin. A standard tin of sardines can provide over a third of your daily calcium needs, making them one of the most effective and affordable foods for supporting bone density as oestrogen declines.

For women in perimenopause, when bone density loss accelerates and the risk of osteoporosis begins to climb, this is not a trivial consideration.

From a culinary perspective, sardines are far more versatile than their reputation suggests. Mash them with ripe avocado, a squeeze of lemon, and a little black pepper and pile onto sourdough toast — it is genuinely delicious and satisfying. Toss them through pasta with garlic, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and a handful of parsley. Flake them through a green salad with boiled eggs and capers. The key is to treat them as a flavour ingredient, not an afterthought — and to choose sardines packed in good olive oil rather than brine or sunflower oil.

Chia Seeds: Two Tablespoons That Change Everything

Chia seeds are small enough that it's easy to underestimate them. Don't. Two tablespoons contain around 10g of fibre, 5g of protein, and a meaningful dose of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids — making them one of the most nutritionally dense additions you can make to a meal for almost no effort.

For women over 40, fibre is increasingly important. It feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome, supports healthy bowel function, and — crucially — helps stabilise blood sugar by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates. This matters more as insulin sensitivity naturally declines through perimenopause. A 2012 study found that regular consumption of milled chia seeds by postmenopausal women significantly increased their levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Chia seeds absorb up to twelve times their own weight in liquid, forming a gel that slows digestion further and extends the feeling of fullness after eating. This makes them particularly useful for managing appetite and preventing the blood sugar spikes and crashes that drive cravings.

Chia pudding is the obvious starting point — two tablespoons stirred into a cup of milk or oat milk, left overnight, and topped in the morning with fruit and a drizzle of honey. It takes approximately 90 seconds of effort the night before and produces a genuinely satisfying and nutritious breakfast. Beyond that, stir into yoghurt, add to smoothies for thickness and nutrition, or use as an egg substitute in baking by mixing one tablespoon with three tablespoons of water and leaving for five minutes.

What These Five Foods Cost You

To put this in perspective — here's an approximate cost per serving for each of these five foods:

Turmeric powder — around 5–10p per teaspoon. Raw cacao powder — around 30–40p per tablespoon. Frozen blueberries — around 50–75p per cup. Tinned sardines — around £1–£1.50 per tin. Chia seeds — around 15–20p per two tablespoons.

The total cost of incorporating all five into your weekly diet is negligible. The nutritional return is anything but.

The Bottom Line

Eating well through midlife does not require a specialist health food shop, an online subscription, or an exotic ingredient budget. It requires knowing which ordinary, affordable foods deliver extraordinary results — and then actually using them.

Turmeric in your cooking. Raw cacao in your smoothies. Frozen blueberries in your porridge. A tin of sardines on toast. Chia seeds stirred into your yoghurt. These are not dramatic interventions. They are simple, pleasurable, sustainable habits that compound over time into genuinely meaningful health outcomes.

The best nutrition is rarely the most expensive. It's the most consistent.

To your health, 🥂

Emma Hartley &

The 40 Plus Healthy Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your qualified healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or supplement regimen.

References

1. Farshbaf-Khalili, A., Ostadrahimi, A., et al. (2022). Clinical Efficacy of Curcumin and Vitamin E on Inflammatory-Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Primary Symptoms of Menopause in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

2. Yeh, T. S., et al. (2021). Long-term Dietary Flavonoid Intake and Subjective Cognitive Decline in US Men and Women. Neurology.

3. Krikorian, R., et al. (2022). Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction. Nutrients.

4. Jin, F., et al. (2012). Supplementation of milled chia seeds increases plasma ALA and EPA in postmenopausal women. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.