I made it my goal this week to try a variety of “quirky” health foods. I’ll have you know I was a bit worried at first. I thought I’d spend my nights gagging at the dinner table rather than enjoying my home-cooked meals. I divided the oddities up into two categories: Beverages and Food. Below are my VERY scientific findings.

Beverages

1. Kombucha: I’ll be honest… I was afraid to drink kombucha. Not because of the look or odd texture – it was the smell. There was a pungent aroma filling the air as soon as I opened the bottle – VINEGAR! Surprisingly enough, I loved the Kombucha. I only bought one bottle to start, but went back to the grocery story last night to buy a few more. I’ll definitely keep kombucha in my arsenal of healthy foods.

2. Yerba Mate: I love tea, but being from the South, I’m more accustom to sweet tea. HOWEVER, I liked the Yerba Mate tea. I was expecting it to taste like dirt and grass (only because that’s what I imagine when someone describes beverages as earthy). I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and didn’t even have a desire to add a few heaping tablespoons of sugar!

3. Pu-erh Tea: The same can be said for Pu-erh tea. It had a strong earthy taste that was quite pleasant. I was expecting it to be a dense tea, but found it to be rather refreshing and light.

Food

1. Chia Seeds: It took some searching to find these chia seeds. I was almost to the point of just buying a chia pet and taking out the seeds for myself, BUT I didn’t. I found them at this great organic market near my house. I tried the seeds 2 ways. I popped a handful in my mouth, which wasn’t the best idea in my opinion. I had a lot of seeds stuck to the inside of my mouth. Then I used the chia seeds as an additional health source in my morning protein shake. The seeds didn’t change the texture of my protein shake at all. They’re pretty much just like flax seeds.

2. Marmite: I will NEVER eat marmite again. This is another thing that I had to do some searching for, but  I unfortunately found it. It’s a nasty thick paste with a fishy, dirty, yucky flavor (Please pardon my child-like review).

3. Kimchee: I tried kimchee at local restaurant. The way it was described to me (fermented veggies) made me a bit nervous to try it, but it wasn’t bad. I don’t think I’d willingly order it again, but if I had to eat it, I think I could.

What oddball health foods do you like? Let me know by commenting below!