9 important foods you aren't eating that you should be this summer

But what about the things you can add to your diet for improved health? The items on this list might not be popular yet among Americans, but they're all either good for your health or beneficial for the planet.

Plus, many of them make great additions to a summer meal — either in salads or on the grill.

Breadfruit.

Breadfruit is found throughout regions with hot, sunny, moist climates, such as the Pacific Islands. The football-sized fruit is covered in

breadfruit "the perfect candidate for tackling world hunger," and it's easy to see why. The trees are easy to grow (no seeds are required, merely a root and a pot of soil), and they begin bearing fruit in 3-5 years, according to the Hawaiian Breadfruit Institute.

Plus, it's good for you: Breadfruit is rich in energy-providing carbs but low in fat, and a single fruit packs about 10 bananas' worth of potassium.

Chicory.

Instead of adding kale to your next salad, try chicory. It's a flavorful addition to any food. Chicory is also a good source of fiber, vitamins, folate, and zinc, and it's very low in calories. In fact, a whole cup of it raw is just seven calories. Chicory"powerhouse" target="_blank" foods

Jackfruit.

t was surprisingly tasty — with a texture similar to pulled pork and a flavor that reminded me of a cross between hearts of palm and kimchi.

Some experts call jackfruit a 'miracle' crop, since so many parts of the Jackfruit tree can be used and because the fruit itself is so versatile and nutritious.

Watercress.

The number one item on the CDC's "powerhouse foods" list was a leafy green you've probably never heard of.

2012 meta-analysis of five studies that involved more than 179,000 people found a lower risk ratio of developing type-2 diabetes in people who ate the most fruit and veggies compared to those who ate the least. The link was strongest for green leafy vegetables like watercress, and it got stronger the longer the study progressed.

Lionfish.

Lionfish, which are native to the western Pacific Ocean, are now an invasive species in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. They eat anything and everything, and they've thrown the delicate balance of life in many of these waters into chaos.

Experts blame the problem on decades of dumping unwanted lionfish from home aquariums, and say the best way to control the population is to start eating them.

National Geographic describes lionfish — which have venomous dorsal fins that can be painful to humans if stung — as having "moist, buttery meat." Floridian fisherman are trying to build a commercial market for the fish in the state, which are mostly caught there in lobster traps.

Banana peels.

Crickets.

Broccoli water.

Next time you boil a head of broccoli, don't toss the water! It's full of nutrients and can be used

Kohlrabi.

9 important foods you aren't eating that you should be this summer

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!