Photo: YelenaYemchuk/iStock

2 of 3
Buckwheat
If someone mentions a naturally gluten-free ingredient that health nuts and chefs love, there's a good chance it's buckwheat. Despite the name, it actually doesn't contain wheat, but in its flour form, you can use it anyplace you'd use whole wheat or white flour.

What's so super about it? It offers a good amount of dietary fiber and is a great vegetarian protein source.

What does it taste like? Buckwheat has a more intense flavor (which is why chefs like it), similar to darkly toasted bread, that terrifically complements sweet fruits and spices.

Get it into my life: You can use buckwheat flour to make pancakes or cookies; while groats (which are the hulled seeds) can be steamed and added to salads, or eaten as an alternative to oatmeal (try them with maple syrup, toasted pumpkin seeds and sea salt). Buckwheat's also the main ingredient in soba noodles, which Amanda Haas, author of The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook, combines with asparagus and mushrooms for a delicious salad.