Four Superfoods to Boost Your Health through the Roof

There are many super foods that you can eat on a regular basis to improve your level of health as well as to maintain it. The list is long but we have done our part to help you to start including these foods in your family meals. Here we focus in on four of these super foods that you need to start getting more of because the benefits they boast for health are through the roof!

Broccoli:

The tree- like vegetable called broccoli is one nutrient rich green machine that packs a wallop in the super spectacular department! This is a very versatile veggie that can be purchased at the supermarket all 12 months of the year and can be prepared in so many mouth-watering ways. It can be grilled, roasted, steamed or stir-fried. It can even be eaten raw. It is a rich source of vitamins A, C and K. It is also an excellent source of beta-carotene and fiber. The fiber content will help keep your weight at an ideal place.

Be aware however that broccoli is not a good choice of a super food if you suffer from an underactive thyroid gland (a condition known as hypothyroidism).

Beans:

Beans are beneficial for the cardiovascular system and aid the heart in being strong and resilient. They are a good source of both soluble as well as insoluble fiber. The former helps the body to eliminate toxins and keeps you feeling full. The latter keeps cholesterol levels low. Beans are also worthy sources of the minerals magnesium and potassium and are high in protein and carbohydrates.

Whole soybeans are called edamame and they are healthy for the heart because they contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Nuts:

Whether you like almonds, walnuts, cashews or pistachios know that they all have their heart healthy benefits and are true soldiers in the super foods army. They are rich in monounsaturated fat which is the good fat that your brain and body requires to maintain its tissues and organs. They are also high in fiber, protein and antioxidants. Nuts help to reduce cholesterol levels and keep weight where it should be.

Just make sure that when you munch on this tasty food that you do so in serious moderation.

Kiwis:

Kiwi fruits are fuzzy funny looking green fruits that are high in their vitamin C content. They are also rich sources of vitamins A and E as well as fiber and potassium. They are very high in antioxidants and help to keep you feeling satiated after you have consumed them. Due to their high fiber content, kiwi fruits have a mild laxative effect on the bowels.

Other Choices:

There are other foods that fall into the super foods group that deserve to be mentioned. Salmon and quinoa are two of these as are sweet potatoes, shallots, rhubarb and pumpkin seeds. Blueberries, acai berries, cranberries and goji berries are also super foods. Two herbs that make the list that you should cook with more include cinnamon and turmeric.

Becca

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Three More Delicious Superfoods to Add to Your New Year’s Diet

Superfoods can really contribute to your good health because they have so much to offer you. The more that you consume on a regular basis the stronger will be your immune system and the greater your energy and vitality levels. To optimize your health you owe it to yourself to include these foods in your new year’s meals!

In my last post I shared two superfoods for the New Year here, but there are lots more but not enough space for them all.

Here we look at three more superfoods that you will want to start enjoying – or more of – this year.

Chia Seeds:

Chia seeds are very much like flaxseeds. They are a source of soluble fiber which is good for the heart. They are also high in protein and high in essential omega-3 fats. They are also rich in calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. You only need a small portion of chia seeds to give you a boost of energy and to balance out your blood sugar.

Chia seeds make a great addition to your breakfast cereal, a bowl of oatmeal or a bowl of yogurt. These small health enhancing seeds contain six times more calcium than milk, three times more iron than spinach, two times more potassium than bananas and 15 times more magnesium than broccoli.

Pomegranates:

Pomegranates are a perfect food for the winter because they are most readily available during the late fall and the early to mid-winter months. Often thought of as the “jewels of winter” this colorful and tasty fruit can add variety to your salads and your desserts.

Pomegranates are rich in an antioxidant known as ellagic acid which can help to combat inflammatory health conditions such as atherosclerosis, arthritis and a number of infections. Pomegranates and pears make for a tasty treat when eaten together.

There is a trick to eating a pomegranate. Submerge it is a bowl of water as you go about the task of taking off the outer rind and the white pith. This will cause the seeds of the fruit to sink to the bottom of the bowl. When you eat the seeds directly from the opened rind of the fruit you become conscious of how many you are consuming which makes eating too many highly unlikely.

Green Tea:

If you are a coffee drinker then it would not hurt you to give green tea a try. While coffee does have some health benefits, green tea also has its share of benefits that can do your body good. Both coffee and green tea contains antioxidants and help to promote weight loss. However green tea has also been shown to be an effective cancer fighter.

Approximately one-third of a green tea leaf is composed of antioxidants known as catechins. The main catechin is called epigallocatechin gallate. Due to its long name it is most often referred to by its acronym, EGCG. Research studies have shown that EGCG is effective in terms of boosting metabolism and it also is able to prevent the development of certain types of cancers, in particular these include bladder cancer and prostate cancer.

But the goodness of green tea does not end there. It also contains an amino acid called L-theanine which helps to relieve stress and anxiety and supports a relaxed and calm state of mind. Green tea is good in general (green ginger mint tea is quite a savory treat!)  but if you wish you can choose the most potent form of it known as matcha. This type of green tea is finely milled and very tasty to the taste buds! Yum!

Becca

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Two Delicious Superfoods to Add to Your Diet for the New Year

A new year provides an opportunity to look at your health and to decide how well you are doing in terms of your eating habits. Instead of starting this year off being negative and looking at the habits you should not be doing or the foods you should not be eating, why not turn the tables and focus upon the foods you want to start adding to your daily meals?

Adding superfoods to your diet plan is always an excellent way to spruce up your health and to give you more of the antioxidants you need to stay healthy and strong.

If you do not know what a superfood is then here is a quick explanation of it. Superfoods are foods that contain compounds that have been found through medical studies to prevent the onset of disease. They are also capable of optimizing your overall level of health and well-being. Superfoods are fabulous and health enhancing!

Here are two delicious superfoods to think about adding eating more of to your diet in the coming year:

Eggs:

Many years ago eggs were blamed for contributing to high cholesterol levels and we were told that we should limit the number of eggs we ate per week. With time has come knowledge and we now know that it is saturated fats and trans fats that raise cholesterol levels and that eggs are not such villains after all.

Eggs are a superfood that you need to make sure you eat regularly to improve your health. Eggs are very high in protein – most of it in the white and not the yoke – and provide up to seven grams per serving. This helps to make you feel full and it also helps to break down fat in your body. If you have no cholesterol problems whatsoever then eating six to eight eggs per week (omega-3 free range eggs are best) is perfectly fine. However if you are looking for ways to reduce fat in your diet then eat only the egg whites.

Greek Yogurt:

If you have always found yogurt kind of a blah food then you have not been introduced to Greek yogurt yet! This type of yogurt is creamy and tastes more like an appetizing dessert. In fact for non-yogurt lovers you may not even realize that you are eating yogurt because it tastes so darn good!

Greek yogurt is high in protein, full of probiotics and is low in fat. It is also very thick in its consistency which gives it the creamy taste. What makes Greek yogurt different from regular yogurt is an extra straining process it is put through that gets rid of the liquid that it is common to see resting on top of regular yogurt. The fact that Greek yogurt does not have this liquid means that it is thicker and is also more concentrated in regards to the amount of protein and calcium that it contains. Consuming one half cup will provide you with 18 grams of protein and 50 percent of the daily dietary requirement for the mineral calcium.

Add berries to your yogurt for breakfast and any time of the day. Mix in some flaxseed powder, some wheat germ or some granola. Adding a tiny amount of honey to fat-free Greek yogurt can also give it an extra special taste!

Becca

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Try Taking a Swim into the Sea for Your Next Meal

Have you heard about the gifts that the sea has to offer you? Sea vegetables are the newest superfoods. One of these is seaweed.

If you are not used to eating treasures from the sea and need to get into a seaside state of mind when it comes to food then there is no time like the present to start experimenting with this tasty treat!

Seaweed is an acquired taste and may not be a food that  will become your all-time favorite but it is one of the new healthy superfoods and it is worth giving your taste buds time to get acquainted with them.

If you look around the grocery store and your local markets you are likely to see plenty of seaweed products and seaweed snacks to sink your teeth into. Sea vegetables are getting more attention as of late because they are indeed a superfood that boosts benefits that range from helping you to lose weight to protecting your heart.

Current research studies are looking at how sea veggies may help to decrease the incidence of blood clots as well as hardening of the arteries. The protein found in some types of seaweed is believed to work in the same manner as prescription drug medication for lowering blood pressure. Other studies have concluded that an ingredient in brown seaweed can help to burn body fat at a more rapid pace.

Seaweed surely is a superfood that we can be happy that the sea has shared with us!

Seaweed offers many health benefits and it is also a rich source of the mineral iodine. It also happens to be one of the few sources of this mineral. Other sea vegetables that offer many of the same benefits as seaweed and fall into this same group include kelp, hijiki, nori and wakame. A quarter cup of seaweed will provide you with 276 percent of the daily value of iodine. When the body does not take in enough iodine it can lead to fatigue, weight gain, hypothyroidism (or hyperthyroidism in some cases) and depression.

Vegetables that come from the sea also contain a plentiful supply of the mineral magnesium which the body needs. Magnesium can help to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women. It can also help to improve sleep.

If you are not sure about adding seaweed to your diet then start small.

Try a dried seaweed snack or add a tiny portion of seaweed to a salad. If you like pizza then gives seaweed pizza a try! Start with a wholegrain flat bread crust, brush some extra virgin olive oil on it or sesame oil and then add garlic or onions to it, seaweed, nori and tomatoes.

A seaweed salad makes an excellent complement for sushi. You might be surprised at how tasty this superfood from the water can be!

Seaweed works well with any meal, including breakfast. Nori can be whipped up with green onions, grated carrots, sesame seeds, slices of mushroom and free range eggs to make a delicious tasting start to the day!

Becca

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