10 foods you should eat more often
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We simply don’t eat these foods enough or not at all, probably because we are not aware of the many benefits they can provide. Here we discuss the many benefits of 10 such super foods.
Of course, many people have dietary restrictions such as those related to sugar or red meat consumption. For this reason, any dietary changes should only be undertaken in consultation with your health professional.
Fruits
We all know fruits are good for you, but the following fruit have special less known benefits.
1. Kiwifruit
This bright green tropical fruit speckled with tiny seeds is packed with more vitamin C than an equivalent amount of orange. In fact, one kiwifruit contains almost 100% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C.
Like berries, kiwifruit contain phytochemicals and antioxidants which aid in protecting the DNA from free radicals. These chemical can protect the body from respiratory disease, colon cancer, and diabetic heart disease amongst many others(1).
Kiwifruit are also a good source of fiber.
2. Cherries
Cherries are an excellent source of antioxidants which are known to protect the body from free radicals. This helps fight aging and many chronic diseases.
Cherries are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties. This means that they help to fight the inflammation associated with arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
3. Blueberries
Blueberries are also an excellent source of antioxidants. More intriguing is the fact that blueberries have shown to reduce belly fat accelerate weight loss. They do this in part because they are a low calorie, low sugar, and high fiber food. So they help you feel full faster, regulate your digestive tract, and are an ideal substitute to more high calorie foods. For example, instead of having a milk shake try a blueberry smoothie instead.
Just make sure that the blueberries you eat are consumed in the least processed manner. This means that you do not take blueberries with preservatives, carbohydrates and added sugars.
4. Coconut
The coconut is know as “the Tree of Life” and is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s also known as a functional food because it offers many health benefits beyond its nutritional content.
First of all, it boosts energy and endurance thereby enhancing physical and athletic performance. It supports tissue and muscle healing and repair, which means that it can help sore muscles after a heavy work out to repair quickly, enabling the body to endure heavy exercise sooner(2).
Furthermore, coconut is known for it’s many disease fighting and prevention capabilities including the following:
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Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, HIV, and other illnesses.
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Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
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Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
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Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
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Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
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Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
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Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease(3).
Meats
You didn’t think that meant could be good for you did you? Well, we’re not talking about fast food burger here, but the following two are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Grass-fed Beef
There’s no question that cows do better on grass fed pastures than on grain based feed. When cows are given the opportunity to follow a diet composed of their natural foodstuffs, the beef they provide as food is healthier as well.
Grass-fed beef has been shown to contain more zinc and vitamin B12 than grain-fed beef, less total fat than grain-fed beef, and greater amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) (4).
CLA was been found to improve insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetic patients, and moderately reduce the blood glucose level and triglyceride levels. It also helps promote muscle growth and decrease abdominal fat (5).
Omega 3 fatty acids are poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Studies show that a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids may help increase HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and act as an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting. They have also shown to lower high blood pressure.
An organic certification doesn’t necessarily mean grass-fed, therefore the ideal beef for your diet is both certified organic and grass-fed. Unfortunately, that’s not easy to find on the local supermarkets, but you will get it at many of the high-end restaurants.
6. Wild Salmon
Salmon is a super food, high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and low in fat, known for its cancer prevention properties.
However, not all salmon is the same. In particular, wild salmon is better for you than farmed salmon, even though farmed salmon is more widely avaiable and invariably costs less.
Farm salmon can contain high levels of dioxins and the omega-3 fatty acid levels are lower than found in wild salmon. This is significant because dioxins are sythetic environment pollutants which bioaccumulate in wildlife and are suspected as human cancer causing agents. The two main reasons that farm salmon have high levels of dioxins are that the fishmeal fed to them is highly contaminated and they are bigger and more fat than wild salmon which means that they store more dioxins for an extended period of time.
Generally, look for wild salmon, but also take note of the following:
- Trim the skin and the visible fat from your fish, since dioxins are stored in the fat portion
- Prepare your salmon in a way that reduces a significant portion of fat, such as grilling and broiling
- Try canned salmon, since almost all of them are wild salmon(5)
Vegetables
Most vegetables are great for you, but this one is something special.
7. Kale
Kale is a a type of cabbage considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. But it’s kale’s sulfur-containing phytonutrients lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers.
When buying look for kale with firm, deeply colored leaves and moist hardy stems. Leaves should look fresh, and be free from signs of browning, yellowing and small holes. Choose kale with smaller-sized leaves since these will be more tender and have a more mild flavor than those with larger leaves(6).
Other foods
The next few foods aren’t the first that come to mind when thinking of healthy eating but they provide surprising benefits to the human body.
8. Flax Seed
Flax seeds contain a plant derived omega-3 fatty acid similar to that found in salmon which helps lower total cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. In addition, researchers reveal that lignan (an antioxidant) in flax seed shows a lot of promise in fighting disease — including a possible role in cancer prevention especially breast cancer. It is thought that lignan metabolites can bind to estrogen receptors, hence inhibiting the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer(7).
9. Whey Protein
Whey protein has been used by athletes for a long time because of its’ ability to promote lean muscle mass. In addition, it’s been discovered that whey protein helps build the immune system by assisting T-cell activity and decreasing wasting tissues during illness and therefore speeding overall recovery(8).
10. Dark Chocolate
Yes, we saved the best for last. Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants helping to fight heart disease and relax blood pressure. In fact, dark chocolate contains 8 times more antioxidants than strawberries.
Besides that dark chocolate stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure, and contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
But chocolate consumption should be in modest amounts or the calorie intake will surpass the benefits. And go for dark chocolate which contains 60% or more cocoa. In addition, avoid having too much milk chocolate or dark chocolate with milk as it can restrict the intake of antioxidants in the body(9).
Last but not least, take time to taste the chocolate. It’s a complex food which requires not only taste but all your senses to enjoy.
Inspired by the article “Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren’t“. However, research on each food item was conducted independently from a variety of sources which are sited in the article. Always thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before consuming.
