List of Superfoods
Recently, nutritional research has revealed a list of superfoods, a
number of nutrient dense foods which have been proven to give increased
health benefits. Called "Superfoods," they usually have higher levels of
minerals and vitamins and disease-fighting anti-oxidants and they
contain fewer calories. Most on the list are also considered diet food.
Beans
(legumes), broccoli, berries (especially blueberries), green tea, nuts
(especially walnuts), oranges, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, some whole
grains such as oats, and several others, can all help stop and even
reverse diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.
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Benefits of Superfoods
Some may have a major benefit on one specific bodily function or part of
the body, but they usually benefit the body as a whole. Planing your
diet to include some from this list of Superfoods is a good way to ensure maximum health and
well being. You might not have to put up with the weight-loss scams,
beauty aid rip-offs and other bogus programs that make outrageous claims
anymore.
Alternatively, not eating a balanced diet that includes food from the list of superfoods can cause all kinds of health issues. Chronic fatigue,
mood swings, obesity and physical distress are indications you are not
eating healthy. An unbalanced and unhealthy diet can cause all kinds of
problems in children, such as low bone density, slow brain and nervous
system development and many other problems.
In today's
fast-paced, fast-food society, Americans seldom eat right, let alone eat
healthy. Typically, they get something that's fast and easy to prepare, go get take-out or stop at a fast food joint. Mostly highly process packaged foods. Eating plans built
on prepared, processed and packaged foods are lacking in most minerals
and vitamins. This can affect our mental and physical capacities and
also cause irritability, lack of focus, and the overall feeling of
tiredness and lack of motivation.
What is Superfood?
A superfood is a food that is high in
nutrients, especially the phytonutrients or micro-nutrients that are necessary for good health. Some off the list of superfoods are berries like
blueberries and strawberries, green leafy vegetables like kale and
chard, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and brussel sprouts, nuts
and seeds, legumes and some whole grains.
Most nutrition experts
don't use the term and many dispute the claims that they are
"Superfoods", even with all the research that has been done to prove the
claims. As more research gets done, we are finding that some of the
most common foods that some people have been eating for centuries are
superfoods and we are finding new ones all the time. Most on the list are loaded with nutrition and low in calories.
You might want to take a look at some of the foods that some people consider healthy but should be on the list of health foods to avoid.
The Most Common Superfoods
Do a Google search for "Superfoods" and
you'll get a variety of opinions on what a superfood is. You get some
pretty ridiculous and some common sense choices. I chose the foods below
because they all grow on a plant and none come from a plant, they
contain high nutrient content are low in calories and also are easy to
get. The foods I chose have actually been proven to help prevent and,
sometimes reverse diseases including cardiovascular disease, type II
diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers and more.
The
following list of superfoods is given for your information and reference, however it
should be kept in mind that your nutritional needs are not the same as
everyone else. I strongly recommend you see a physician before making
any major changes to your diet regimen. The healthy benefits listed are
not to replace a doctors care but are in addition to it.
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Apples Avacadoes Beans and Lentils Beets Berries Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Cherries Chocolate (Dark) Figs Garlic Green Tea Herbs (oregano, basil, tyme, etc.) Horseradish Peppers - Both sweet and Hot Kale Kiwi Leeks Lemons/Limes |
Mushrooms Nuts (walnuts, almonds, Oats Onions Oranges Papaya Peaches Pumpkin Quinoa Radish Seaweed (Hijiki, Wakame, Kelp, Nori) Seeds (flax, sesame Spelt Spices (turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, etc.) Spinach Sprouts Squash Sweet Potatoes Swiss Chard Tomatoes Watermelon |
The Top 12 Superfoods
Article by: Steve Howell
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