The Best Super Foods

Superfoods are regarded by experts as powerful foods that can protect us from cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and much more. There are no nasty side effects and they can improve your health and even your mood. So of course they are going to be impossible to buy and ridiculously expensive, right? Wrong! You can get them at your local supermarket and you may be amazed at what qualifies as a superfood.

A simple change in your diet can make a drastic change to your health and well being. Benefits are far reaching and super foods are being recommended not only to improve general health but also for specifics such as to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

It is thought that around 50% to 70% of complaints could be treated by the diet we eat and exercise: heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancer can all be addressed.

It doesn't involve finding a certain food for a certain condition either. A healthy diet that includes superfoods will help you fight illness, maintain a healthy body weight and even live longer. All superfoods are pure (unprocessed) food. So pizza and fries don't count.

So what are The Superfoods?

Beans
Blueberries -Antioxidant
Broccoli
Cabbage
Oats
Oranges
Pumpkin Seeds
Salmon
Mackerel
Spinach
Tea (green or black) Antioxidant
Tomatoes
Walnuts
Sprouted Seeds
Yogurt
Chocolate (dark chocolate that is)

Blue berries are Queen of the Superfoods full of antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, they are also high in vitamin C and potassium, so they are highly recommended by doctors and nutritionists alike. They can lower your risk of heart disease and cancer and are also anti-inflammatory. When selecting berries, the darker they are, the more anti-oxidants they have. A 1/2 cup serving daily is recommended, in general, the more color a fruit or vegetable has the more antioxidants. For example the darker green leave of the savoy cabbage has 15 times more Beta carotene than that of the lighter green white cabbage. Broccoli is also rich in Beta carotene as well as Iron, Folic acid an vitamin C. Spinach is also rich in a whole range of carotenoids

Oranges – Everyone knows that oranges are a great source of vitamin C, they are also a good source of beta carotenes and bioflavanoids

Tomatoes – Rich in the antioxidant carotenoid family as well as vitamin C and E

Omega 3-Rich Foods -These Superfoods help with heart disease, memory and joints. Research is showing benefits for tackling depression too.

Omega-3s are found most in fatty, cold-water fish such as wild (not farmed) salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel.

Omega 3s are also found in other foods these include fortified eggs, walnuts and flax seeds. These superfoods can lower cholesterol and are high in monounsaturated fats too, try to include two-to-three servings a week

Oats – These have a high nutritional value and are one of my favorites and here is why, they provide protein, the super important soluble fibre, calcium, magnesium, zinc and well as polyunsaturated fats, vitamins B, C and E.

Pumpkin Seeds – These are high in protein as well as being an excellent source of zinc, iron and calcium

Sprouted Seeds – The magic behind these little delights is that they are highly digestible, which make the phytochemicals, trace elements, amino acids and vitamins that they contain easy for the body to absorb them.

Tea – Much has been written about this British favorite. 2 to 4 cups a day can be a good source of vitamins E and K, plus a few trace elements like manganese. The most important benefit of tea is its antioxidant qualities, especially green tea.

Walnuts – As mentioned earlier are a good source of essential fatty acid omega 3, however they are also a good source of, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and some B vitamins, they are also high in protein, a superfood indeed.

Yogurt – Or should I say, Bio-Yogurt also called live yogurt, as it contain live bacteria very beneficial to the gut. These health giving bacteria help to maintain a good flora in the gut which in turn helps with the absorption of some B vitamins, calcium and magnesium

Dark Chocolate – Like dark vegetables, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, it also helps lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. It also has a low glycemic index, which means the sugars it contains are released slowly into the blood stream.