SuperFOODS
Fourteen SuperFoods and their possible benefits:
Beans – lower cholesterol, combat heat disease, stabilize blood sugar, reduce obesity, relieve hypertension and lessen the risk of cancer. (Not crazy about beans? Try sneaking them in to soups and chili, or sprinkling them on a salad.)
Blueberries – lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and help maintain healthy skin to reduce the sags and bags brought on by age. (All berries are excellent and provide different phytonutrients, fiber, and have a very low glycemic index for a fruit.)
Broccoli – boosts the immune system, lowers the incidence of cataracts, supports cardiovascular health, builds bones and fights birth defects. (Also try other members of the broccoli family: cauliflower, cabbage, and brussel sprouts.)
Oats – lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease & Type II diabetes, high in fiber and protein. (Forget about carbs, we NEED whole grains to prevent heart disease and stroke and to prevent cancer. If you want to cut carbs, cut out sugar, not whole grains or fruits!)
Oranges – support heart health and prevent cancer, stroke, diabetes and a host of chronic ailments. (Calcium fortified o.j. is awesome too, provides many of the same benefits. You pregnant ladies and wanna be pregnant ladies absolutely need this one–it has folic acid to prevent birth defects. Also try grapefruit, mandarins, clementines, other citrus.)
Pumpkin – helps lower the risk of various cancers (lung, colon, bladder, cervical, skin, and breast) and supplies nutrients necessary for healthy, youthful skin. (Try using your banana bread recipe and substituting pumpkin. It is delicious. I also like to make a box up of sugar free vanilla pudding, add 1 cup canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice and more splenda if needed–it tastes like creamy pumpkin pie, but way healthier. Also a good source of beta carotene for you are carrots and sweet potatoes.)
Wild Salmon - lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer. (Also take an Omega 3-6-9 supplement. This nutrient is thought to help depression, brain development and memory, help heart disease and prevent cancer. If you can only take one supplement, this is it. Adding in a good multi-vitamin is even better!)
Soy – helps prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis, and helps relieve menopausal and menstrual symptoms. (Like corn nuts? Try soy nuts, I swear they taste the same. You don’t have to eat tofu to get soy–sprinkle edemame on your salad, eat a garden burger, or drink a soy smoothie–they taste like ice cream.)
Spinach – decreases the chance of cardiovascular diseases, a host of cancers, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. (Stop making salads with ice berg lettuce. Seriously, just stop. It has almost no nutrition, and isn’t that why you’re eating salad?! Make a spinach salad, (best) or at least use romaine or spring greens.)
Tea – boosts the immune system, helps prevent cancer and osteoporosis, lowers the risk of stroke, promotes cardiovascular health. (In spite of all the hype, it doesn’t have to be green tea. Green tea is great, but so is regular black tea. I love this one! Love it! Try iced tea on hot days–so refreshing! Also coffee lovers take heart–there are also studies that show that coffee helps prevent diabetes, and has anti-oxidants. Freshly ground is best.)
Tomatoes– lower the likelihood of cancer, raise the skin’s sun protection factor and seem to play a role in preventing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. (Lycopene is also in watermelon and strawberries–yum!)
Turkey – a perfect example of a Twenty-First Century �healthy� protein source, extremely low in fat, and provides multiple nutrients which help build a strong immune system. (Skinless chicken white meat is good too, if you are a meat eater, and fish is so good you should have it 2-3 times a week.)
Walnuts – reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer. (Also on the good list are peanuts, almonds, and most other nuts. Be careful with portions though, 1-2 oz are all you need. That’s about a regular handfull–not much.)
Yogurt – promotes strong bones and a healthy heart, another health promoting protein source, and a great source of calcium. (1% or fat-free dairy has also been shown to make you lose more weight for the same amount of calories)
April 27th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Stacy,
Wonderful post, and such a wide variety of things people can incorporate into their diet for health! I was especially impressed that you added pumpkin. With all of the controversy surrounding the HPV vaccine, we have ignored those infected with the HPV virus. An excellent study published in the journal “Cancer” showed that certain dietary elements hastened the clearance of the HPV virus, and hence its ability to cause the inflammation that leads to cancer. Pumpkin leads the list! Thanks!
Lynne Eldridge M.D.
Author, “Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time”
http://www.avoidcancernow.com
April 28th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Always nice to see posts that inform the public of all of the powerful health benefits of some of the foods available to us. I have a few comments that I would like to share.
Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits and sources of antioxidants. I just wanted to add that the best ways to eat them in order to fully derive the health benefits is either cooked or frozen. As everyone knows, blueberries have very tough skins and that is where the OPCs (Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins) predominantly reside; in the tough cellular walls of the skin. By freezing or cooking them first, you ensure that the cell walls burst open releasing all of their great antioxidant content.
Similarly, the lycopene in tomatoes is also best derived when the tomato is cooked.
Although I appreciate your statement about tea that it “doesn’t have to be green”, research has shown that the most significant health benefits are derived from the catechins in green and white teas. The processing that occurs in black tea tends to diminish the percentage of the prolifically healthful catechins, while increasing the amount of the amino acid L-theanine. L-theanine has it’s own benefits in enhancing the bodies response to stress. Black tea does have health benefits, but in my humble opinion, not anywhere near as much as green and white. In addition, the majority of black tea that is drunk around the world is done so with milk and sugar. The milk binds with the tannins (polyphenols) in the black tea and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. The addition of sugar is self explanatory.
One more additional bit of information I would share with your readers is that when keeping walnuts, make sure you keep them in the refrigerator. The healthy oils in them can become rancid just like any oil. When buying walnuts by the bulk, break a few in half; if they are a dark brown color, don’t buy them - they have already turned rancid. They should be a nice pale beige color to indicate freshness.