How to achieve Super Health with Super Foods

Super Foods abound in your local produce section.

With diets abounding, and health issues on the tip of everyone’s tongue, it should be noted that many of the foods available today are high in vitamins, minerals and various natural chemicals that can be vital to our everyday health. Here are just a few of these super foods and how they each can affect our lives.

Things You'll Need

• Various fruits and vegetables
• Desire to improve your health through eating the right foods

Instructions

1. 

   Keep in mind that avocados are rich in the good fat, commonly known as monosaturated. Although higher in calories than most other simple veggies and fruit, they are also higher in potassium than a banana. Also high in Vitamins E and B6, fiber and folate, they also contain both a cholesterol lowering and cancer protecting nutrients. So the next time you try some of that wonderful guacamole--just think of all the good things you are getting at the same time.

2. 

   Blueberries are a small blue fruit that packs a mighty punch to your health. High in antioxidant power thanks to the anthocyanins that give them their beautiful color, blueberries are also high in ellagic acid (a cancer preventive) and tannins (fights urinary tract infections). Only 1 cup of blueberries can provide you with nearly 4 grams of fiber and a healthy dose of Vitamin C. So go ahead and indulge yourself in that blueberry smoothie or throw some of these sweet morsels on your cereal.

3. 

   Eat broccoli. Yes, that green vegetable everyone loves to hate is actually a super food. High in sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, this great green veggie could help to modify natural estrogens and increase enzyme activities that could destroy cancer-causing cells. Eating three servings of broccoli or any of its friends (bok choy, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or cabbage) will help to keep you healthy.

4. 

   Know that butternut squash is really not a vegetable but a fruit. An incredible source of beta-carotene, just one cup of cooked squash can give you more than four times the daily recommended dose of Vitamin A. Surprisingly high in calcium, that same one cup can give you 10 percent of the daily recommended amount of this bone-building mineral.

5. 

   Flaxseed is a tiny sharp seed from the flax plant. High in protein, fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids, this is fast becoming an important part of most diets. It is also a great source for lignans, which are proving to help prevent hormone-related cancers. Able to be ground into flour it is easily added to anything you bake. Also sprinkle a bit on your yogurt or cereal, the slightly nutty taste is terrific.

6. 

   Kale is the unsung hero of the green leafy vegetables. For years, treated as nothing more than garnish, Kale is now coming into its own. High in antioxidants including lutein and zeacanthin, it is fast becoming a tasty way to help protect your vision. Simple to prepare by sautéing, it tastes much like a cross between spinach and cabbage and is easily added to many main or side dishes.

7. 

   Kiwi fruit, while technically a berry, has proven to be one of the most nutrient foods available. Just two medium kiwis have more potassium than a banana and twice as much vitamin C and fiber than an orange. And all that is in addition to the Vitamin E, copper, lutein, folate and magnesium that also is power packed into this small fruit

8. 

   All vegetarians know that adding lentils to their diet helps to replace the meat protein missing from their diets. What they may not realize is that lentils also offer an incredible amount of healthy nutrients. Jam-packed with heart protecting folate, fiber, protein and iron, they cook up in a snap with no pre-soaking needed and come in a wide variety of colors.

9. Remember there are many other healthy choices. Many are known to you, some could be new, but all are well worth your time to taste test and explore. Your health is important, and what better way to increase it than with the foods you eat. Onions and garlic are high in sulfur compounds that thin the blood and lower blood-pressure. Red and yellow onions are also high in quercetin, which is a key antioxidant in the fight against bad LDL as well as a defender from some cancer and cataracts. Quinoa, another seed, is delicately flavored, rice-like granules are high in fiber, magnesium, potassium, zinc, Vitamin E, riboflavin, copper and iron. Sardines and salmon are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids. Both high in the heart protective nutrient, they also provide calcium while being lower in mercury than most other fish. Lycopene-rich tomatoes are even better when they’ve been cooked, baked, stewed or processed into sauces, soup, paste or juice. Heating the tomatoes releases the lycopene from the tomato’s cell walls, making it more readily accessible to the human body. Adding a touch of olive oil helps it to be absorbed. Yogurt is long known for its healthy properties. It provides an wonderful source of protein and calcium, as well as being filled with that friendly bacteria that aids in good digestion and helps to boost immunity.

Tips & Warnings

• Flaxseed muffins and cookies are great. Search eHow for recipes.

• Kale can be used much like spinach. Search eHow for recipes.

• As with anything health-related, please consult your doctor before adding any unusual food supplements to your diet.