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What is a “Super Food?
Well, the most important thing for everyone to know is that
Superfoods are easy to find in every local supermarket. They’re worth
looking for! These nutritional powerhouse foods are loaded with nutrients crucial to a healthy, long life.
If you can include a variety of them in your diet, everyday, I
promise they will change your life! These foods were chosen because
they contain high concentrations of crucial nutrients, as well as the
fact that many of them are low in calories. Foods containing these
nutrients have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse
the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, Type
II Diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers.
Of course, there are many
superfoodsthat never see the inside of a
shopping cart. Some you've never heard of, and others you've simply
forgotten about. That's why I've rounded up the best of the bunch.
Make a place for them on your table and you'll instantly upgrade your
health—without a prescription.
Top 5 Super Foods to lower cholesterol
- Oat for Soluble Fiber
Oatmeal and oat bran are rich in
soluble fiber,
a type of fiber which lowers the bad Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL
cholesterol without lowering the good High Density Lipoprotein or HDL
cholesterol. In 1997, the FDA authorized a heart disease risk reduction
health claim for beta-glucan soluble fiber from oat products. Food
products containing oat bran and rolled oats, such as oatmeal, and
whole oat flour can bear this health claim.
How much do you need?
Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol by
about 5 percent. Some studies showed that this amount can lower
cholesterol by as much as 23 percent. One bowl of oatmeal contains
about 3 grams of soluble fiber. Include other soluble-fiber-rich foods
such as psyllium, apples, kidney beans, pears and barley.
For more details, read
Oats for High Cholesterol
- Fish for Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Fish is a good source of protein and
omega 3 fatty acids
- which has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL
cholesterol. In particular, omega 3 fatty acids are noted for its
triglyceride-lowering power.
How much do you need?
In 2002, the American Heart Association recommended eating at least 2
servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish such as mackerel,
salmon, sardines, trout and herring. If you have high triglyceride
levels, AHA recommends 2 to 4 g of EPA and
DHA (two specific types of omega 3 oil) as supplements under your doctor's care.
For more details, read
Fish and your Heart
- Nuts for Healthy Fats
Nuts rich in fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants such as Vitamin E
and selenium. These tasty snacks are also high in plant sterols and fat
- but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which have all
been shown to lower the bad LDL cholesterol.
How much do you need?
In 2003, the FDA recognized the benefits of nuts and their role in
heart disease prevention by approving a health claim for seven kinds of
nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios
and walnuts). Limit your intake to ~ 1.5 ounces a day, as nuts are high
in calories. The best way to reap the health benefits of nuts is to eat
them in replacement of foods that are high in saturated fats such as
meat products.
For more details, read
Health Benefits of Nuts
- Foods fortifed with Plant SterolsPlant sterols
or stanols are powerful substances naturally found in plant to have the
ability to block cholesterol absorption. Studies showed that eating two
servings of sterols-fortified foods daily result in a 10 to 15 percent
drop in LDL cholesterol levels.
How much do you need?
The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that people who
have high cholesterol eat 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day.
You can find plant sterols in fortified foods such as margarine spread,
orange juice, salad dressings, functional cookies etc. Most
sterols-fortified foods contain at least 1 gram of plant sterols per
serving. Please read the portion size and usage direction on the labels
for details. It is important to note that plant sterols are not for
everyone. The AHA recommends it only for people with high levels of LDL
cholesterol.
- Soy Soy
products are great substitutes for animal products. In 1999, the FDA
recognized the health benefits of soy and heart disease by approving a
soy health claim. However, due to conflicting results from a
large-scale review performed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, the AHA Nutrition Committee
no longer recommends eating soy to lower cholesterol.
Should you avoid soy then?
A simple answer is No. Although soy may not lower cholesterol to the
extent we previously thought it could, the US Agency review showed that
it can still lower bad LDL cholesterol by 3 percent. Since soy products
contain high levels of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and
minerals and low levels of saturated fat, AHA does consider soy
products a healthy replacement for meats and other foods high in
saturated fat and total fat.
 Tasty Super Skin Foods
While many of the tips above
use super foods directly on the skin, some good eats also treat your
skin. Super skin foods include
cherries, peanuts, black soybeans,
walnuts, and jujube dates. Citrus fruits are packed with antioxidants
that benefit your skin's health.
For dry skin, eat flaxseed oil, sesame
oil, olive oil, and virgin coconut oil and avocado every day. And eat a
daily
handful of nuts and seeds, especially pine nuts, hazelnuts,
walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
Peaches, an excellent source of
potassium and vitamins A and C, have been used in beauty tonics
throughout Chinese history. One beauty recipe recommends baked peaches
with honey and lavender.
A nutrient found in anchovies and
sardines, DMAE (dimethyl-amino-ethanol), is a powerful membrane
stabilizer that can reverse age spots on your skin.
To lighten
dark circles and minimize skin damage from free radicals, try
Asian
pear. Asian (or Fuji) pears are packed with copper and vitamin C,
antioxidant nutrients that help protect you from cellular damage caused
by free radicals, preserving your skin's beauty and vitality.
These natural recipes will bring you beautiful skin well into your late years!
8 Super Food Swaps for Longevity
Try these 8 simple switches below to
slim down and live a long and healthy life.
1. Swap green tea for coffee For
many people, the first thing they reach for in the morning is coffee.
Caffeine acts as a CNS (central nervous system) stimulant, causing you
to experience stress, anxiety, a racing mind, and even insomnia. For a
calmer energy boost, cut the coffee and go for green tea. On average, a
cup of green tea contains about
one sixth of the amount of caffeine
you would get from the same cup of coffee. Even better, green tea is
full of powerful antioxidants that ward off cancer, and tea is a proven
preventive and
treatment for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Also, when combined with exercise, green tea can
help you lose weight.
2. Try trailmix in place of fatty snacks Carry
dried fruits and nuts with you as healthy snacks to replace any
unhealthy ones you usually eat. Just a handful every day can help
improve circulation and muscle tone. Research shows that many of these
nuts and seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, lignans, and omega-3
fatty acids, which help
prevent heart disease and protect you from the
ravages of aging.
3. Switch brown rice for white rice Modern
staples around the world often include refined bread, pasta, rice, and
corn. These carbohydrates that have been found to be the culprits in
serious conditions like
diabetes, stroke, and
heart disease,
arthritis, and
allergies.
And there is no question that refined carbohydrates contribute directly
to weight gain. So change to whole grains to get complex carbohydrates;
said another way, swap "white" for "brown". Substitute white rice,
bread, and pasta with brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat
pasta. Other "browns" will bring you anti-aging benefits also. Quinoa
and amaranth are two tasty grains rich in protein and easy to cook.
Millet, sorghum, and buckwheat are packed with B vitamins.
4. Swap fish for red meat Red
meat does have some health benefits-when eaten in moderation. However,
studies have shown that men and women who eat meat every day are
three times as likely to develop
breast cancer and
prostate cancer
as those who almost never eat high-fat animal foods. Of all animal
products, fish is the healthiest because of its high protein and
low-fat content. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish, along with other
nutrients, protect blood vessels from plaque, reduce inflammation, and
prevent high blood pressure. If you just can't leave the red meat
behind, choose only free-range, grass-fed, and hormone- and
antibiotic-free lean meat, and eat it no more than three times a week.
5. Use olive oil instead of butter Butter
is the bad kind of fat. Also included in this saturated fat category:
peanut oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and lard. All of these
elevate
cholesterol
and triglyceride levels, leading to an increased chance of heart attack
and stroke. Switch for olive oil or one of the other monounsaturated
fats, which increase good cholesterol and protect you from heart
disease and premature skin aging. Others include canola oil, rice bran
oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil. Like butter
on your bread? Try hummus instead.
6. Swap sweet potatoes for potatoes While
filling, potatoes just do not contain the nutritional benefits of sweet
potatoes. Yams and sweet potatoes are powerhouse foods that contain
higher amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin C than carrots, more
protein than wheat and rice, and more fiber than oat bran. They are
also rich in plant DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone)-a precursor hormone
that is essential for the body's anti-aging defenses to work.
7. Swap berries for refined sweets The
average American consumes nearly 240 pounds of sugar per year. Most of
the excess sugar from candies, pastries, sodas, and other refined
sweets end up being stored as fat in your body, resulting in weight
gain and elevating heart disease and cancer risk. Instead, satisfy your
sweet tooth with a berry tasty treat: blueberries, blackberries,
raspberries, cranberries, and cherries. Berries are rich in
antioxidants that fight free radicals and can also help remove toxic
residue from the system, which is often the cause of chronic fatigue
and low energy.
8. Switch to water in place of soda Soda pop is very high in phosphorus, which in excess actually causes
calcium loss from your bones,
possibly leading you to osteoporosis. Diet soda is filled with
artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin, which have shown
dangerous results in tests with laboratory animals. Your best beverage
is
filtered water,
which flushes your system of the chemicals and toxins that you
encounter every day. If water by itself doesn't appeal, turn to juice
and tea. One caution about fruit juice is that it tends to be filled
with sugar. Cut back on sugar content by watering down your juice: one
part juice to three parts filtered water. Unsweetened herbal tea,
brimming with health benefits, is another way to go.
Make these switches and you are on your way to a healthier you!
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