Unless you’ve been living under a rock with your headset permanently clamped to your head, you’ve probably heard the word “superfood” more than a few times. You can probably assume from the “super” that there’s something pretty special about them, but where does that awesomeness come from exactly?
The Harvard School of Public Health defines a superfood as any food item which provides a highly desirable combination of nutrients. In other words, a superfood is anything which packs a serious nutritional punch.
Linked to a wide variety of healthy outcomes, from disease prevention to enhanced weight loss to improved vigor, it’s definitely worth incorporating one or more of these into your diet! Let’s look at six superfoods which can supercharge your health.
1. Soy Nuts
Thought to have first been cultivated in China, Soy has been a healthy human staple since at least the eleventh century BC.
Today, they remain a popular health food. MLM Herbalife carries them as a mainstay and they’re one of the company’s most popular products.
Soy and soy nuts are a powerful source of phytoestrogens and are recognized as playing a crucial role in relieving symptoms of menopausal and menstrual symptoms. So right out of the gate, they’re considered great for female health.
These delicious little crunch explosions are also effective in strengthening the immune system and preventing cancer and osteoporosis, quality nutritional supplements making them one of the best snacks going.
2. Salmon
Most fish are pretty gosh darn good for you, but without wanting to overstate things, salmon presides over the entire aquatic kingdom as a lord among fish. Why? Because in addition to being packed with protein, salmon is incredibly oily.
While that isn’t always a great thing, it’s awesome when that oil happens to be Omega 3. The research tells us this particular oil is an amazing addition to your diet.
First up, it slows down a range of age-related conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and sight degeneration.
But right on the other end of the life timeline, there’s solid evidence to suggest omega 3 is especially beneficial during fetal growth as well as early infancy and childhood.
You can’t go wrong! Just make sure you get rid of those pesky bones.
3. All Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, radishes and … yes… the infamous brussel sprout.
Now I have a pretty good guess about what a lot of readers are probably thinking. And yes, many of these above items are infamous for causing … I’m just going to come out and say it … gas. But hear me out. While, yes, these foods do have a tendency to produce a posterior symphony, they also bring to the table an incredibly healthy combination of fiber, vitamins and anti-cancer causing agents.
They’re also incredibly versatile. You can throw them in a soup or a stew or they can excel as deliciously crunchy additions to a salad.
If you don’t have a date or social occasion looming on your calendar, check out this cruciferous vegetable stew. It contains not two, not three but four cruciferous marvels.
4. Blueberries
Blueberries are one of the most potent antioxidants you can greedily shovel into your mouth. Antioxidants offer a wealth of health enhancements including protection from cancer, slower aging and a generally improved vitality.
But the super-ness doesn’t stop there. Blueberries are high in potassium and vitamin C, both of which strengthen your immune system and maintain healthy bodily function generally.
They’re also an anti-inflammatory, making the a great choice for people dealing with inflammatory gastric conditions.
And yet for all that healthy goodness, they taste amazing. Go figure.
5. Green Tea
Remember those awesome antioxidant things which live inside blueberries? They can also be found in abundance in green tea.
Green tea is filled with an antioxidant known as catechin epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. This is one of the most potent anti-inflammatories you can add to your diet and is considered to offer highly effective protection against heart disease and diabetes.
Another plus: recent research indicates green tea may be useful in weight loss by elevating metabolism and inhibiting the process by which the body gains weight.
6. Eggs
For a long time, eggs got a bad wrap as being high in cholesterol. Let’s clear that up right away. The latest research pretty much rules eggs out as a serious contributor to bad cholesterol in your body.
You can eat a dozen of these delicious things a week with no observable change in your cholesterol levels. In fact, for some people, eggs produce a healthy form of cholesterol which actively counters the bad stuff.
Eggs also contain zeaxanthin and lutein, both of which are shown to protect your eye health, especially in middle and old age.
They’re also delicious little vitamin bombs, containing a potent cocktail of vitamin B, selenium, vitamin A, phosphorus and iron.
Super foods can make a big difference in helping you get healthy and stay healthy. You’d think for all that healthiness they might be a bit of a chore to eat. But cooked right, these superfoods can also be delicious and versatile ingredients to any dish. That right there is a win win.
