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Showing posts with label superfoods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superfoods. Show all posts

The 12 Healthiest Foods on Earth

One of the 12 healthiest foods, avocado! Image: rawforbeauty.com
Here are 12 foods that, pound for pound, offer more benefits than most other foods on the planet. These foods make it onto most top healthy food lists across the internet. These foods have long been known to provide massive amounts of vitamins and nutrients and give your body healthy energy boosts and help keep it functioning correctly.(Always choose the organic version of these foods)

1. Spinach 

Much has been written about the virtues of spinach, and rightly so. It’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. It’s also readily available at most local supermarkets, and reasonably priced. You can get it fresh in the produce section, or you can buy it frozen in leaf form, and also canned in the canned veggies aisle. The main concern is getting more of it into your system so you can reap all of the positive benefits.

Benefits

Right away spinach is going to go to work for you, providing you with energy, and helping you to fill your stomach without adding a lot of calories to your daily intake. When you factor in the phytonutrients working as antioxidants you’re doing yourself a huge favor with the battle against free radical damage. Not to mention you’re helping to nourish your body on a cellular level, providing increased energy, and it aids any weight loss efforts.

2. Goji Berries 

Many people are just finding out how good goji berries are for your overall feeling of well-being. You’ll want to find dried goji berries, and not simply rely on a juice or other product claiming to contain goji berries in it. They make a great snack to hold you over between meals, and when compared to drinking phony energy drinks, you can get actual energy from these, and also be introducing plenty of antioxidants into your system.

Benefits

Your immune system gets a dose of support when you eat a serving of goji berries, and you’ll also be helping yourself beat the onslaught of free radicals that occur as a result of a stressful environment and processed foods that don’t offer nutritional support to the body. The benefit that most of us would be interested in is the ability of goji berries to help us fight fatigue. It’s no wonder that our modern lifestyles have us burning the candle at both ends, and by eating a food like these berries you’ll be increasing the amount of time it takes you to wear out.

3. Salmon 

What makes this fish so special that it stands apart from all the others? It’s the omega-3 content that does it, and of course it has the benefit that most fish has of being high in protein. Many also prefer the delicate, not-so-fishy flavor of salmon to other fish. You’ll want to stick to Alaskan wild salmon to get the full amount of benefits, and make sure that you’re not eating smoked salmon as it does not have the same nutritional benefits as freshly caught and cooked.

Benefits

For those of you that are strength training, salmon will provide support to your muscle tissue with the protein it contains. The reason the omega-3s are so important is that they provide vital support to your heart and circulatory system. You’ll also receive tertiary benefits in the form of increased memory function and a decrease in the likelihood of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. It also helps to make your skin and hair look their best.

4. Avocado 

If you’re not already a fan of avocado, you should try adding more of it into your life. It tends to be one of the more expensive items in the produce section, especially if you go the organic route. It can also be a little tricky to pick the right ones and then consume them before they go bad. But you don’t have to eat them everyday in order to benefit from them. Adding one or two a week to your diet would be a great start, and would keep costs down.

Benefits

One of the most referenced benefits of avocado is their amounts of healthy monounsaturated fat. It’s interesting that this is a high-fat fruit, as most of them are very low fat or fat free. These fats actually help you to lose fat, if that’s what you’re trying to do. They also help you to feel fuller longer, and are not the same sort of fats found in a cheeseburger. The carotenoid levels help with eye health, and avocados in general will help stabilize your blood glucose levels so you don’t hit dangerous peaks and valleys.

5. Quinoa 

Known by vegetarians for several years now, quinoa has been catching on more in the mainstream as a tasty and filling way to complement a meal, or be the foundation of a meal. Even those that follow a no wheat diet can turn to quinoa, although it doesn’t quite appeal to those that have written off grains altogether. If you’re not familiar with how to cook it you can get up to speed quickly, and it’s now readily available at most supermarkets, where once it was a bit rare.

Benefits

You’re getting a quality protein without the cholesterol and fat that can come with animal sources. You’re also getting smart carbs that don’t register very highly on the Glycemic Index, so your body can process them without converting them to fat later. On top of that it doesn’t contain much fat, so you can eat this when following a weight loss plan, and it also keeps you under the limit for calories if you’re watching those.

6. Broccoli 

The quintessential healthy food, broccoli has often been referenced as a good side item to add to any meal to health things up. Just as long as you don’t smother it in butter or cheese it’s able to retain it’s healthy effects. Steam it up to lock in the flavor, make it easier to eat, and retain as many nutrients as possible. There are only a few buying options when it comes to broccoli, you can get it fresh from the produce aisle or find it in the frozen vegetables section. Either way, opting for organic is a great idea on this one.

Benefits

The fiber in broccoli will help keep things in order, digestively speaking, and it is a good non-dairy source of calcium. The Vitamin C that one serving contains is all that you need for the day, and this will help your body stave off illnesses. The Vitamin K it has doesn’t get much press but is important if you want to keep your bones healthy. It’s great for your eyes and your heart, and can even help to keep cancer away.

7. Almonds 

Almonds provide a go anywhere snacking option that will help you to feel full between meals, and give you the energy you need to start the day. Just make sure that when you choose your almonds you’re not getting the kind that have a lot of salt or oil added like those that are dry roasted. Go for raw almonds, and don’t overeat them because since it’s easy to keep munching on them.

Benefits

Almonds are often mentioned by fitness instructors as a way to help feed your muscles, but they also have plenty of other benefits that makes them worthy of making it onto your daily menu. They help prevent heart attacks, and can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol produced in the body. They are a source of healthy fat, and can help your brain function better. If you weren’t on board already they also help to strengthen bones and teeth.

8. Beets

Beets are unique because they contain things that are good for you that are only found in beets. What you’re looking for here is the beetroot, and not necessarily the pickled beets you’ll find in jars and on Greek salads. If you’re intimidated by the thought of preparing and cooking beetroot, there are plenty of recipes online that can show you how it’s done. It’s worth the time and effort to start incorporating more beets into your diet.

Benefits

The boron in beets will help put the pep back in your step, sexually speaking. You’ll also feel a general sense of having more energy. They are great for nourishing the brain as well, and can assist in lowering your blood pressure. Because of the broad amount of vitamins and minerals they contain, you can add them to smoothies to instantly up your nutrient count without adding to the calories or fat.

9. Sweet Potatoes 

Sweet potatoes made it to the big time when they were featured on Oprah has a superfood that was flying under the radar. What’s nice about them is that they easy to cook, with lots of wiggle room for error. They also fill you up, are brimming with vitamins, and contain fiber which is essential for the proper functioning of your digestive system. They are a nice addition to any meal, and can provide instant balance since they fall somewhere between a starch and a vegetable.

Benefits

There are a wide range of benefits for sweet potatoes, but some of the highlights are that they can help to prevent a heart attack, keep your skin looking young, help you to feel relaxed, keep your immune system working well, gives you more energy, and contains antioxidants that can help reduce the amount of breakdown in your body due to free radicals. This is why they consistently make lists of superfoods and healthiest vegetables.

10. Kale 

A lot of times kale gets lumped together with spinach, but it deserves its own ranking on the list of world’s healthiest foods. While not as ubiquitous as spinach, kale is gaining ground because it is just as healthy, and even more so in some areas. You can use it the same way as spinach, as a healthy side dish. You can also add it to smoothies to make them green and to pack them with vitamins. Some people prefer the taste of kale to spinach, so an extra bonus there.

Benefits

The reason kale is becoming popular is because it helps you fill up without a lot of calories to speak of. It doesn’t have any fat, has plenty of fiber as well as iron and Vitamin K. Because of its antioxidant content you’ll get anti-inflammatory benefits which helps to reduce the symptoms of inflammation, while also helping to avoid the rise of certain diseases. It also helps to restore and maintain an alkaline state.

11. Kelp 

You might feel like a whale when you eat kelp, but you won’t grow to the size of one. In fact, since it’s pretty hard to come by in stores, most people turn to a kelp supplement to get the benefits from it. This makes it more easy to consume, since it’s not easy to buy, store, and prepare it. Whichever way you decide to add it to your diet, you’ll want to make sure that you

Benefits

Depending on who you ask there are varying benefits to kelp. Be sure that you’re getting your information from a source that isn’t trying to sell you a kelp supplement. The calcium in kelp appears to be what gets the spotlight, outdoing one of the most commonly thought of food items when it comes to calcium: milk. It also features an assortment of vitamins and minerals, and since it comes from the ocean, it’s a different makeup than land-based vegetables, with different varieties of phytonutrients.

12. Cabbage 

Cabbage has been a widely known “health food” for decades now, and it seems the more studies they run on it, the better it looks. One of the easiest and tastiest ways to eat more cabbage is to make a soup out of it. You can also steam it for a great side dish to any meal. One tip: cut it into smaller pieces so it cooks quicker and is easier to eat.

Benefits

The fiber in cabbage will help to keep your digestive system operating at its full potential. The antioxidants are the key on this one as well as almost all of the items on this list, doing battle with the free radicals that occur as a result of stress and other factors. If you struggle with high cholesterol you’ll want to pay extra attention to cabbage as a way to keep it under control. It can also help to prevent or deter cancer due to its high levels of glucosinolates.

Remember, these are just the big dogs when it comes to the healthiest foods out there. You can make an effort to include them in your daily diet, but don’t think that these are all you need to achieve maximum health. The best way to eat is by giving your body what it needs from several different sources, thus covering all of the most important vitamins and minerals. Keeping it balanced is also important, and remember there’s no need to “overdose” on certain foods just because they’re good for you.

Source: Bembu.com

GMOs Become Obsolete, Brazilian Scientists Make Breakthrough

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Image: Raw For Beauty
(NaturalNews) Agriculture scientists in Brazil have spent the past decade developing so-called “superfoods” that will soon become a natural alternative to genetically modified frankenfoods grown in many countries including the United States and will alleviate malnutrition for nearly one-third of the world’s population.

These eight biofortified foods are expected to be widely available to consumers throughout Brazil in less than a decade; already there is a pilot program underway in 15 municipalities around the country, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported.

Continuing, the paper said:

Biofortification uses conventional plant-breeding methods to enhance the concentration of micronutrients in food crops through a combination of laboratory and agricultural techniques.

The goal is to combat micronutrient deficiencies, which can cause severe health problems such as anemia, blindness, impaired immune response and development delays. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, micronutrient malnutrition affects 2 billion people globally.

Taking on ‘hidden hunger’

Efforts to develop biofortified superfoods began a decade ago, when Embrapa, the government’s agricultural research agency, began the project as part of a group of nations seeking to develop varieties of crops that have higher concentrations of necessary micronutrients. The department chose eight foods that are staples in the Brazilian diet: beans, cowpeas (black-eyed peas), rice, sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, cassava and squash.

“We are working on increasing the iron, zinc and provitamin A content. These are the nutrients most lacking not only in Brazil, but in the rest of Latin America and the world as well, the cause of what we call hidden hunger,” food engineer and a biofort co-ordinator, Marilia Nutti, told Tierramerica.

Nutti said iron was especially important, because half of Brazil’s children suffer from some level of iron deficiency.

In addition to the current biofortification project, Brazilian scientists are also working to breed plants of the same species, choosing seeds that appear to exhibit the best traits regarding micronutrient content.

“This is not transgenics. We want a varied diet. Biofortification attacks the root of the problem and is aimed at the poorest sectors of the population. It is scientifically viable and economically viable as well,” Nutti said.

And it’s not genetic modification, either – and that’s key.

The development project is being supported by HarvestPlus and AgroSalud, a pair of research programs that operate in Latin America, Africa and Asia with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other developmental agencies.

Booming nutritional content

So far, it looks as though the project is, um, fruitful. The iron content of the beans, for instance, has been elevated from 50 to 90 milligrams of iron per kilogram; cassava, which normally has almost no beta-carotene, now has nine milligrams of the essential vitamin A source per gram.

Meanwhile, the beta-carotene level in sweet potatoes has grown from 10 micrograms per gram to an astounding 115 per gram. Zinc content of rice has grown from 12 to 18 milligrams per kilogram.

Not bad – and without turning the foods into “Frankenfoods.”

Already pre-school children are benefiting from the bio-nutritionally enhanced foods. “In Itaguai, an industrial municipality 44 miles south of Rio de Janeiro, about 8,000 pre-school children are benefiting from these extra-nutritious foods,” the Guardian reported.

Eventually all of the municipality’s family farmers will be included in the project – at least, that’s the goal. Further, within a couple years, the plan is to offer biofortified foods in all schools within the municipality, as well as in stores and public markets.

Curiosity of children is one factor that is “selling” the new biofortified superfoods. “When we tell them that these foods have more vitamins, and they see the deeper colors [of the biofortified crops], they are eager to try them out,” municipal secretary of environment, agriculture and fisheries, Ivana Neves Couto told Tierramerica.

“Brazil is the only country working with eight biofortified crops. Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are conducting research on one crop each,” Guardian reported.

Source: Raw For Beauty

Natural News

Superfoods you should be eating daily

Some food is as helpful as a super-hero so we like to call them... 

SUPERFOODS!

Garlic is a great anti bacterial - anti fungal - anti viral - and antiseptic.

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C

Avocado can lower your cholesterol

Hemp Seeds are a complete protein

Spinach is an anti inflammatory

Kale is high in Iron

Cucumbers hydrate the body

Grapefruit boosts liver function

Peppers are loaded with antioxidants!


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Before trying anything you find on the internet you should fully investigate your options and get further advice from professionals.

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