Eating a variety of healthy foods will help you to gain and maintain feelings of wellness and energy; will help you fight disease; and will ultimately help you live longer. Out of the long list of healthy foods, some are “superfoods” that have incredible health benefits, so you should make an effort to include these foods in your diet. The list of superfoods is also long, so I have chosen three of my favourites – foods that I can’t and won’t go without. A food can be considered a superfood only if it is real, that is unprocessed.
First of all I need to explain what antioxidants are. Antioxidants protect your body’s cells against the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are produced when your body breaks down food and alcohol, or from exposure to environmental conditions such as tobacco smoke, pollution or radiation. Free radicals damage cells and can lead to cancer and other diseases. Antioxidants include beta-carotene, selenium, and vitamins C, A and E.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. And proteins are the building blocks of muscles, tendons, organs, glands, nails and hair. Proteins are vital for the growth, repair and maintenance of all cells. There are essential amino acids, which must be obtained through dietary intake, and other amino acids, which the body can manufacture itself, called non- essential amino acids.
So on to my three superfoods for wellbeing and longevity:
Goji berries
Goji berries are considered the most nutritionally-rich of all fruits. They have been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. The health benefits from just a small handful of goji berries a day seems endless. They contain 18 kinds of amino acids and all eight essential amino acids – essential for life. They contain 21 trace minerals, including germanium, an anti-cancer mineral that is rarely found in foods. Goji berries also contain unique plant nutrient antioxidants – they are the richest source of carotenoids, including beta-carotene and they contain 500 times the amount of vitamin C (by weight) than oranges. They also contain vitamins B1, B2, and B6, needed for converting food into energy. Vitamin E and beta-sitosterol are also found in goji berries. Beta-sitosterol is an anti-inflammatory found to lower cholesterol.
Essential fatty acids, vital for hormone production and brain and nervous system function, are also found in goji berries. These berries contain betaine, used by the liver to produce choline, which calms nervousness, enhances memory and promotes muscle growth.
Goji berries are an amazing superfood and you only need 10-30 grams (a handful) a day. They are available in the shop dried. Have them as a snack on the run, throw them into a fruit salad, add to a dried fruit-nut-seed mix, have in muesli, mix into yoghurt or add to smoothies.
Yoghurt
Cultured dairy products, such as yoghurt, enhance and maintain immune system function. Yoghurt contains probiotics, often known as friendly bacteria. Probiotics raise antibody levels in the body, boosting the immune system and reducing the risk of infections. For people on antibiotics it is often recommended that they eat yoghurt to replenish their good bacteria. Some research indicates that yoghurt may also reduce the occurrence of colds, allergies and hay fever as well as improving inflammatory conditions such as asthma, eczema and Crohn’s disease.
Bacterial benefits aside, low-fat yoghurt is also a great source of calcium, protein and vitamin B2 riboflavin.
Salmon
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, that is, they are essential for your health but cannot be manufactured by your body, so they need to be obtained through food. Fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, trout and sardines are rich in Omega-3s. Fish is also a good source of protein and does not have the high saturated fat content that fatty meat products do. The Omega-3s from fish such as salmon, lower the risk of heart disease (they can lower cholesterol), help reduce symptoms of arthritis, and some research has shown that Omega-3s from fish helps with memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
I try to eat fish (particularly fatty fish) at least twice a week. My favourite summer meal is salad nicoise, a green salad with grilled salmon, green beans, cold boiled eggs and cold parboiled potatoes.
So, there are my three superfoods. Actually, I have a fourth one – dark chocolate! Latest research has shown that dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and can lower blood pressure. Yippee! But make sure you get chocolate with 60% or higher cocoa content, because the darker the better. Also the darker the chocolate is the lower the fat and sugar content. Sounds like a perfect energy-giving superfood to me!
By Emma Weitnauer
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