5 Nutritional Superfoods you will love
These are 5 superfoods you will love and improve your brain health. They have become part of my diet and will, I’m sure, help me live a longer, healthier life. Find ways to get them onto your’s and your family’s dinner table and you will be helping to ensure a healthy family.
- Avocado
- Blueberries
- Dark chocolate
- Eggs
- Leafy greens
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Avocado
Avocado is the smooth superfood! They are originally from Mexico where it has been a staple food for more than 10,000 years. Its buttery texture and creamy taste has made it an essential ingredient in salads and beyond. Highlights of its nutritional value are the complete lack of any cholesterol or sodium and they are also high in “good fats.
The green superfood
Important facts about what the Avocado gives
Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and other nutrients with one 50 g serving of a medium avocado (roughly half) providing the recommended Daily Value (DV) for
- Vitamin E (6%),
- Vitamin K (10%),
- Fiber (11%)
- Folate (10%)
- Niacin (6%)
- Potassium (6%)
It also contains 136 micrograms of the Carotenoids per 50 g serving which some research suggests may help maintain eye health as we age.
Blueberries
Blueberries as a superfood have huge benefits packed into these little blue balls. They are 85 % water, so even add to your daily water intake as an extra advantage!
The Blue superfood
As a fruit this gives a lot in just 150 grams.
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Vitamin C: 24% of the RDI
- Vitamin K: 36% of the RDI
- Manganese: 25% of the RDI
There are numerous studies into the benefits of this berry that can be found very quickly with a search in google, but to save you time:
- One of the highest antioxidant levels in fruits and vegetables.
- Can help improve brain function and improve memory.
- Protect against DNA damage.
They are also very easy to add into your diet on a daily basis. Forget the fact that they just taste good on their own, they can be added to any dessert or dropped into your morning smoothie. For kids, I find the colour it brings to a smoothie makes it more appealing, you could involve them in the process for even more fun.
Dark chocolate
This is sometimes thought of as the “sin of superfood” but it too is loaded with the good stuff that helps our brain. It’s important to remember that in studies the chocolate needs to be at least 80 % Cacao (i.e dark chocolate)
The Yummy superfood
The reason this helps brain health is that it contains flavanoids that are antioxidant derived from plants. In a study conducted in 2018, as little as 6.8 grams of dark chocolate was enough to have benefits of improvement in brain activity and memory.
I have 2 small squares a day as part of my overall morning routine, I know that I’m the only one studying me, but adding this to my diet hasn’t stopped me loosing in excess of 10kgs this last year. It may be more, but when living in other locations around the world scales are not on the packing list!
Eggs
Packed with protein, these won’t work for the vegan, but as much as I love that most of the food made in our house is meat free, these are things I don’t like to leave out:
Little oval of goodness
What it gives
- Packed with nutrients.
- High in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not adversely affect cholesterol in most people, as the liver just reduces it’s own cholesterol production.
- Eating eggs consistently leads to elevated levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol.
- Eggs from chickens fed in pasture lay eggs high in omega 3
- Can leave you feeling fuller and therefore you eat less, meaning lower calorie intake which benefits weight.
With so many ways to cook an egg itself and then to cook with eggs you’re sure to find a way to increase your intake. My favourite is a breakfast omelette with peppers, onions and a side of spinach.
Leafy Greens
Leafy green vegetables are packed with important and powerful nutrients that are critical for good health. I find it easy to consume lots of leafy greens, living with a vegetarian!
Green power
Leafy greens can be found year round, and they can easily be incorporated into your meals. One tip I got from a book “How not to Die by Dr Michael McGreger” (and I’m sure many others give the same advice), is that raw food is better than cooked, but if you are cooking, cut and prepare in advance, then leave for 30-40 minutes for the good enzymes to start their work before you start cooking.
To reap the many impressive health benefits of leafy greens, make sure to include a variety of these vegetables in your diet.
Benefits
- Lung health
- Eye health
- Heart protectors
- Cancer busters
All these have appeared in numerous studies over decades and it’s still not common knowledge, perhaps it’s because so many studies are supported by the pharmaceutical industry and if the doctor told you to eat greens how would they survive…?
Summary – Superfoods 5 you will love
- Understand the food you eat: the pros and the cons and at the very least balance the scales in favour of the good stuff.
- Get them into your meals – as a guide the more colours the better.
- Variety is the spice of life…