The Ten Healthiest Foods on the Planet

Everyone tries to eat right and promote a healthy lifestyle. In order to maintain a good diet, Fitness Magazine recommends adding these ten super foods to your everyday meal routine:

10

Lemons

Lemons have a very large amount of vitamin C. Just one lemon is enough to meet your daily needs. In addition to supporting your immune system, lemons have also been found to help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and acts like an anti-inflammatory agent (similar to ibuprofen). Another positive is that lemons have been shown to help the body absorb up to 80 percent more antioxidants than without having them. Better add a slice to your green tea or fruit juice.

9

Broccoli

This hearty vegetable is packed with more than 100 percent of your vitamin K and 200 percent of your vitamin C needs. This can aid in bone growth and fight certain cancers. If you want to savor more nutrients from broccoli, avoid boiling or steaming and microwave it instead. This will cause less nutrients to be lost from evaporation and heat.

8

Dark Chocolate

Yes, even this tasty treat has many benefits. Dark chocolate contains many flavonoids and antioxidants to help regulate ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. A regular bar of dark chocolate also has over four times as many flavonoids as a milk chocolate bar. This chocolate has also been proven to help lower blood pressure by eating just ¼ an ounce daily.

7

Potatoes

This main staple crop comes in many forms, yet all kinds of potatoes have health benefits. One sweet potato has eight times the amount of your daily needs for vitamin A. One red potato has 66 micrograms of folate, which helps to build cells in the body. This is the same amount found in a much larger, one-cup serving of spinach or broccoli.

6

Salmon

Salmon is one of the leanest and nutritious meats out there. One six ounce serving (a small fillet or sushi plate) has your daily requirements for niacin. This helps protect against Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. The fish also is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, helpful in reducing the risks of heart disease, depression, and cancer. Try to eat wild-caught salmon, as their meats tend to have higher nutrient levels.

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5

Walnuts

Walnuts share many of the same nutrients that are found in salmon. Aside from also being rich in protein, walnuts too are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. They happen to have the most of all common nuts. Omega-3 can fight sun damage in addition to the benefits mentioned before. The best attribute walnuts have is that they go well with almost any meal, be it a snack, part of a main course or with pie or ice cream for dessert.

4

Avocados

Grown in tropical regions, avocados have more than 40 percent of the folate and half the fiber you need daily. This helps reduce the risk of heart disease. They also hve been shown to contain fats that reduce cholesterol by 22 percent. Add this amazing food to your salads or as a guacamole in dishes, as it can help the body more easily absorb important nutrients such as beta-carotene and others.

3

Garlic

Though it is known for its pungent odor and flavor, garlic is a very beneficial health food. Allicin, which is a compound in garlic, is a good anti-inflammatory agent that lowers cholesterol and blood-pressure levels. It is also great at fighting off diseases that are borne through bacteria, such as E. coli. To gain the most nutrients from garlic, it unfortunately needs to be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Like other foods, garlic loses many of its nutrients when exposed to heat and water evaporation.

2

Spinach

This well known vegetable isn’t just good for Popeye. Of all the fruits and vegetables that help fight cancer, spinach is the most effective. Spinach also has high amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which helps support eye health. The best part about spinach is it has little if any flavor. Try adding some to your diet masked with a salad or in a fruit smoothie.

1

Beans

Surprisingly, there are many types of beans that are truly a wonder food. Regularly eating servings of legumes (that is beans such as soybeans, lima beans, peas, lentils, etc) helps lower the risks of both heart disease and breast cancer. Also, darker beans (such as black beans) contain as much as 40 times the amount of antioxidants found in white beans! This food also has the other important core vitamins as well as proteins, iron, and of course, fiber. It’s no wonder that this food is so commonly used and consumed in many dishes and diets worldwide.

 

Source: Fitness Magazine and Be Healthy