Do superfoods exist? When you hear of a superfood, what comes to your mind? Nutritionists define superfood as anything that will give you balanced nutrition. In simpler terms, “foods that are packed with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants and offer more benefits nutritionally with fewer calories are the superfoods.”
Foods with a high nutritional value than the others are good for super. In other words, no style is under use to determine whether foods are super. But in most cases, you will find foods with nutritional benefits are favored compared to the others. Before we get started, it’s also worth noting that, according to the DissertationTeam research, superfoods have a significant effect on brain activity and therefore should become an integral part of the diet of any student or knowledge worker.
Superfoods – Healthy foods
In 2007, the European Union forbade using the word superfood on foods that did not have any health benefits. It makes sense since there is no scientific evidence of a different category for superfoods. Other than a marketing term. Hence, if you say food is super, you must have scientific evidence and proof to back you up.
Superfoods, superfruits, and super grains sales rose by 202%, according to research done between 2011 and 2015.
Superfoods for a healthy diet
Particular foods with the necessary nutrition will not just appear from nowhere. What I mean is, most foods with essential nutrients have to grow, and they do not have everything. They lack some nutrients such as; energy and some essential nutrients. Some of the top superfoods that can undergo integration into your diet include:
Avocados
Half an avocado has 29 milligrams(mg) of magnesium. It is from the U.S Department of Agriculture. Lack of adequate magnesium in the body leads to an increase in type 2 diabetes. Magnesium plays a significant role in regulating blood pressure and blood sugar in the body.
A healthy heart is as a result of 6.75 mg/half fruit of fiber, monosaturated and poly saturated fat
Berries
Broccoli
They fall under the category of cruciferous vegetables. These foods are famous as they prevent strokes, heart ailments and they lower cancer risks. Other vegetables that are part of these foods are; cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and cauliflower, as the fiber content is very high.
Onions and Garlic
They are known as Allium vegetables, and they assist in preventing cancer. Garlic plays a significant role in reducing high blood pressure, regulating blood sugars and cholesterol in the body.
This analysis came from a journal published in August 2019.
Seafood
Dark leafy green vegetables
They help a lot in weight loss—the darker the green vegetables, the more chlorophyll is available. There is a risk reduction for colorectal cancer. Another plant that assists in keeping cancer from affecting the general population is the carotenoids. Whole grains Revive
They have vitamins, mainly B, minerals, and phytonutrients, and they also have soluble and insoluble fiber. They lower cholesterol and control heart diseases and diabetes.
Soy
Another type of superfood is the soybeans with large concentrations of isoflavones that help reduce “bad cholesterol,” known in the blood. Isoflavones occur naturally in plants. In case you need to fight off memory loss, soy assists in the fight that is common when old age sets in. also, during menopause, the bone mineral density loss can be maintained by soy use.
Tea
One source of antioxidants is tea. It assists you in staying hydrated and have fewer calories. Catechins that are present in green tea have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. If you need to reduce stress levels, then green and white tea will be of great assistance.
Dark chocolate
Some others foods are getting known day by day such as:
- Wheatgrass
- Barley
- Turmeric
- Beet and beet juice
- Brazil nuts
- Spirulina
- Blue-green algae
In case you left your superfoods diet plan, then it is time to get back to it if you want to live healthily.
However, note that you have to take them in their natural form if you want to benefit from these superfoods. Supplements intake may not yield the same desired results as the superfoods.
Be healthy!