Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren't - PLUS 10 Surprising Superfoods

[Alexa]

Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren't - By Susan Adams / Forbes.com

Improving your health can be as simple as eating these items.

Eaten many coconuts lately? How about cherries or blueberries?

You should, because these are all foods with powerful health properties. However, few people pack their grocery carts full of these items.

Take kiwifruit. It's chock full of vitamin C--a whopping 115% of what you need to eat in a day. It's also low in calories--just 45 per fruit, sans skin.

"In America, most people don't eat three servings of fruit and vegetables a day," says nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of seven books including, most recently, The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy. According to him, there are 10 very healthy foods we don't eat enough of.

Ignore the Food Pyramid

Bowden says many Americans are misled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, which is a graphic, pyramid-shaped depiction of nutrition guidelines, updated every five years, that tells Americans what to eat according to food groups. Bowden dismisses it as the product of interest group politics.
"It demonizes fat," notes Bowden. "Fat is an essential building block for many important compounds in the body." This is why Bowden puts grass-fed beef, wild salmon and, yes, coconuts, on his top 10 list.

Salmon, in particular, is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with heart and brain health as well as bringing down blood pressure and triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease. Omega-3s have also been found to improve mood and reduce inflammation, says Bowden.

Another food packed with nutritional value that's present--but not necessarily front and center in every grocery store--is kale. A member of the cabbage family, which Bowden dubs "vegetable royalty," kale contains indoles, a compound found to fight cancer. Kale is also rich in antioxidants, which also help prevent cancer, says Bowden.

If that's not enough for you, kale is also full of sulforaphane, yet another cancer-prevention agent. Kale has calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K, and two nutrients that are great for the eyes, including zeaxanthin. Kale's pièce de résistance: Two cups packs three grams of fiber. Try sautéing it with garlic and butter, recommends Bowden. Or eat it like salad, with pine nuts, cranberries and olive oil.

Then there are coconuts, a terribly misunderstood food, according to Bowden. The fat in coconuts is a particular kind that's good for you. It's called MCT, or Medium-Chain Triglycerides. The body doesn't store MCT as fat, says Bowden, but rather uses it as energy, like a carbohydrate. Coconuts are also high in lauric acid, a fatty acid that tends to kill pathogens. In addition, coconut oil is great for cooking since it has a very high smoke point.

Eat Mediterranean

For Bowden, sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet is the healthiest way to eat. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and lots of olive and nut oils. The Mediterranean diet has indeed been proved by study after study to have multiple healthful properties.

If all that sounds just too darn healthy, consider the 10th food on Bowden's list: dark chocolate. Rich with a phytochemical called flavanol, found by a 2005 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology to improve cardiovascular health, chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content should be a regular on your shopping list.

Chocolate and coconut anyone? OK, but not until you've finished your kale.

(scroll down for 10 surprising superfoods)

[Bridget Ann Orman]

hello dear sis great post hope all is well with you thanksfor sharing with us love and hugs

[Alexa]

Hi dear Bridget. Hope today finds you well. xoxo alexa

[Alexa]

10 Surprising Superfoods:


RAW CHOCOLATE

We're not talking about Hershey's here. Raw chocolate--or the cacao nut--is the real superfood. (Any chocolate that's below 70% cacao has very little nutritional value.) Along with omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, the bitter nut contains magnesium, plant-source iron and phenylethylamine, said to enhance one's mood.




AVOCADOS

Sure, this buttery fruit is high in fat, but it's primarily monounsaturated fat, which means it doesn't clog arteries. Avocados are also high in potassium (which can reduce the risk of high blood pressure), B vitamins (which promote healthy skin and muscle tone), vitamin E (which protects against cardiovascular disease) and vitamin K (which improves bone health), as well as insoluble and soluble fiber, which help aid in digestion.





DARK BUCKWHEAT HONEY
Buckwheat Honey
In general, honey is categorized as a high-glycemic food, which means it causes a spike in the body's sugar levels. But dark honey, like buckwheat, neutralizes sugar levels, according to Pratt. The sweetener is also an anti-inflammatory packed with anti-oxidants, which help improve brain and heart functions. It also has anti-bacterial properties and is used to help heal wounds in certain cultures.



PUMPKIN

Used most in a super-sweet pie filling, pumpkin, on its own, is highly-nutritious. The fruit contains antioxidants like carotenoids, a defense against cell damage, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration, an eye disease that can result in blindness. When baked with spices--sweet or savory--pumpkin is a delicious, healthy side dish or snack.



EGGS

This popular, cheap food was once associated with high cholesterol and heart disease. However, more recent studies have found that notion to be false. An egg, on average, only contains 1.5 grams of saturated fat. They also contain vitamin D (which keeps bones strong), choline--a nutrient that aids in heart and brain health--and sulfur and other minerals, great for keeping hair and nails strong.



CINNAMON

This slightly sweet spice helps to slow down the rush of sugar to the blood, known to affect insulin levels and sometimes cause weight gain. It's also an anti-inflammatory, which means it can help delay the onset of aging.




FROZEN BLUEBERRIES

Don't worry about losing nutrients by freezing your fruit--that's a fallacy, according to Pratt. Any kind of blueberry--frozen or unfrozen--is good for you. The fruit is filled with immune-boosting Vitamin C and antioxidants said to improve brain function. Research at the Boston-based USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging showed that blueberries can help to increase the number of cells in the area of the brain responsible for memory.



BLACK TEA

Although green tea is often lauded for its health benefits, black tea--more popular in the West--comprises theaflavins and thearubigens, which have been found to be effective in preventing dementia and lowering cholesterol.




WASABI

Japanese horseradish--a potent condiment often eaten with sushi--has several potential health benefits. It's said to help prevent everything from ulcers and tooth decay to blood clots and asthma. It also has antibacterial properties.




TOMATO PASTE

No-salt or low-salt tomato paste has the highest concentration of lycopene of all tomatoes or tomato products, according to Pratt. The phytochemical is a natural blood thinner and a strong defense against certain diseases like prostate cancer.

[firstlove]

Love the kiwifruit, its everywhere here and fijoas - yum

[Bridget Ann Orman]

hello what a great and interesting read this was dear sis so much useful information thank you for sharting it with us you always bring the sunshine to my day have a great weekend lol