What are Superfoods?
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
What are Superfoods?
In a conversation about healthier eating, we cannot ignore the question? What are Superfoods? And not only do we want to know What are Superfoods, but why are they so good for us?
We hear about them everywhere – what are superfoods? and how we should all be including them in our daily diet. What are superfoods and where can we find them?
According to Wikipedia, What are superfoods? – “a superfood is one that has high concentrations of essential nutrients with proven health benefits, and with few properties generally considered to be negative (such as being high in saturated fats or artificial ingredients, food additives or contaminants).”
So, What are Superfoods?
What are Superfoods? According to WebMD some common examples of superfoods that are readily available at the grocery store include:
Blueberries – they have only 80 calories per cur, are high in antioxidants, Vitamin C, fiber and potassium.
Foods rich in Omega 3 fats – these are the healthy fats that can lower your risk of heart disease. Some examples include wild fish (not farm-raised) such as salmon and mackerel, but also include walnuts, flax seed and fortified eggs. These foods can also decrease your cholesterol.
Soy – products like soy milk, edamame and tofu can help lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Fiber –a diet high in fiber – whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes – can help reduce cholesterol. In addition, a high fiber meal keeps you feeling full longer and can help maintain a healthy weight.
What are Superfoods?
Calcium – we all know this one – it helps keep our bones healthy and prevents osteoporosis. Good sources include low fat dairy products, broccoli, kale, Keep in mind the calcium levels recommended by the USDA are ages from 19-50 years – 1000 mg and over 50 – 1200 mg.
And Dark Chocolate! – yes dark chocolate is considered a superfood. It is high in antioxidants and can help lower blood pressure. Make sure it is at least 60% cocoa, it will have less fat and sugar.
Green Tea – green tea contains ECGC, a very powerful antioxidant that reduces cholesterol and may actually inhibit the growth of cancer cells! There are several different types of tea on the market, including oolong, white tea, and black tea. It can be confusing sorting through all the claims. When it comes to tea, What are Superfoods and What aren’t? Or are they all to some degrees. More on this later.
Now, antioxidants are listed as the benefit of a lot of these superfoods, as well as other health foods that we are encouraged to eat. We hear that word everywhere. So, now that we’ve answer the question, What are Sueprfoods? – we need to know what are antioxidants and what do they do for us?
According to WebMd, What are antioxidants? “They are vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that protect and repair cells from damage caused by free radicals. Many experts believe this damage plays a part in a number of chronic diseases, including hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), cancer, and arthritis. Free radicals can also interfere with your immune system. So fighting off damage with antioxidants helps keep your immune system strong, making you better able to ward off colds, flu, and other infections.”
What are Superfoods? – Are These the Only Ones?
No, of course not, there are plenty of other foods that are considered superfoods. In Self Magazine’s article about What Are Superfoods, mushrooms, steak, gogi berries, apples, lentils, and several other foods are listed as superfoods? So, what are superfoods and how many are there? There are enough foods (and more and more being classified as superfoods every day) to give you tremendous variety and health benefits in your diet to be on your way to living a longer, healthier lifestyle.
Learn more about What Are Superfoods? and other nutritional tips, including “Processed Foods vs. Whole Foods.”
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What are Superfoods? – they are foods that you want to start including in your diet.