The Healthy
Foods You Aren’t Eating
Get Healthy By Adding These Items to Your Grocery List
There are many
superfoods that never get bought. Whether you have never heard of
them or you just hadn't thought about them, put them on your
table and improve your health -- without a
prescription.
Beets -
These roots are
naturally sweeter than any other vegetable, which means they pack tons
of flavor underneath their rugged exterior. Beets are the
equivalent of red spinach. This vegetable is one of the richest sources of folate and betaine
which are nutrients that work together to lower your homocysteine levels.
Homocysteine is an inflammatory compound that damages your arteries and
increases your risk of heart disease. The betacyanins, the pigments
in beets, are a
potent cancer fighter in laboratory mice. Beets are best eaten
fresh or raw, because cooking reduces their antioxidant power.
Cabbage - Cabbage is rich in nutrients and one cup of chopped cabbage has
only 22 calories. Cabbage contains sulforaphane which is a chemical
that increases the production of enzymes that combat free radicals and
reduce your risk of cancer.
Cinnamon -
Cinnamon helps control your blood sugar, which, in turn, reduces your risk of
heart disease. USDA researchers reported that people with type-2
diabetes who ate 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon each day for 6 weeks reduced not only their blood sugar but
also their triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon contains methylhydroxychalcone polymers
which increase your cells' ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times.
Add it to your coffee or your oatmeal.
Goji berries -
Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC ratings of any fruit.
The ORAC test measures
antioxidant power. The sugars that make goji
berries sweet reduce insulin resistance, which is a risk factor of
diabetes.
Guava -
Guava has more lycopene than any other plant food including tomatoes and
watermelon. Lycopene is an antioxidant that
fights prostate cancer. Guava also contains 63% more potassium than a
medium banana, is rich in vitamin C, and it has 9
grams of fiber in one cup.
 Purslane -
The FDA classifies purslane as a broad-leaved weed, but it is considered a vegetable
or herb in
many other countries.
Purslane has more omega-3 fats than any
other edible plant. Omega-3 fats are good for the heart.. It also has 10 to 20 times
more melatonin than an other fruit or vegetable. Melatonin is an
antioxidant that may inhibit cancer growth. Add it to a salad and improve
your health.
Plums, dried -
Prunes contain high amounts of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids. These
are
antioxidants that combat the
superoxide anion radical which causes structural
damage to your cells, and is thought to be one of the primary causes of
cancer.
Pomegranate juice -
A study showed that drinking just 2 ounces of
pomegranate juice daily for a year decreased the systolic blood pressure by 21% and
improved blood flow to
the heart. Four ounces of pomegranate juice gives you 50% of your daily
vitamin C requirement.
Pumpkin seeds - Pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium.
Men with high levels of magnesium in their blood have a 40%
lower risk of early death than those with the lowest levels.
Swiss chard -
One-half cup of cooked Swiss chard provides a large amounts of the carotenoids, lutein
and zeaxanthin. Carotenoids protect your retinas from the damage of aging, because both nutrients, appear to accumulate in your retinas, where they absorb
light rays that can damage your eyes. |
