Some of our favourite healthy foods not only taste delicious but can help us live longer! Fresh fruit and vegetables are vital for your diet and it is recommended that we eat five portions a day.
Scientists have recently discovered l that pomegranate’s have life-extending qualities and there are a range of super foods out there that have been proved to have enhancing qualities. Let’s have a look at how super foods can improve our diet and our health!
Eat Five Super Foods a Day
Believe it or not, you are probably already eating a fair share of super foods daily. From sweet potatoes to blueberries, your fridge is bound to be packed with healthy goodness already. Super food does not have to be expensive, in fact it doesn’t need to cost much at all!
To survive our bodies, need water. Water is vital as it flushes toxins out of our l organs and carries the important nutrients to our cells. We must restock our body with water as we lose internal water daily, therefore we must replenish our systems.
How much water should we be drinking? You have probably heard before that the recommended amount of water is 8 eight-ounce glasses but it is actually more than that!
According to The Huffington Post, men should drink roughly three litres (about 13 cups) and women should have 2.2 litres (about 9 cups). Although it is important to drink water, try to maintain 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day at least.
The Power Behind Super Foods
Scientists are feeding animals the superfood, pomegranate, to see the effect it has on their lifespan and health. The main ingredient from the fruit which is being tested is urolithin (UA). The tests have shown remarkable results. And it has extended rodent life span by 50 per cent.
Nutritionist and skin health expert, Kim Pearson has spoken about how pomegranates can ‘extend life’ in humans, just like it has in the animals.
” When they gave the chemical to elderly mice, they found that they could run 42 per cent further… This improvement occurred in the mice without them building any more muscles, which suggests that UA improves muscle-cell quality, rather than quantity.”
For this to have the same effect on humans the average consumer would need to drink up to four large glasses of pomegranate juice every day. This may be challenging for the average person therefore another way to experiment with super foods would be to incorporate other antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.
In order to achieve a truly youthful complexion, it’s vital to consider the food we put inside our body. But why is it important to increase our intake of antioxidants as we get older?
How Super Foods Can Make Us Feel More Youthful
Unfortunately, there is no stopping aging, it’s just part of life! But by eating healthier we can feel younger and more youthful. Technically we have two ages, our chronological age and our biological age. Our chronological age is the amount of time we have been living and our biological age reflects our bodies health.
Alcohol, sun exposure and unhealthy food choices are all factors which can harm biological and although we cannot change our chronological age, we can improve our biological age. We can do this through making positive, healthy life style choices.
What Super Foods Should I Buy?
It is not just fruit and vegetables that come under the super food bracket meats and fish like turkey and salmon are full of nutrients which are great for your body. Find a list of lower priced super foods you will be able to source at your local supermarket.
Apples
The old saying “an apple a day does more than keep the doctor away” couldn’t be more true! Apples are not only tasty but they are full of healthy goodness. Apples have been proven to blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, decrease the chances of both colon and breast cancer.
Apples are one of the more affordable super food options and can be sourced in almost every super market or local food shop. This could be the perfect excuse to make yourself an apple pie this weekend!
Walnuts
Nutritionists have argued that unsalted nuts deserve their own spot in every healthy eater’s shopping trolley. Not only are nuts packed with protein, fibre, healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, figures have shown that nuts have strong cholesterol-lowering effects.
If you are thinking about adding nuts to your daily diet, walnuts are a great place to start! Kick start your new nutrition plan with a quarter of a cup of walnuts. This portion will make up 90% of your daily recommended amount, omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts are a super food as they can improve a number of your bodily functions, including: maintaining cognitive function, improving cholesterol and even regulating blood pressure.
Avocados
Avocados are great for lunches, salads and snacking and they are also fairly easy to find! The avocado is a member of the pear family, and this green treat is cholesterol-free and rich in monounsaturated fats and potassium. As avocados are so versatile they are one of the best super foods to have at home.
Beetroot
Due to the strong natural colouring in beetroot, they are packed with antioxidants. In the past studies have shown that beetroot can help protect consumers against cancer, heart disease, and even inflammation.
Eat Good, Feel Better
Healthy eating does not need to be expensive. There are lots of new super foods which are coming to light: from quinoa to chia seeds and goji berries but start basic with some of the tips above. This will help you ease into a healthy eating plan and you won’t see much change to your eating habits at first.
Having a treat every now and again is fine! But if you are keen to start eating clean, try to eliminate processed foods from your diet (find out more in our weight loss tips section). Certain fruits and vegetables are vital if you want to fight off aging and disease. Add super foods to your diet and you will be adding much needed antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will improve your mind and body’s health.
