Wednesday, May 26, 2010Eight Foods You Should Eat Every Day

Eat Eight – Feel Great

Trying to wean  yourself off junk foods, fast foods, comfort food? These foods you should eat will fill you up, help fight disease, and make you look and feel on top of things. Here’s a list of eight healthy foods so you can carry it with you when shopping:

• Oats
• Omega-3s: salmon, nuts
• Black Beans
• Blueberries
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Yogurt
• Spinach

Why Oats?

If the FDA approved oats for disease prevention potential, let’s benefit from their research. Oats fosters suppleness in arteries suppler and they reduce blood cholesterol level. Oats because they are complex carbs, slows sugar into the blood stream, and increases your use of the fuel created.

Are you nuts?

Omega-3s are associated with salmon but walnuts have more than the fish. They have more polyphenols than red wine and run a close second to chicken’s ability to build muscle. Seven nuts equals 1 oz of protein. Amazing! Also greats are pistachios, macadamia, peanuts, almond and soy nuts.

Black Beans are an antioxidant

You can improve your brain function with ½ cup of black beans, get 8 grams of protein and 7.5 grams of fiber. That’s a lot for a small amount of black beans.  And, they’re low calorie and have no saturated fat.  Along the same lines come kidney, fava, pinto beans plus peas and lentils.

Blueberries

Looking for a miracle in your life? Eat a blueberry, or an acai berry, or a purple grape or strawberries.  Prunes and raisins, too.  Why?  These fruits are very high in antioxidants and high in vitamin A and C.  They have preventative properties against cancer, diabetes, memory loss and heart problems.

Carrots love Tomatoes

Home gardeners know to grow them side-by-side for better production. Adding both to your diet is a great idea.  Carrots provide beta-carotene known to reduce inflammation like arthritis and asthma.  High in beta-carotene also are mango, sweet potato, yellow bell pepper, pumpkin and butternut squash.

Keep your heart healthy with the lycopene protection in tomatoes, better cooked than raw. Fix some yummy tomato sauce.

Yogurt – Active Probiotics

With active probiotics in your digestive system, you’ll be better able to absorb vitamins and minerals, and reduce constipation, diarrhea, nausea.  Make sure the label says “live cultures”.  Kefir or soy yogurt works well too. You’ll boost your immune system and protect against cancer.

Spinach – Muscle Man

We have Popeye the Sailor Man as a tribute to spinach’s ability to build muscle.  It’s rich in omega-3s also and folate and lutein.  Hearth and eye health are both well served with spinach in the diet, or if you prefer, kale, romaine lettuce and bok choy.

No Couch Potatoes

The eight foods you should eat above are not the be-all, end-all, do-all.  They represent a large proportion of the living process – healthy foods.  The other percentage is due to action, movement, old-fashioned exercise.  Create a regimen that works for you and begin.