The Ten Best Healthy Foods to Eat (Part II)

In the last blog we discussed five of the ten best healthy foods you can eat. This blog will examine the other five. But remember, these foods are just a beginning—there are numerous other healthy food selections that have an abundance of lean protein, heart-healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. There were just too many to put on the list!

Cruciferous Vegetables

What is a cruciferous vegetable? They’re a category of vegetable that includes veggies like cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli, radishes and Brussels sprouts. These veggies are high in dissolvable fiber, Vitamin C and many nutrients that might have anti-cancer attributes which contain compounds such as sulforaphane, diindolylmethane and selenium.

The University of California-Berkeley research has revealed that the compound 3,3′-Diindolylmethane might have powerful anti-cancer attributes and could stop the cell growth in prostate cancer cells.

These great veggies can be eaten as side dishes, raw with a low-fat dip, in salads or they go great with a stir-fry.

Berries

Like the cruciferous vegetables, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and cranberries are all tremendously high in antioxidants, a great source of fiber and low in fat. Berries are also somewhat low in sugar when you compare them to other fruits such as bananas. This is why berries are perfect for people who want to maintain a low carbohydrate intake.

These are a great fruit that will freeze well. This makes berries a terrific “fresh” fruit to always have on hand in your freezer to throw on top of your morning cereal, in your smoothies or mix in your oatmeal.

Almonds and Other Nuts

Almonds and other nuts such as pecans, Brazil nuts and walnuts are high in healthy fat, contain high antioxidant levels and have high levels of minerals.

Regularly consuming nuts—particularly almonds—have been connected with a decreased risk of specific cancers, Type II diabetes, heart disease and maybe Alzheimer’s Disease.

Although nuts are credited with being a “fattening food”, research shows that they could be getting a bad rap. Studies indicate that those people who eat nuts seem to weigh less than those who don’t. At the very least, they certainly aren’t causing people to weigh more. So what’s the secret? Aren’t foods that are high in fat and calories usually the cause for gaining fat? Nuts are very dense nutritionally; they contain a high level of minerals, vitamins and micro-nutrients. Nuts are also great sources of protein, fiber and brain- and heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). This means that walnuts, almonds, pecans and other nuts are extremely satisfying and helps people to be less tempted to overeat later on. This effect is more noticeable if you replace those nutritionally-empty foods like corn chips, potato chips or pretzels with almonds or other nuts.

Pecans, almonds and walnuts are constantly ranked high in antioxidant foods. The kinds of antioxidants vary based on the nut, so be sure to include a broad range of them in your diet to ensure that you receive the most antioxidants possible.

But be careful of that sodium! Even though one handful of salted almonds is okay once in a while, make an attempt to search for other ways to incorporate unsalted nuts into your diet—perhaps add them to granola, salads or your oatmeal.

Apples

Is it true that an apple a day will keep the doctor away? Yes, they very well could! One of the healthiest fruits you could eat is an apple.

Like berries and cruciferous vegetables, apples are high in fiber—specifically fruit pectins and soluble fiber. Likewise, they’re high in vitamins, antioxidants and trace minerals and are an excellent daily inclusion to your healthy diet. Apples also have phytochemicals like epicatechin, quercetin and procyanidin B2.

Research has indicated that consuming a daily apple may assist in reducing the danger of prostate cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer. What’s even better is that apples are comparatively low in calories and sugar and don’t have any cholesterol or fat. Plus, they’re easily portable which makes them the perfect snack! While apples are wonderful to eat whole, don’t forget that they can make a crispy, terrific compliment to oatmeal, muesli, salads or cold cereal.

Salad Greens

Even though green, leafy vegetables are a good, low-calorie source of vitamins, antioxidants and trace minerals, you can easily ruin their healthiness by lavishing them with creamy dressings or heavy mayonnaise. Rather select lighter vinaigrettes which use cold-pressed, healthy oils such as nut oils, olive oil or avocado oil. Those oils are high in the heart-friendly MUFAs which might really have other health advantages and prevent the storage of fat.

Urge yourself to eat more greens by purchasing a salad spinner, preparing and bagging your own lettuce. This ensures that you’ll always have crispy, fresh salad at your fingertips and it’s more economical than getting the pre-bagged mix at the supermarket.

Don’t overlook the more hearty greens like spinach and kale! They can be mixed in with green salads; but these leafy, dark vegetables are wonderful sources of minerals and vitamins and add a boost of flavor in any kind of soup or other dishes.

There’s rising evidence that micro-nutrients, phytochemicals and particular vitamins and minerals work with one another in your body to maintain energy, fight diseases and stabilize major metabolic functions. This is one reason why replacing whole foods with antioxidant or vitamin extracts doesn’t appear to generate the same outcome in your body. So, to receive the most nutritional punch, you should make an effort to combine all the foods that have been discussed here as well as in Part I and insert them into your diet on a regular schedule. This is called the “portfolio approach to eating”. If you include a wide range of various sources of healthy fats, complex carbs, antioxidants and proteins, you’re diet and meals can become “super charged”.