Top Healthy Foods and How They Help
In doing research for this piece on the top health foods, I came across a website touting over 129 foods as being the healthiest in the world. In one sense, this is good news, because you can easily build a complete diet around a variety of food choices. On the other hand, boring readers with a long list of foods and their benefits is not the goal here, so I’ve chosen to select some fruits, vegetables, grains and other foods that provide exceptional benefits to your health and body.
Healthy Food #1: Avocado
photo credit: faerybootsThese little rich California buttery delights do a lot more than add some zip to salads and sandwiches. Avocados contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol. Avocados are also a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Not only that, but one cup of avocado has 23% of the daily value for folate, a nutrient important for heart health. Avocados are a great protector of the chest region of the human body, providing a dietary source of monounsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid, which has recently been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer.
Healthy Food #2: Tomatoes
photo credit: Jef PoskanzerYou would have to avoid vegetables at all costs to not have heard about the health benefit of lycopene. Tomatoes are chock full of this carotenoid, which helps provide your body with antioxidants and gives you some cancer-fighting properties. Lycopene also helps in preventing heart disease so you won’t have to go searching for that guaranteed issue health insurance, which could be costly. If you want to get the most bang for your tomato buck, look for organic, whether you are buying tomatoes straight off the vine or seeking out some ketchup to squirt on your french fries. For example, organic ketchup delivers three times as much of the cancer-fighting carotenoid, lycopene, as non-organic brands. Tomatoes are also adept in contributing to a healthy colon and can help reduce the disk of prostate cancer.
Healthy Food #3: Blueberries
photo credit: shallowendHave you ever gone tromping through the bushes, getting scratches by thorns and bopped by branches in search of the best patch of blueberries to be found? Maybe that is only something that my mother does, but she is on the right track. Blueberries are chock full of nutrients as well as flavor. In fact, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals.
According to http://whfoods.org/ blueberries, “packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. Anthocyanins, the blue-red pigments found in blueberries, improve the integrity of support structures in the veins and entire vascular system. Anthocyanins have been shown to enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and stabilize the collagen matrix (the ground substance of all body tissues).”
Healthy Food #4: Flax Seeds
photo credit: foodistablogFlax seeds are a great, versatile food. They taste delicious ground up and on warm cereals, they can be incorporated into baked goods and used in place of oil, and they are great by themselves sprinkled onto a little yogurt. Flax seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and those who don’t eat fish regularly (a great source of omega-3) should consider eating more flax seeds or taking a flax supplement.
Flax seeds are also high in fiber, which helps keep you feeling full between meals and also contributes to regularity. Women can also highly benefit from regular consumption of flax seeds, because recent studies show that women experiencing hot flashes can reduce the flashes by 50% or more by taking 40 grams of crushed flax seeds per day. Talk about a hot tip!
Incorporating these healthy foods into your diet is just one way to ensure that you are doing right by your body. It is also important to make sure you know all about your health insurance options so you can take care of yourself and your family should these powerful foods ever fail you. Please visit medhealthinsurance.com to learn more.
Tags: antioxidants, avocado, blueberries, breast cancer, flax, flaxseed, health foods, healthy, prostate cancer
