Nutrition: The Super Foods that keep you Healthy

13 Aug 2009
Nutrition: The Super Foods that keep you Healthy

Get ready to experience a volume of information of the healthiest foods in the world. Here is a list of the top ten super foods that most health experts agree on. You should tell everyone you know about these foods and enjoy them at your next meal. From fruits and vegetables, to whole grains, nuts, beans and legumes, this power-packed nutritional inventory will take you into the best years of your life and beyond.

Fruits

  1. Cantaloupe
    Only a quarter of cantaloupe provides almost all the vitamin A needed in one day. Since the beta-carotene in a cantaloupe converts to vitamin A, you get both nutrients at once. These vision-strengthening nutrients may help reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Like an orange, cantaloupe is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps our immune system. It is also is a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, niacin, and potassium, which helps maintain good blood sugar levels and metabolism. This pale orange power fruit may help reduce our risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

  2. Blueberries
    These mildly sweet (and sometimes tangy) berries offer a high capacity to destroy free radicals that can cause cancer. Low in calories, they offer antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, which enhance the effects of vitamin C. These antioxidants may help prevent cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.

Vegetables

3: Tomatoes
Tomatoes help us fight against heart disease and cancers such as colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and cancer of the pancreas. Tomatoes are also good sources of vitamin C, A, and K. In a 2004 study, it was found that tomato juice alone can help reduce blood clotting.

Fresh, organic tomatoes deliver three times as much of the cancer-fighting carotenoid lycopene. Even organic ketchup is better for you than regular ketchup! Look for tomato pastes and sauces that contain the whole tomato (including peels) because you will absorb 75% more lycopene and almost two times the amount of beta-carotene.

4: Sweet Potatoes
As an excellent source of vitamin A, C, and manganese, sweet potatoes are also a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Those who are smokers or prone to second-hand smoke may benefit greatly from this root vegetable that helps protect us against emphysema.

For a unique dessert, cube a cooked sweet potato and slice a banana. Then lightly pour maple syrup over the top and add a dash or two of cinnamon. Add chopped walnuts for an even healthier kick.

5: Spinach and Kale

A cancer-fighter and cardio-helper, spinach and kale top the list as far as green leafy vegetables are concerned. Much like broccoli, they provide an excellent source of vitamin A and C. Kale is a surprisingly good source of calcium at 25% per cup, boiled. Vitamin K is abundantly found in spinach as well, with almost 200% of the Daily Value available, to help reduce bone loss.

Whole Grains
6: Whole Grain Bread, Pasta and Brown Rice

Whether it’s bread or pasta, the first thing to check for when purchasing whole grain bread and pasta is to make sure it is 100% whole grain. Remember to check the list of ingredients on the package. For example, look for the exact phrase “whole wheat flour” as one of the first ingredients listed in whole wheat bread. If it’s not listed as such, then it’s not whole grain. Wheat bran is a cancer-fighting grain that also helps us regulate our bowel movements.

Brown rice is also a better choice than refined grain (white rice) for the same reason as choosing whole wheat bread. Whole wheat flour or brown rice that turns into white flour or white rice actually destroys between 50-90% of vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids we need. Even when processed white flour or white rice is “enriched,” it is not in the same form as the original unprocessed kind. In fact, 11 nutrients are actually lost and are not replaced during the “enrichment” process!

Nuts
7: Walnuts

These nuts are packed with omega-3 fats, which is one of the “good” fats. A quarter cup of walnuts would take care of about 90% of the omega-3s needed in one day. Walnuts provide many health benefits including cardiovascular protection, better cognitive function, anti-inflammatory advantages relating to asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis. They can even help against cancer and also support the immune system.

Beans and Legumes

8: Black Beans and Lentils

While black beans are a good source of fiber that can lower cholesterol, so are lentils. The high fiber content in both black beans and lentils helps to maintain blood sugar levels. Also a fat-free, high quality protein with additional minerals and B-vitamins, black beans and lentils fill you up and don’t expand your waistline.

A complete, one-stop source of using a variety of beans and lentils comes easy when you can find a bag of 15-bean mix (includes black beans, lentils, navy, pinto, red, kidney, etc.) at the grocery store. Consider making a delicious soup with the addition of tomatoes, onions, garlic and your favorite spices with this bean mixture.

Dairy

9: Skim Milk and Yogurt

Skim milk (or low-fat) helps to promote strong bones, offering an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K. These nutrients help protect colon cells from cancer-causing chemicals, bone loss, migraine headaches, premenstrual symptoms, and childhood obesity. Recent studies also show that overweight adults lose weight, especially around the midsection, when consuming low-fat dairy such as skim milk and yogurt.

Yogurt also includes the essential nutrients such as phosphorous and vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin B5, zinc, potassium, and protein. Yogurt’s live bacterial cultures also provide a wealth of health benefits that may help us live longer and strengthen our immune system.

Seafood

10: Salmon

Salmon is high in protein, low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fats (the essential fatty acids that are also found in those walnuts mentioned earlier). Salmon is a heart-healthy food and is recommended to eat at least twice a week. When choosing salmon, it’s best to stay away from farm raised and select wild instead. Research studies show that farmed salmon may cause cancer because it may carry high levels of carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Other

Green Tea and “Power” Water

Although not food per say, the health benefits of these beverages are worthy of mentioning.

Green tea has beneficial phytonutrients and lower levels of caffeine than all other teas. The more research studying green tea, the more health benefits are found. A cancer fighter as well, green tea has antioxidant effects that lower risks of bacterial or viral infections to cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis.

Water packed with vitamins and/or naturally sweetened fruit are also the newest trend. Some offer a full day’s supply of vitamin C while others promise no artificial sweeteners with a full, fruity taste.

As you can see, the top ten super foods are worth every bite (or sip). Now that you know which foods can help save your life, what’s more important than investing in your health?

Watch the video related to health food


www.healthfitnesssite.com 100 Life Saving Health Food Tips-

Help answer the question about health food

What are my best options for packaging foods to sell to health food stores?
I am starting my own business selling prepared foods to health food stores. A number of the things that I want to sell are going to need to be packaged in sealed plastic bags (e.g. flax crackers, etc.). In order to do this, do I need to buy my own sealer as well as the bags? Can I just buy bags with that are already resealable? Can anyone suggest a good source to buy these products from?

26 Responses to Nutrition: The Super Foods that keep you Healthy

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porxcfhgfd

August 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

love the video… love the music…. anyone know what the name of the song is?

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blackjuicybun

August 13th, 2009 at 3:00 pm

ha u hilarious!

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BandGeek827

August 13th, 2009 at 3:23 pm

I eat an apple every day, and I still get constipated!

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stevieklk

August 13th, 2009 at 3:39 pm

Arbor foods market…

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madgone82

August 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Doubt very much if your going to be able to sell to a store. There is laws on how the food has to be and also how it is to be packaged and the kind of label it must have on it. Most stores have orders sent to them from a factory

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Me

August 13th, 2009 at 6:57 pm

If it's the same brand, then where you buy it doesn't matter. There are natural cleanses you can do at home–green vegetables work better than anything else to clean your colon naturally.

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Eric W

August 13th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

concord grape……….get the jam or preserves if you can

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Enelyna

August 14th, 2009 at 1:30 am

yes, most of it is.

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dragonboyz943

August 14th, 2009 at 3:43 am

apple sause(maybe with cinnamon and sugar)…..
or a smoothie (i love any kind)

just use fruit, yogurt, ….

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ChowBella

August 14th, 2009 at 10:34 am

I've seen some of the Red Mill products at Kroger's.
Here in the mid-Louisiana area, (Lafayette, La) we have Vitamin Plus and some other scattered locations. Nice prices. I believe one of the reasons they have reasonable prices is because (1) they don't accept credit cards and pass that savings (no credit card trasaction fees) onto the customers (2) they don't have a scanning system at the register.

Note – NOT all foods at the health food store is healthy for you either.

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jtking2504

August 14th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Fruit & veg have specific properties in them, vitamins, compounds etc., which have been proven in scientific tests to directly affect certain ailments in the human body. For example, Licopene found in tomatoes, has been shown to reduce certain types of cancer. You can google just this one compound and it will show you many scientific studies done on the cancer preventative properties of Licopene. This is just one example only, fruit & veg contain many such properties.

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AnswerMe

August 14th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

The one I like going to has a peanut butter making machine….you buy the nuts..and then put it in the machine and make peanut butter…thats what I do :D

Besides that, I just get all my other healthy stuff from my local grocery store….they've got a large organic section.

It does feel awesome when you look at the ingrediants in a bag of frozen french fries and see "Ingredients: potatoes, salt." ….instead of like 1000000 things. I feel much healthier too when I eat stuff like that :)
(even if salt is bad for you..but..eh, you get my point)

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davnic017

August 15th, 2009 at 2:20 am

Chamberlains is the best known. Also Publix has a lot of good foods. They have Arnold's high fiber bread. Kashi products. Greenwise items which is a whole area of the store dedicated to that.

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C

August 15th, 2009 at 10:49 am

Certified organic meat should never be irradiated as that would be against the USDA regulations that expressly ban irradiation of organic meats (and all other organic foods). Not certified organic meat not bought direct from the farmer likely is irradiated

To be really safe buy your meats direct from the farmer
http://www.localharvest.org
http://www.eatwild.org

more information on irradiation in meats and organic foods.
http://www.organicconsumers.org
http://www.acresusa.com

check out the book Zapped by Winona Hauter which is all about this subject. http://www.fwwatch.org/blog/topics/Zapped

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holylok

August 15th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

lmao

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BeaucoupRed

August 15th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

The rats are jumping ship.

CHEMRISK – a research company hired by the Corn Refiners has recently taken down it’s YouTube page.

The removal was in response to negative public perception resulting from the high-fructose corn syrup ad campaign. Apparently it has become a liability to defend the sweetener.

See the last remaining ChemRisk video at CornRefinersAssoc on YouTube.

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lateknightucd

August 15th, 2009 at 6:42 pm

I don't know that it's a given that that food will cause it. However, I did feed that to both my cats for the first 2 years of their lives. I mixed it with Purina's Weight Management about 1/2 and 1/2.

Poppy ALWAYS had loose stool. Not diarrhea, but always loosey goosey. Sophie has always been fine.

When I switched them to Natural Balance canned, Sophie stayed the same but Poppy improved IMMENSELY. No more weekly butt washing for me! We were both happy about that.

I recently had to give in and give her some dry food again (she went on strike). Since I wasn't about to completely lower my standards, I mixed it in with Evo. I had to buy Purina, and I chose the UTI one since that was partly what I fed before. She's been getting about 1/4 cup per day of the two mixed together, and almost immediately her stool softened again.

So I guess my point is – it's not a hard and fast rule, but it quite likely disagrees with your cat, just as it did with mine.

I'm now decreasing the amount of dry food they get, and I'll be cutting back on the Purina portion as well.

What I recommend to you is to first take a stool sample to the vet for analysis to rule out anything else. If nothing is found, I really recommend doing some research and changing your cat's diet.

It's well documented that cats who eat moist (canned or raw) diets are less likely to suffer from urinary tract issues. This is because they are taking in adequate water in their food. Cats have low thirst drives and most do not drink enough water. Just like humans, water intake is important to urinary health. So if your cat is getting enough moisture in his food, his urine will be less concentrated (and less smelly!) and UTI's will be less frequent.

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Country

August 15th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

You don't need a health food store. Buy local honey… Honey that is made from within 25 miles from your home… Use it every day in tea or coffee and the allergeies will subside within a couple weeks.

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BlackDahlia

August 16th, 2009 at 1:10 am

Try Holland & Barrett they are a reputable company

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fidjibajs2

August 16th, 2009 at 1:52 am

Is this true i want to know pls someone

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darkshadows9

August 16th, 2009 at 5:17 am

Some of the most popular natural products for boosting the immune system are Colostrum, Mushrooms (Maitake, Shiitake, and Reishi), IP-6 (Inositol Hexaphosphate), Beta Glucans, Elderberry, Echinacea (should be taken short-term only), and any antioxidants.

As far as Probiotics, that's the beneficial bacteria that lives in your intestinal tract. If you are taking antibiotics for a short time, you should get some good Probiotics to take after the antibiotics are completely finished. If you take them together, the antibiotics will kill the Probiotics before they can be beneficial and it might lessen the potency or effect of the antibiotics… but you'll need the Probiotics to replenish your intestinal flora after the antibiotics have killed them all off.
Protein powders are just protein (like a hamburger)… they don't directly impact your immune system at all.
Good luck!

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Nina

August 16th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

Well, you are going to need a business plan. Fortunately, Bplans.com has a free business plan for starting a health food store. Check it out at:

http://www.bplans.com/sample_business_plans/Retail_and_Online_Store_Business_Plans/Gourmet_Food_Store_Business_Plan/Market_Analysis_Summary.cfm

This should give you a good idea of the things you need to consider and the start up costs.

Good luck!

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nslinda87

August 16th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

the bad thing about this video is that it doesnt say WHY they are good, it should state which nutrient it contains that gives those results… for instance, the cherry contains antioxidants,.. etc.

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BeaucoupRed

August 16th, 2009 at 11:41 pm

The rats are jumping ship.

CHEMRISK – a research company hired by the Corn Refiners Association has recently taken down it’s YouTube channel.

The removal was in response to negative public perception resulting from the discovery of dangerous levels of MERCURY in HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. Apparently it has become a liability to defend the sweetener.

See one of the last remaining ChemRisk videos at CornRefinersAssoc on YouTube.

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denisprowl

August 17th, 2009 at 12:57 am

LOL..LOL….

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__A_YAHOO_USER__

August 17th, 2009 at 1:17 am

y dont u start eating healthy food and they will follow ur lead

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