Nothing tastes better and does more for your body than natural foods. Healing foods, if you will. What follows is a volley of health tips regarding the items in your local supermarket. Here is a no-nonsense list of many of the top nutrient-filled foods available.
Want to block disease through your diet? Start here.
1. Dark green leafy vegetables
This is the greatest place to find the most nutrients. This is indisputable. Dark green is the key; no iceberg lettuce. Examples of tremendous vitamin-rich leafy vegetables include mustard greens, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, and kale. Adding these to your salads will net you high amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and carotenoids. Top of the heap are mustard greens.
The fleshy green spears found year-round in supermarkets are extremely low in saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium, and extremely high in vitamin K and folate. It is a superior source for vitamins C, A, B1, B2, and B6 and high in these essential minerals: copper; phosphorus; potassium; iron; zinc; manganese; and magnesium.
The blueberry is the healthiest fruit in the world. It has huge amounts of vitamin C, manganese, calcium, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin E, and riboflavin. The fruit’s antioxidants play great roles in helping prevent:
- Heart disease
- Cataracts and glaucoma
- Ulcers, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.
Its anti-inflammatory abilities also protect brain cells from damage.
4. Other Berries
Now for all other berries, which are extremely good for you. Cranberries are a proven natural healer of the urinary tract system, and a digestive aid. They have incomparably high levels of vitamin B2. They also carry high levels of fiber, fluoride, vitamin C, iron, manganese, and copper. Strawberries are famous for their phenols, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities.
They are very high in vitamins C and K, dietary fiber, and 12 more essential nutrients. The third are raspberries, rich in tannins, ellagic acid, and flavonoids. Raspberries are potent antioxidants, antimicrobials, and, as research has suggested, could fight cancer.
They are high in:
- Vitamin C
- Riboflavin, folate and niacin
- Pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6, with minimal impact on blood sugar levels
This member of the melon family takes the number five spot on the list. Peaking in the summer months, cantaloupe is available year-round. It has negligible saturated fats, while offering the consumer an excellent supply of beta-carotene (vitamin A), potassium, and vitamin C. One cup of cantaloupe has under 60 calories, but is already well above your recommended intake of vitamin A.
It also has in its orange flesh vitamins B-6, B-1, B-5 and B-3, folate, and a nice chunk of dietary fiber. The B-vitamins combine to make cantaloupe a great energy producer for the body, while helping control carbs and blood glucose levels. The reason is that our cells need B-vitamins to process the carbs, and the fiber within the fruit ensures it is slowly digested — making it an exceptionally healthy food.