What Are Good Super Foods?

It’s important to keep our diets varied, full of vital vitamins, minerals and all major food groups.  We also hear about super foods and how they can benefit our health, but what are good super foods and how do they benefit our health?

Super food is the term used to describe a particular food with a higher nutritional content, added health benefits like fighting diseases and have low calorie count.  So what foods should we be eating more of?

Fruit and vegetables, there is quite a long list of this superfood group, whole-wheat pastas and brown rice and not forgetting oily fish. It all sounds quite straightforward but are you getting enough of these foods.

Below is an extract taken from the Detroit Free Press on Dietician Colleen Doyle and her list of super foods and their health benefits:

Selection of berries (Image from wikipedia)

Colleen Doyle’s list of Super foods

• Beans and apples: These high-fiber choices help reduce serum cholesterol levels, keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy and are good for your colon. Shoot for 25-30 grams of fiber each day.
• Bananas, berries and broccoli: Eating more fruits and vegetables helps reduce heart disease risk. That’s because fruits and vegetables can help reduce high blood pressure and may help with weight control — important steps in reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. Aim for at least 2 1/2 cups of colorful fruits and vegetables each day by sprinkling berries on your cereal or starting dinner with a salad.
• Brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, popcorn: They’re whole grains, meaning they’re packed with fiber and other nutrients that help regulate blood pressure and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Kick off the day with a 100% bran cereal, snack on some popcorn (skip the butter) or make a fish taco with a corn tortilla.
• Salmon, tuna and mackerel: These fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that may help reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as blood pressure. (Other sources include walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil.) The original list is posted here

Do you include some of these super foods in your diet?  I find myself eating bananas on a daily basis its one of my favorite fruit, and I enjoy a good piece of fish especially salmon which I try to have a couple of times a month.

Its not only good for our health to include these foods in our diets, but a well balanced varied diet will stop us getting bored of eating the same foods over and over.

Do you have a favourite super food you would like to share with us, leave your comments below or simply give us a “like” if you found this article helpful.