If you are on a quest to kick your fast food to the curb and improve your overall health and well being, let me introduce you to the term super food. These powerhouses are a must to add to any nutrition plan designed to not only help you lose weight, but to improve your general health! Super Foods contain high amounts of densely packed nutrients that power your brain, fuel your body and have additional benefits relating to enhancing your immune system, decreasing your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes.
Many foods can fall into the super foods category. Here you will find a list of a few items that can be easily implemented into your daily nutrition, as well as a brief description as to why they might be considered a super food!
- Asparagus: This green veggie is packed with vitamin K needed for strong bones, as well as helps with blood clotting.
- Quinoa: This is known as a super grain derived from a plant related to spinach and contains more protein then any other grain. A favorite protein source for vegetarians
- Berries: These fruits are known for their antioxidants and with such a variety of berries it will be hard to pick just one favorite.
- Broccoli: Beyond the fact that it is such a low calorie vegetable option, it is one powerful cancer fighting green to add to your plate.
- Watermelon: This delicious fruit contains Lycopene, a pigment that reduces your risk for heart disease and may help ward off certain cancers. The juicy fruit is also loaded with citrulline and arginine, which keep arteries healthy and help increase blood flow.
- Brussel Sprouts: Mom always knew best when she told you to eat your brussel sprouts! These little guys are cholesterol free and packed with fiber.
- Salmon, Wild Caught: This fish is a lean and clean source of protein offering Omega 3 fatty acids
- Spinach: This leafy green contains 100 percent of your vitamins A and K, as well as 13 flavanoids making spinach one of the top foods on the super food lists.
- Peanuts: This nut provides off-the-chart levels of resveratrol. And in addition to lowering cardiovascular disease and cancer risk, the high-fiber, protein-filled nut also fights hunger, making it an ideal afternoon snack.