Plant Based Power: Five Key Superfoods We Should All Be Eating
Today I want to talk about superfoods and if you want your diet packed with nutrients that are going to benefit your body for the long term then read on!
These can be built into any eating plan you're on!
My Top Superfoods. Try These 5 For A New You!
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Broccoli
2. Dark Leafy Greens (such as spinach, collard greens, kale, purslane)
3. Tomatoes
4. Avocado
5. Mushrooms
We hear about top superfoods all the time, but what makes them top superfoods?
What makes broccoli so wonderful? 🤔
Why are these foods top superfoods? 🏋️♂️
Vegetables and fruits are all very good choices and we should aim to include a whole variety into our diet. All vegetables and fruits have what it takes to be top superfoods. This is for several reasons.
For one, vegetables and fruits are low in calories compared to other food groups. Vegetables are especially low in calories. 🙌 Either way, you can eat a ton of vegetables and a moderate amount of fruits and never gain weight due to them because they are just so low in calories. As top superfoods, these veggies and fruits pack a wallop 🥊 in terms of nutrient density. That is to say that these top super foods contain the right stuff with very little calories.
Take the opposite scenario: A doughnut couldn't possibly be one of the top superfoods 😭 It's high in calories and contains no nutritional value whatsoever.
Vegetables and fruits contain huge amounts of nutrients which is what makes them top superfoods. A few veggies and fruits have unusually high calories such as the avocado, but even the avocado is considered one of the top superfoods because of key nutrients it contains. An avocado 🥑 has omega-3 fatty acids which have been shown to decrease LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (good cholesterol). So, even though the avocado as one of the top superfoods contains a lot of calories, they are good calories because of the good fat.
Fruits and vegetables are also top super foods because they contain a lot of fibre, both soluble and insoluble. Fibre is important for overall digestive health. When our digestive system is working at optimum level ✅, we absorb nutrients better and process foods better which can lead to better cardiovascular health, weight loss and a decreased risk of cancer.
Fruits and vegetables supply us with really clean energy ⚡️. Unlike refined sugars that provide us with temporary energy without nutritional value, fruits and vegetables are top superfoods because they not only supply us with quick, easy energy, but they also supply us with mega amounts of nutrients.
And what about all of those nutrients I keep talking about? These nutrients found in these top superfoods are basically the entire fruit or vegetable. Antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals are all found in fruits and vegetables.
All of these top superfoods contain amazing combinations of these micronutrients that have extremely important functions in our bodies.
✅ They protect us against disease as components of the immune system. 🩺
✅ They fight aging by fighting free radicals which are also the root cause of cancer.
✅ They fight cardiovascular disease.
✅ They prevent type II diabetes.
✅ They improve conditions in cases of arthritis and inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
The list is endless as to what these top super foods do for us in terms of our overall health and well being. It's imperative that you figure out a way of incorporating fruits and even more importantly, vegetables into your daily diet.
Along with those listed above, aim to include a variety of vegetables in your weekly meals including pumpkins, aubergines, cabbage, okra, french beans, cauliflower, etc - the list is endless.
Happy Eating!