With the abundance of food around these days, it can be very confusing. So which are the healthiest foods to eat in order to gain optimum health. After you have read this, you will have a better idea of what to eat.
1. Yoghurt is full of goodness. A lot of yoghurt’s these days have what is called probiotics in them, which are living bacteria. This helps with your digestion, as well as supporting your immune system, which is something a lot of people might not be aware of.
It’s a good idea to check to see if it is a probiotic type yoghurt as not all of them are.
As a rough guideline try to eat one cup of yoghurt per day, which is high in calcium and protein. Calcium supports bone growth and protein helps build muscle as well as keeping blood sugar more stable over a long period of time.
You don’t have to eat it on its own. Plain Greek yoghurt might not be everybody’s cup of tea. So add some fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, bananas, or even some nuts, if you wish.
2. Blueberries, this small blue fruit is in a league of its own and really does deserve the title of a super food. Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most fruits.
These help to protect our cells from oxidative stress, which comes from the environment. In a nutshell, they are a barrier against toxins in our bodies.
They contain the following: vitamins A and C and are high in fibre. So if you were having problems with your digestion, blueberries would make a good choice. Add them to a smoothie or eat them with your breakfast cereal. I have them with porridge or Weetabix, they add a bit of sweetness to it.
3. Tomatoes, if you are going to eat tomatoes one thing to note is make sure they are red, the reason for this is you want the lypocene which is a potent antioxidant, which can help to prevent the following diseases: prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
Not only that, they will help to prevent you from getting metabolic syndrome, which encompasses things like diabetes, and cardio vascular problems, strokes, etc.
If you want to know how much you need to eat in order to get the recommended 20 milligrams of lycopene, this equates to eight cherry tomatoes. These are the small tomatoes and not to be confused with larger vine tomatoes.
The great thing about tomatoes is you can eat them with other things, such as low-fat cheese and salads, which will add more valuable nutrition to what you are already eating.
4. Spinach, can you remember the old Popeye cartoons when he got in a spot of bother with his arch-enemy Bluto, he would eat spinach in order to be able to tackle him, and you would see these bulging muscles of his. Spinach has quite a few health properties. It is very high in omega three’s and folate.
This helps in the prevention of illnesses such as heart disease, strokes and bone problems (osteoporosis).
It also contains something called lutein, which helps to keep macular degeneration at bay, which is a decline in eyesight function. In order to get your daily requirement of spinach try to eat approximately half a cup each day, or if you don’t like eating vegetables you could always add it to smoothie.
5. Carrots contain something called carotenoids. These are a substance that help to prevent cancer and may help with immune system-related diseases such as arthritis and asthma. To get the recommended daily amount of carrots, aim for half a cup per day minimum, anything over that, consider it to be a bonus towards your health.
As with anything food wise, you can eat carrots, with plenty of other foods such as potatoes, broccoli, and meat or if you’re a vegetarian, then you could try vegetarian burgers, which are a good source of protein or vegetarian sausages. I have eaten these myself and was quite surprised at how nice they actually tasted.
6. Walnuts, I recently wrote a post about these so there is no need to go into great detail you can read this post instead Five Health Benefits of Eating Walnuts
7. Oats are packed with soluble fibre, which will help to prevent cardiovascular disease. They do tend to have a lot of carbohydrates in them, which are useful for providing energy, but there is no need to worry about the amount of carbs in oats, because due to the fibre content, it helps to dampen things down.
This is why oats make a particularly good breakfast food as they keep your blood sugar levels consistent over a longer period of time, compared to some other cereals.
Another added benefit, which people may not know about is that they have protein as well, which will help to build muscle and maintain blood sugar levels. This is particularly useful for diabetics, in particular. You don’t have to eat oats on their own as that can be quite boring. I have had oatmeal for my breakfast with blueberries, bananas, and strawberries.
8. Black Beans, if you’re looking for something to boost your brainpower, then look no further than these beans. The reason is, they contain a substance called anthocyanins, which is an antioxidant and helps with brain function. Nutrition wise, they contain fibre, which is beneficial to digestive health as well. They also have a reasonable amount of protein.
So eat all the foods on this list, and you should be on your way to feeling really energised and healthy. Do you eat any of the foods on this list? I eat some of them but not all of them. It’s always quite interesting how uneducated we can be about certain foods.
Sources and references: www.beautysnob.com
Mark Corner is the owner and editor of a health and wellness blog which you can visit at www.losethattyre.co.uk He blogs about health,food,exercise and related topics
Medical Doctor, author, speaker, media presenter and health industry consultant, Dr Joe Kosterich wants you to be healthy and get the most out of life.
Joe writes for numerous medical and mainstream publications, is clinical editor at Medical Forum Magazine, and is also a regular on radio and television.
Joe is Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis Company Little Green Pharma, Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association and sits on the board of Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA. He is often called to give opinions in medico legal cases.
He has self-published two books: Dr Joe’s DIY Health and 60 Minutes To Better Health.
In 2024 due to public demand he commenced a podcast, Dr Joe Unplugged, which can be accessed via Spotify, Apple or YouTube.
Through all this he continues to see patients as a GP each week.
