Wellness in a Year: Try Our List of 52 Superfoods

With everything from acai berries to whole wheat English muffins, we’ve assembled the top 52 super-foods to help you pick the ones that might benefit your wellness. Add a new super-food to your diet every week, and soon you’ll have a whole arsenal to help you protect your wellbeing.

 

1. Acai Juice: Rich in anthocyanin, acai boosts the antioxidants that fight diseases in your blood stream.

 

2. Apples: The content of the antioxidant Quercetin in apples reduce your risk of lung cancer.

 

3. Avocados: The healthy fat in avocados helps your body to absorb nutrients and promote weight loss.

 

4. Asparagus: This natural diuretic is rich in bone-building vitamin K.

 

5. Blueberries: These are great for preventing memory loss.

 

6. Brazil nuts: One Brazil nut contains an entire days’ worth of selenium, which protects you against heart disease and cancer and boosts your immune system.

 

7. Blackberries: These are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants.

 

8. Baked potatoes: The potassium content in baked potatoes helps to lower blood pressure.

 

9. Barley: This lowers cholesterol and helps the regulate your blood pressure due to fibre and beta-glucan.

 

10. Bananas: The potassium and resistance-starch fibre in bananas promote weight loss.

 

11. Broccoli sprouts: These contain 10% more cancer preventing glucoraphanin than regular broccoli.

 

12. Bran flakes: This cereal promotes heart health and weight loss.

 

13. Black beans: To promote artery health, you need the protein, fibre and antioxidants found in black beans.

 

14. Brown rice: Being a great source of magnesium means that brown rice helps in energy production and the strengthening of bones.

 

15. Brussels sprouts: The glucosinolates in Brussels sprouts fight cancer.

 

16. Bok choy: This is rich in calcium.

 

17. Cauliflower: Cancer-fighting glucosinolates are also found in Cauliflower.

 

18. Collard greens: These are loaded with vitamins and nutrients.

 

19. Canned pumpkin: This helps you fight cancer with beta-carotene and alpha-carotene.

 

20. Canola oil: This heart-healthy oil contains alpha-linolenic acid and vitamin E.

 

21. Dried tart cherries: Anthocyanins work to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.

 

22. Edamame: The immature soy beans in Edamame lower cholesterol.

 

23. Eggs: These are high in protein and low in calories.

 

24. Fat-free milk: You need fat-free milk for your bones, muscles and energy levels.

 

25. Flaxseed: Flaxseed helps prevent certain types of cancers.

 

26. Grapes: Thanks to antioxidant resveratrol, grapes work hard to fight diseases.

 

27. Greek yoghurt: This contains twice as much protein as regular yoghurt.

 

28: Kiwi: Vitamin C-rich Kiwi reduces asthma symptoms.

 

29. Lentils: This meat-free protein source is packed with fibre and B vitamins.

 

30. Mustard greens: Rich in vitamin K, mustard greens bolster healthy bones.

 

31. Oranges: As well as vitamin C, oranges are rich in calcium.

 

32. Olives: Heart-healthy monounsaturated fat is found in olives.

 

33. Oysters: Full of iron, zinc and selenium, oysters help keep the immune system strong.

 

34. Prunes: These are loaded with bone-strengthening polyphenols.

 

35. Peanut butter: For blood vessel health, peanut butter provides the amino acid, arginine.

 

36. Salmon: This is rich in omega-3s.

 

37. Steel-cut oats: These less-processed oats contain fibre and aid weight loss.

 

38. Spinach: The vitamin K in spinach promotes strong bones and blooding clotting ability.

 

39. Strawberries: Loaded with ellagitannins, strawberries prevent certain types of cancer.

 

40. Sardines: These provide omega-3 fats and vitamin D.

 

41. Scallops: These are a low calorie source of protein.

 

42. Shitake mushrooms: Shitake mushrooms are rich in vitamin D.

 

43. Sweet potatoes: These protect your immune system and vision.

 

44. Soy milk: A plant protein source with as much calcium and vitamin D as cow’s milk.

 

45. Sunflower seeds: These have a high vitamin E content.

 

46. Tea: Black and green tea prevent hardening in your arteries.

 

47. Tomato sauce: This actually contains more lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

 

48. Turkey breast: Turkey is a low-calorie source of protein.

 

49. Wheat germ: This contains vitamin E and selenium.

 

50. Walnuts: The omega-3 fatty acid found in walnuts – alpha-linolenic acid – improves memory and coordination.

 

51. Watercress: This packs a huge punch against cancer with it’s cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

 

52. Whole wheat English muffins: These provide a low-calorie source of fibre.

Categories: Acai, baked potatoes, Brown Rice, calcium nbsp, calorie source, cancer nbsp, loss nbsp, mustard greens, protein nbsp, superfoods, Weight Loss, Wheat Germ

It’s a Must-ard: Why this Herb is So Good for Your Health

Mustard is a much-loved ingredient around the world, but did you know it was also a powerful tool in complementary wellness? Not only is it one of the healthiest herbs with almost no calories, but mustard greens and mustard seeds have been used as herbal remedies for numerous ailments since olden times, and remain very popular today. Even if you don’t forgo your trip to the doctor for a hot dog with extra relish, mustard is very beneficial to your wellness, providing vitamins, protein, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant minerals, such as iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc and selenium.

 

So, what can mustard do for your wellbeing?

 

1. Lowers your temperature. The myrosin and sinigrin found in mustard generate heat, which speeds up your metabolism and increases your blood flow. This causes you to sweat, and, in turn, brings down your core temperature.

 

2. Stimulates your digestive system. As mustard is hot and spicy, it stimulates your secretion of saliva, which aids the digestion process.

 

3. Prevents cancer. In black and brown mustard, there are isothiocyanates, which have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. You can still prevent cancer with your mustard greens, as these contain cancer-fighting antioxidants such as flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphane, carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin.

 

4. Improves your skin. If you suffer from skin ailments, the sulphur in mustard can be very beneficial.

 

5. Relieves your inflammatory diseases. Whether you’re affected by asthma, migraines or rheumatoid arthritis, the anti-inflammatory properties of mustard can help to reduce the severity of your condition.

 

6. Enhances your heart health. Mustard greens and seeds contain magnesium, which is very effective against high blood pressure. Moreover, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in mustard make it effective against coronary heart disease. Plus, mustard greens have been proven to reduce your levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase your levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, all of which is good news for your heart.

 

7. Protects your brain. The high levels of magnesium and selenium found in mustard seeds make them very effective against age-related memory disorders like Alzheimer’s.

 

That sounds great, but how do you include more mustard in your diet? Start with your condiments, and replace mayonnaise, cheese spread/dips, butter and oil dressings with the less fatty mustard. You can also use mustard as a salad dressing, which packs a flavourful punch when combined with vinegar and honey. Mustard makes for an excellent marinade for your fish, chicken and meat dishes, while the seeds give any meal a rich, nutty flavour. If you fancy baking your mustard into your diet, try using mustard greens and spinach in flat-breads, adding butter, tomato, garlic and onion to mellow down the pungent flavour. Failing that, the greens also taste great with chicken, meat, and soup.

 

If you are going to include more mustard in your diet, you need to store it properly in order to reap the benefits. Keeping whole mustard seeds in airtight containers in a cool, dry place will help them to last up to a year, while storing ground/powdered mustard in a similar manner can give them a shelf life of up to six months. You don’t have to worry so much about sauces made from mustard, as they are made using an acid component and salt and so will last for ages. However, even if you don’t open the bottle, the pungency and flavour will start to diminish so store your mustard sauce in the fridge, and consume it within a year. You also want to refrigerate your mustard oil, or else it may go rancid.

Categories: cancer, Cooking Tips, fatty acids, greens, Health Benefits, health mustard, Mustard, mustard greens, mustard seeds, nbsp, Seeds