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You may or may not believe that food is medicine. However, there’s no denying that what you choose to consume has significant effects on your overall health.
That doesn’t mean you need to focus on the negative, casting old favorites from your fridge with a sigh. You can improve your well-being by adding the right foods in, not just removing empty calories. Here are ten healthy foods you should eat every day if you want to supercharge your energy and improve your chances of a longer life.
Science remains unclear if chronic inflammation is a byproduct of conditions like heart disease or a causative factor. One thing is certain — it doesn’t bode well for your health.
Turmeric contains curcumin, one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents known. If you enjoy Indian food, you’ll find this spice in your favorite curries. A dash of black pepper increases the bioavailability of this magical ingredient by 2,000%.
However, if you don’t enjoy ethnic dining, you can still incorporate turmeric into your daily routine through your morning coffee or tea. You can add the dried root directly to your infuser or grounds for a light chai flavor and anti-inflammatory boost.
Ginger is another Asian root with remarkable healing properties and is one of the best healthy foods to eat every day. If your caregivers growing up gave you stale ginger ale when you had a stomach ache, they had the right idea, although their product choice might have meant you didn’t get much real extract.
Ginger has an outstanding reputation for calming stomach trouble. It’s also an anti-inflammatory. You can incorporate it into baking or add the root to your tea along with a sprinkle of turmeric.
If you want to get vitamin C, you probably turn to an orange. However, a single red bell pepper has nearly three times the amount of this immunity-boosting nutrient.
You can add pepper strips to wraps and sandwiches. They add a lovely zest to soups and salads, too.
Do you want to add a full year to your lifespan? If so, consider replacing one of your morning cups of coffee with green tea instead. Researchers tracked over 100,000 Chinese individuals, and those who consumed this beverage three or more times a week could add an extra year to their lives at age 50.
Green tea is also a wise choice if you are caffeine-sensitive. Although it does contain some eye-opener, it has only a fraction of what your average expresso does.
You heard the old saying about an apple a day keeping the doctor away. These fibrous fruits benefit you in several ways, not the least of which is digestion. The pectin helps normalize your stools, easing both diarrhea and constipation.
Apples also make a natural toothbrush, so consider packing one in your lunch for dessert. The crispiness will scrub away any remaining particles from your sandwich or wrap. Making apples the perfect healthy foods to eat every day.
Garlic contains allicin, a sulfurous compound that benefits human health. It works in many ways. One function is setting off a nitric acid signaling cascade that eases the inflammation typically seen in those with heart disease and other chronic conditions.
If you are male, you might want to add more garlic to your diet to have more fun with your intimate partner. An extract of the root restored erectile function in diabetic rats in one experiment, like due to the way it gently relaxes and expands your blood vessels. If you’re female, increased blood flow ups your pleasure quotient, too.
Unless you have an allergy, nuts are an incredible source of healthy fats — and despite their relatively high calorie content, they don’t excessively contribute to weight gain.
Nuts contain impressive amounts of minerals that benefit human neurological and mental health. They contain magnesium and selenium — the first worked as effectively as a tricyclic antidepressant in one study published by the National Institutes of Health.
Seeds are another excellent source of essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. They also contain lignans, biological compounds with anti-inflammatory and tumor-suppressing properties. If you have a family history of cancer, perhaps you should say yes to that package of pepitas.
Seeds are a snap to integrate into your daily diet. Sprinkle some flax and chia seeds on your morning oatmeal for an omega-3 wakeup burst. Add some sunflower seeds to your lunchtime salad for a healthier alternative to croutons made from bleached and processed white flour.
Beans, beans the musical fruit. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you probably rely on these plant-based powerhouses for a considerable portion of your protein intake.
Beans and legumes are high in fiber. However, they also contain phytic acid, an antinutrient that inhibits the absorption of the good stuff. The solution? Soak them for 12 hours or longer before cooking to dissolve this substance in the skin so that you can make best use of the nutrients.
Did you know that broccoli, kale and cabbage all originated from a species of wild mustard that farmers cultivated for various characteristics over the years? As such, they have similar, although slightly different, nutrient profiles.
It’s a snap to add more of these superfoods to your diet. A few leaves of kale add flavor and crunch to sandwiches and wraps. Use your herb scissors to add a bit to your chicken soup with a squirt of lemon. You’ll increase the antioxidant and antimicrobial goodness of your bowl of healing soul food and get more B-vitamins, crucial for pliable veins, soft skin and overall health.
Please don’t think of eating healthier as restrictive. Instead, add more of these ten healthy foods into your daily diet and reap the benefits.
