The term superfood is pretty new and used for foods that have high nutritional benefits for minimum calories. Examples include avocado, spirulina, coca, salmons, pomegranates, and bananas, etc. Superfoods are enriched with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. However, according to American Heart Association, currently, there are no specific criteria to classify the food as a superfood. It is believed that the term superfood is more based on marketing purposes rather than medicinal purposes. That is why most nutritionists avoiding using the term to prevent people from expecting unreal benefits from these foods.
In this article, we will tell you that what are supper foods, their benefits, and thebest superfoods that you can incorporate into your diet to become strong, healthy, and fit.
WHAT ARE SUPERFOODS?
Superfoods are basically foods that offer high nutritional benefits with very few calories. Superfoods are mostly plant-based. However, some dairy and fish products like salmons and yogurt are also incorporated in the category of superfoods. Superfoods indeed have so many benefits, but only sticking to superfoods and not eating a balanced diet will give you no health benefits. So, the right option is that you can incorporate superfoods as part of your daily diet along with other foods. In this way, you can enjoy the advantages of these nutrition-dense foods.BENEFITS OF SUPERFOODS:
The core reason behind calling these foods superfoods is their benefits. Superfoods contain vitamins (vitamin K, C, B, and E), minerals, and antioxidants. Owing to these nutrients, superfoods can help you in the following ways:- Improves cardiovascular health
- Boost up the mental health
- Cope with immunity deficiency
- Lowers the ageing process
- Protection against Parkinson’s disease
- Lowers the risk of cancer
- Maintains healthy weight
- Restore energy level
- Enhance the respiratory health
- Lowers the risk of osteoporosis
- Reduces inflammation
SEVEN BEST SUPERFOODS YOU CAN ADD IN YOUR DIET:
Considering the benefits of superfoods, here we have discussed the seven best superfoods that you can add to your diet to match all the standards of health and wellness.AVOCADOS:
Avocados are considered being extremely valuable because of their incredible nutritious importance. The presence of HDL, vitamin C, K, E, A, folate, and potassium helps the person maintaining blood pressure, reducing the chances of atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and diabetes. It is also helpful in lowering the symptoms of anxiety and depression and protects against Alzheimer’s disease. Avocado also slows the ageing process and aids in vanishing wrinkles and wound healing. The existence of folate in avocados lowers the chances of neural tube damage in the fetus and reduces the risks of miscarriage in mothers. It means that adding a small portion of avocado to your diet saves you from multiple diseases.GOJI BERRIES:
Do you know what are Goji berries good for? Well, if the answer is no, then no need to worry. We are here to tell you. Goji berries are tiny blood colour fruits that have a high content of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, iron, fibres, carbs, and a small number of proteins. The antioxidant content in Goji berries helps to reduce inflammation and provide protection against chronic diseases like cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes. This iron-rich fruit also helps to build healthy red blood cells.SPIRULINA:
Spirulina belongs to the class of blue-green algae that is used in powdered or tablet form. You can take spirulina powder by adding it to milk or in smoothies. It is rich in antioxidant effects. Research has shown that spirulina reduces inflammation, delays ageing, and strengths the immune system.GREEN TEA:
Green tea is a highly used beverage that has an array of medicinal properties. It also contains a small amount of caffeine, which makes it an effective tool for weight loss. Green tea also contains catechin epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG which a prevalent antioxidant that lowers the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, and, cancer. Green tea is also immensely beneficial for respiratory health. It improves the breathing mechanism.OLIVE OIL:
Olive oil also occurs in the category of best superfoods. It is a natural oil that is extracted from olive fruits. The prime factor in its importance is monosaturated fatty acids and polyphenolic compounds. Having olive oil in your diet may lower the risk of coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. It also makes your hair healthy and removes dandruff.SALMONS:
Salmon is an immensely nutritious fish full of healthy fats, vitamins, proteins, potassium, and selenium. Salmon is considered one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that have a wide range of health benefits like lowering inflammation. Incorporating salmon in your diet makes your cardiovascular system fit and healthy. It also reduces the chances of diabetes and aids you in maintaining a healthy weight. However, the major drawback of incorporating salmon into your diet is the probability of having contamination with heavy metals and other environmental pollutants. So, you can avoid these negative drawbacks by reducing your consumption of fish 2 to 3 times per week.COCOA POWDER:
Raw Cocoa powder is also considered one of the best superfoods. And the reason behind is its benefits. Raw cocoa benefits include relief from cough, helps to treat diabetes, prevents treating cancer, reduces the LDL cholesterol among people under 50, and lowers blood pressure. It also improves cardiovascular health, causes a quick jump in the energy level, decreases the BMI thus, helps in weight loss, reduces the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome and introduces calmness in the body, speeds up the healing process, provides ageing and skincare advantages, acts as a natural anti-depressant, and improves mood. It is also very beneficial in neurodegenerative diseases.FINAL THOUGHT:
Superfoods list doesn’t only include these seven foods, but the list goes on. Ginger, turmeric, mushroom, sweet potatoes, and Green leaves vegetables, etc also provide tons of health benefits. The point to note is that only these foods cannot cope with standards of a balanced diet. Instead, you can add one or two of these foods to your diet to make it a balanced one. In this way, you will enjoy overall health benefits from natural foods and prevention against chronic diseases.
