Lose
weight! Boost immunity! Improve your love life! If there were a pharmaceutical
drug that did all three, there’d be a stampede to the pharmacy, but for now, no
such pill exists. My advice? Build your own – not a pill, but a plan – an
eating strategy that packs power, nutritional value and a host of benefits into
every bite. Where to start? Simply load up on the “Superfine 9” – nine of the
most nutritionally valuable foods you can buy.
What
makes them super? Few calories, low in sugar and salt plus lots of soluble
fiber, nutrients, and health-boosting phytochemicals. Even better – not a
drop of guilt should you over-indulge! If you’re interested in looking great,
feeling great, and weighing less, the real “magic pill” can be found in the
organic produce aisle and at the seafood counter.
1.) LEAFY GREENS
What’s
so amazing about the leafys is that calorie for calorie, they deliver more
nutrients than just about any other food on the planet. Loaded with fiber,
vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, leafy greens stock your body with the
artillery needed to fight off potential killers like heart disease and cancer.
Simply put: leafys benefit virtually every cell you’ve got!
My
favorite leafy greens are kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard, and dandelion
greens because they’re both nutritious AND delicious. You can toss them into
virtually anything to boost nutrition, but be sure to give them a good rinse
first. Raw or cooked, on their own or added to smoothies, omelets and sauces,
leafys add health-sustaining doses of vitamins A, C, K, folate, potassium, and
calcium to every meal.
For
an easy added boost try greens powder in your smoothies.
2.) CRUCIFEROUS
VEGGIES
Want
to lower your cancer risk? Put the cruciferous on your list, namely broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and bok choy. Research suggests
cruciferous veggies have the ability to inhibit the growth of some types of
cancer cells and even stop others by reducing the production of free radicals.
How
to stuff more of cruciferous veggies into your diet? Don’t wait ‘til dinner,
start your day with them – try cruciferous veggies at breakfast with a recipe
like this delicious Brussles sprouts hash – and put more
healthy nutrients on your plate first thing, at the start of your day.
3.) AVOCADO
Don’t
be afraid of an avocado because you think it’s fattening! The often over-looked
avocado is a delicious, creamy superfood that’s simply too health-boosting to
skip. The myriad of healthy fats and nutrients found in avocados – oleic acid,
lutein, folate, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and glutathione among them –
can help protect your body from heart disease, cancer, degenerative eye and
brain diseases. Avocados also taste great and are easily integrated into any
meal – or even a fruit smoothie. Add a half an avocado to smoothies to add
creamy texture and a powerful nutritional boost, or enjoy an avocado half as a
nutritious “side” to your morning omelet instead of potatoes or toast.
4.) BLUEBERRIES
Tasty,
sweet and packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, flavinoids and soluble
fiber – blueberries have the power to help prevent serious diseases like
cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure. In
sum, blueberries are nearly miraculous! They also help tame inflammation
throughout the body and can reduce “bad” cholesterol – so dig in for better
health.
We
love to blend blueberries into our Sustain smoothies, but while most of us think of blueberries
for breakfast, they’re also perfect for dessert. Having a snack attack? Instead
of ice cream, curl up with a small bowl of frozen blueberries and enjoy popping
‘em in your mouth, one by one.
5.) BEANS
Dense
and delicious, beans help raise levels of the hormone leptin which curbs
appetite. They also deliver a powerful combination of B vitamins, calcium,
potassium and folate. All of this good stuff will help maintain healthy brain,
cell and skin function and even helps to reduce blood pressure and stroke risk.
Pretty amazing, eh? To increase your intake, trying eating beans as a filling
side-dish instead of bread or potatoes. They’ll help keep you feeling fuller
longer and deliver an excellent source of sugar-free energy through much of
your day.
If
you’re intimidated by beans, here’s a very comprehensive look at
varieties, preparation methods, and tips for easy digestion.
6.) WALNUTS
Walnuts
— you don’t need to eat a lot of them to tap into their power. Just a small
handful a day will deliver a healthy dose of omega-3’s, alpha-linolenic acid,
melatonin, copper, manganese and the hard-to-find gamma-tocopherol form of
vitamin E which helps protect your heart. Walnuts on your plate may also
protect your brain and help slow the onset of
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Not a nut fan? Then try adding chopped
walnuts to cereal or fruit, or blend in 2 tablespoons of organic walnut butter
to fruit smoothies. Either way, you’ll still reap the benefits of the mighty
walnut.
For
a delicious salad that double dips on the Superfine 9 try our strawberry spinach salad topped with walnuts!
7.) WILD SALMON
Wild
salmon is a rich source of protein, vitamin D, selenium, B2, B3, B6 and B12 and
those all-important omega-3 fatty acids. So exactly what can wild salmon do for
you? Quite a bit, including protection from cancer, cardiovascular problems,
macular degeneration, depression, and cognitive decline – that’s a lot of
pluses in a pretty compact package. The best salmon to buy? Wild caught,
Alaskan salmon, which routinely ranks low in contaminants and high in
nutrients. Wild salmon’s benefits start to kick in at about 2 servings a week,
so there’s no need to over-do it.
8.) CHOCOLATE
Dairy
free chocolate, in moderation, is a delicious treat that actually does a body
good. It can help elevate mood, improve blood flow and even lower blood
pressure. It helps reduce inflammation and LDL “bad cholesterol,” and it’s
loaded with antioxidants, which can help prevent cell damage, degenerative
diseases and even cancer – all of which is good news for chocolate lovers. Keep
in mind though, chocolate’s numerous health benefits are not a license to set
up camp in the candy aisle. You have to manage your “dose,” keeping yours to a
modest 1 oz. serving, a few times a week. To maximize chocolate’s benefits, look for
high-quality, dairy-free dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cocoa – and enjoy!
9.) CHIA SEEDS
Chia
seeds are tiny, nutritional dynamos – in fact, they’re the single richest
source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids you can buy. They’re also loaded with
antioxidants, protein and minerals, plus soluble and insoluble fiber to help keep
your digestion moving in the right direction. What’s more, chia seeds have an
unusual property – they swell to more than 5 times their weight in liquid, so
adding a spoonful or two to meals will help you feel fuller faster. How to eat
‘em? They’re virtually tasteless, so you can drop a spoonful or two into just
about anything, including smoothies, sauces, soups and salads. But my favorite
way to take advantage of this unusual superfood is to combine it with another
superfood, i.e. chocolate, dig into a serving of Chocolate Chia
Pudding.
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