SUPERFOODS

As promised here's a short blogpost on superfoods for my lovely friend Paul.

There is no official or scientific definition of the term 'superfoods' (despite the fact that is one of the most used words in nutrition currently. The lists quoted often contain a diverse range of foods, from walnuts to salmon, spinach to blueberries.

So what is a 'superfood' - basically a food bursting with goodness and therefore high levels of nutrients and especially antioxidants (those clever things that are able to disarm free radicals and so help boost our immune systems and ultimately help cancer prevention).

Superfoods are all available in supermarkets, no specialist health food shops need to be visited, but please don't stray down the centre aisles full of C.R.A.P. foods.

You will not find any superfoods there. By the way if you've not read my previous blogs C.R.A.P. stands for caffeine, refined, alcohol, and processed. The more processed a food is the more of an anti nutrient food it is and far removed from a superfood.Even foods that have been fortified with vitamins don't count. What's the point of taking all the goodness out to process it and then attempt to put artificial goodness back in??

Anyway, back to superfoods - two of the most seasonal at the moment are asparagus and strawberries; both full of goodness. I think this is obvious by looking at them - fresh, colourful, moist and healthy looking. Put up against Wotsits and marshmallows there's no contest is there?

"The foods we eat are the first line of defense from the negative effects of lifestyle stress, pollution, radiation, and toxic chemicals". So says Amanda Hamilton, nutritionist to the stars.

And so the more superfoods we eat versus processed foods devoid of nutrients, the stronger our immune systems and the greater our chances of staying dis-ease free. Isn't that what we ALL want? Surely no-one wants to be ill, sick, dis-ease ridden and in pain because of a bad diet if they can help it. If we can help ourselves by eating well, and eating right for our types (see Metabolic Typing blogs), we can go a long way to maintaining the healthy body's we need for a long and fulfilling life.

The 'best' diet contains a varied mix of superfoods (and yes OK a small proportion of the other stuff) and the more colourful the better. Aim for five plus of fruit and vegetables a day, ten would be even better, mixed with protein to keep blood sugar stable.

So here's a list of a sample of superfoods - how many have you eaten today?..........

Apples,avocados,broccoli,wild salmon,turkey,seeds,nuts,kiwi fruit,garlic,cinnamon,green tea,dark chocolate (the darker the better 70% cocoa plus),oats,quinoa,pumpkin,spinach,tomatoes,beans and pulses and one of the most quoted : blueberries.

We still have plenty of strawberries by the way but not for much longer, come get them quick.

Today's Tip : have at least two superfoods with each meal, every day. Bet you feel better!