19 Superfoods-Health Promoting with Medicinal Benefits

Are you thinking of one superfood (1) (2) to fill your complete nutrition?

Sorry folks, there is no such one food that will nourish you optimally. However, some of the foods are nutritionally denser and make a difference in life when dealing with diseases than others.

I just had a post about how healthy meals using a variety

Image: 19-choicest Superfoods: Health Promoting with Medicinal Benefits (Smart Eats)

of superfoods with known benefits helped me cure metabolic syndromes (3).

 

As scientific research evolves, more foods are added to the superfood list. But just knowing about the superfoods does not fill your stomach. It should be cheap, available, and affordable to put in your mouth.

This post entails varieties of nutrient-heavy foods with their respective health benefits so you can pick and choose from them and add them to your daily diet. Some foods are naturally organic, inexpensive, widely available, and can benefit many who can’t afford them.

Let’s delve into the topic of what are superfoods (4).

1. Moringa- The Miracle Superfood with 92 Nutrients and 46 Types of Anti-oxidants

Moringa is, and can be naturally Organic. Your health benefits from fresh fruits, leaves, and seeds. Typically, it is organically grown with no need for insecticides, inexpensive and widely available, either fresh or as dry powder. Frozen Moringa pods are available in Indian grocery stores.

 

Portions: Maringa has been used safely up to 6 grams in a day for three weeks (5)

How to eat: Leaves could be saluted to eat and could be added to mixed veggie curries. It can be cooked with lentils like moong dal with cumin and coriander powders and tastes delicious. The small pieces of fruits (fresh or frozen) could be boiled and then lit and sautéed with oil.

Caution! Do not eat the roots and bark extracts. Eating moringa flowers can contract the uterus and lead to miscarriage.

2. Jackfruit – Enjoy the Raw Fruit with No Sugar and Rich in Protein and Fiber

Jackfruits (6) provide an enormous health benefit to humans.

Steam it, curry it with spice, bread it with oats flour, and sauté it in olive oil. Raw jackfruit is a little cumbersome to get the flesh out, but the benefits make it worth it. There are frozen varieties found in the supermarket and are equally good.

3. Amla (7) – Triple Flavor in One Fruit! More Medicine, less Fruit

Start with bitter, chew it, then tangy and sweet at last.

 

Raw Amla is a season-dependent fruit that lasts only a few months. Amja juice is equally effective and available widely. Preferably drinking two teaspoons of amla juice diluted with water on an empty stomach in the morning will help all the processes described above in the picture.

4. Guava (8) – Guava Fruit Excels Apple in Nutrition

Guava meets and beats the superfood apple in nutrient comparison. Moreover, this delicious fruit does not need a pesticide growing up. It is naturally organic. It is inexpensive and available throughout the year in many parts of the world.

• Guava is low in calories, low in sugar (4.9 g/55 g), rich in protein (3 g/ 55 g, 12%), and fiber-rich. This is not typical of a fruit that separates guava from the rest.
• Polyphenols in guava make it a potent anti-oxidant that fights free radicals.
• Guava is a source of vitamins A, B, C, E, and K.
• It contains skin-healthy minerals like Copper, Zinc, Manganese, and Magnesium.

 

Image: Superfood Guava or Apple?

Image: Superfood Guava or Apple?

 

Research suggests that guava fruits and leaves (9) have various benefits.

• Help Cure Metabolic Syndrome (10): This can be the fruit for diabetes patients. Guava leaf tea may help improve insulin resistance and lower blood sugar levels.
• Guava fruit without peel is more effective in lowering blood sugar and serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL. It increases HDL levels (11).
• Works against Obesity: Guava satiates you quickly because of its high fiber content. It may help in weight loss and heart health.
• Immunity Boosting: As one of the richest sources of vitamin-C-containing fruit (381% vs. 8% from apple), it is immunity-boosting and protects you from cold and infection.
• Brain Help: Its B3 and B6 vitamins help blood circulation in the brain, increase cognition, and relax nerves.
• Relieving Toothache: Guava leaves help reduce toothache.
• Improves Skin Complexation: Guavas are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants like carotene and lycopene, which help protect the skin from wrinkles. Guava helps tone up and tighten the facial muscles. Raw guavas and leaves are even better.

It is a healthy midday snack. Use Guava in a fruit salad; eat it with chat masala as an appetizer for dinner. Guava juice can make a tasty summer drink. Guava is a fruit you can eat every day. You can make jam and jelly.

Portion: 1 medium raw Guava (40-50 g size)

5. Blueberries (12): Small Dose with High Health Impact

Blueberries are small fruits with a powerhouse of nutrients. They are low in calories, and high in vitamin C, fiber, and Vitamin K (not found in a wide variety of vegetables). Here are some examples of edible berries to add to your plate.

Some other berries in this group are Blackberries, Strawberries, Cranberries, and Raspberries.

Blueberry is a small reservoir of healthy nutrition, and its rich color speaks of its anti-oxidant action. Here are the benefits of consuming blueberries.

• Prevents Cancer Growth: Regular consumption of berries offers Strong anti-oxidant benefits combating free radicals that prevent cancer growth (13).
• Anti-aging: It helps prevent DNA damage, which leads to slow aging
• Promotes heart health, brain function, and memory. They are known to reduce cardiovascular risk.
• Anti-Inflammatory: It reduces inflammation because of acne and other diseases.
• Food for Diabetics: Berries are powered to break glucose into energy. This process reduces the glucose level in the blood by a considerable amount. It increases the level of insulin

Portion Size: Half a cup of fresh blueberries (75 g, 42 Cal, 10.7 g carb, 1.8 g fiber, and 1.8 g protein) eating regularly every day is ideal. If you are fructose intolerant or have too much fiber, overdosing can get you a stomach ache and bloat.

Eat them fresh or frozen with your morning breakfast cereal and yogurts, or snack them. It can be a great addition to pancakes and muffins. Fresh or frozen berries as part of a regular diet may be better than juice and extract.

6. Salmon (Wild) (14): An Almost Complete Nutrition package

• Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (15) and a powerhouse of the world’s most heart-healthy protein, low in calories and offers many health benefits.
• Contains Vitamins A, D, B, and E. Vitamin D (16) (17)is a crucial vitamin
• You get glowing skin by eating salmon twice a week. It contains Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, and calcium-skin-healthy minerals
• It is a good source of selenium, which is a potent anti-oxidant
• Help keep skin young

Grill, steam, and smoke, and enjoy the intelligent nutrition by itself or with brown rice and some grilled veggies for lunch or dinner.

7. Avocado (18)– Eat the Green and Stay Evergreen

The official recommendation for avocado is 30 g, about one-fifth of a fruit. Consuming higher amounts can add fat to your body. The green meat inside is a rich reservoir of 20 vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

• Avocado consumption helps support cardiovascular health and may support weight management and healthy aging. It lowers blood pressure.
• It provides healthy fat for skin and cell membranes.
• Vit-E, present in Avocados, fights off free radicals, which can cause harm to cells, tissues, and organs.
• Vitamin A protects your eyes from developing diseases.
• It keeps your heart healthy.
• It lowers cholesterol, being rich in mono-saturated fatty acids
• It contains healthful fats that keep skin moist and keep out of toxins
• It fights cancer.
• It treats arthritis

Enjoy the empowering avocado-egg breakfast. Sprinkle black salt and ground pepper, and enjoy the twist. Have some yogurt and berries on the side.  Cut Avocado into chunky pieces, drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and black salt.

8. Spinach- Love Your Green Friend and Thank it

• Low in calories and provide protein, iron, vitamins (A, C, K), and minerals
• Eating spinach may benefit eye health, reduce oxidative stress, reduce blood pressure,
• One cup of spinach adds 6% of daily magnesium, which regulates blood sugar.
• It helps in keeping the bone healthy.
• It is an antioxidant that helps fight free radicals, enemies of your body that can lead to cancer.
• The fiber in spinach helps your digestion.

Eat it in your salad, sauté it, and enjoy with your meal. The serving size is one cup of spinach. Eat three times a week.

9. Green Tea- Go Wild with It

Green tea comes with multitudes of health benefits (19). Maybe the health benefits are related to its catechin content, which appears to have anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects (a).

• Polyphenol in green tea makes it a potent anti-oxidant and helps lower your skin cancer.
• It improves your brain function
• It reduces your appetite, which helps weight reduction.
• It improves your appearance and increases fat burning.

Gulping a few cups a day can save you from oxidative stress.

10. Eggs: Get All Your Essential Amino Acids

Here is the fantastic nutrition attached to eggs (20). Egg contains all the essential Amino acids we need to survive ((18 Vitamins and Minerals).

• They are anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-hypertensive, and work as immuno-modulator. No data are showing that eggs are linked to heart attacks.
• Eggs control blood sugar- better for skin health.
• Lecithin and choline present in eggs are required nutrients essential for the brain’s normal development [21]. It can be consumed at all stages of life. It is a cheap nutrient for really nutrient-deficient individuals. It is versatile and easy to cook: Scramble. Poach, boil, or curry it. You can have them in your breakfast, snack, and dinner. Its versatility, cost, and availability of heavy nutrients make it a top superfood.

Two to three eggs are good to eat per day. But it varies from person to person. Talk to your healthcare provider if you suffer from high cholesterol.

11. Chia Seeds (22)- Do not Underestimate this Tiny One

Chia seeds are an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids (Linolenic acid).

• Chia seeds are rich in anti-oxidants containing flavonoids and phytosterols. They fight off free radicals, which can lead your body to cancer.
• They provide fiber, Iron, magnesium, and calcium and are low in calorie
• You need a couple of teaspoons to keep your hunger away. That makes you lose weight.
• Chia seed oils are helpful in diabetes and a good choice of healthy oil to maintain a balanced serum lipid profile, although the study is not broad enough.
• Cardio-protective effects resulting from the additive effect of ALA and n-3 long-chain PUFA were observed in women in a human trial with chia seeds (a).

• A dietary pattern including Nopal, chia seed, soy protein, and oats reduces serum triglycerides and glucose intolerance in patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes (metabolic syndrome) (23)
• In an animal study, eggs from hens fed with chia seeds had the highest ω-3 ALA content compared to those fed with flaxseed or rapeseed (24).

12. Almond- A Healthy Fat That Helps You Lose Weight!

• Source of healthy fat
• It is a good source of protein
• Loaded with anti-oxidant
• Prevents harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol
• Almonds can lower cholesterol levels. They are heart-healthy.
• They are high in Vitamin E.

Eat 8-10 soaked raw almonds will carry you through the day. Overeating may make you fat—snack on it. Add them to breakfast cereals. Make your almond milk, and you have a healthy drink. Top your toast with almond butter.

13. Oats- Wake Up With A Bowl and Meet Your Daily Goal

Oats are micronutrient rich and possess vitamin E, folates, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, carotenoids, betaine, choline, Sulfur-containing amino acids, phytic acid, lignins, lignane and alkylresorcinols (Flander et al. 2007)

There are several kinds of oats available in supermarkets and food stores. It confuses you to pick the right one. Look for a less processed version with less external unhealthy additives like sugar. Rolled and steel-cut oats have good nutritional value.

• They can lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar.
• It is a gluten-free whole grain and helps in weight loss.
• Oats contain soluble fibers that help digestion and metabolism. They are high in protein.
• A daily intake of 3 g of soluble oat β-glucan can lower the risk of coronary heart disease (FDA 1997).
• The feeling of keeping away your hunger for quite a while leads to body weight reduction.
• Oats contain a unique group of anti-oxidants, possibly coming from a short-chain fatty acid that fights with free radicals, which is the potential enemy of your skin.

40-45 gm of uncooked oats will suffice for your breakfast. It can be soaked in water for 30 minutes, and grinding makes a drink. Add blueberries, and guava pieces, bananas for a better taste and make it more nutrient-rich.

Quinoa, Brown Rice, and Ethiopian Teff are other supergrains in this category.

14. Turmeric- The Golden Spice 

Turmeric (25) (26)has built quite a reputation as a superfood. This bright yellow spice of every Indian kitchen has created a revolution worldwide.

• The antioxidant properties are reflected in its beautiful bright yellow color. It increases the body’s antioxidant capacity to fight free radicals.
• Turmeric is naturally anti-inflammatory. It provides a natural defense against cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Preliminary studies have found turmeric’s prospect in reducing pain in Osteoarthritis.
• Curcumin boosts the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), increasing the growth of new neurons and helping fight various degenerative diseases in the brain.
• It reduces the number of heart attacks after bypass surgery.
• It works against depression (27).

Keep turmeric powder in a cold, dark place to protect them from oxidation. Talk to your health care provider about the dose, although it is safe for oral consumption and applying on the skin.

Caution! Turmeric may interfere with the action of blood thinners like Warfarin and Plavix. Ask your doctor if you are on those medications.

Turmeric provides internal health benefits and helps your external appearance. Use it in making healthy turmeric milk, and add it to your curries, turmeric tea, and face masks as part of your exfoliation routine.

15. Lentils: The Poor Man’s Protein “+ Much More”

Benefits of Lentils (28 ):

Lentils are a vegan and vegetarian source of superfood. A sprouted version of lentil is a trendy superfood of 2019.  They are considered the poor man’s protein and are available everywhere.

Lentils are the highest source of starch and insoluble fiber. They can nourish you with high-quality pre-biotic carbohydrates. All of this works towards your healthy gut.

• They work toward controlling your blood sugar and help your diabetes
• It Helps in body weight reduction
• It protects your heart.
• Anti-bacterial: Reduce and prevent bacterial infection
• They protect you from cancer.

Portion Size: The ideal amount is ½ cup (115 Cal), equivalent to 2 ounces of protein (~1/3 of your daily requirement).

Boil it and add spices to flavor it. Steam it or sprout it; they go well with salads. Sprouted ones are a trendy superfood of 2019. They reduce bloating vs. the steamed version.

16. Sweet Potato

• These are an excellent source of novel health-promoting compounds (29) containing beta carotene and anthocyanins, which stabilize the color. Purple sweet potatoes contain more anthocyanins, functioning as anti-oxidants working as free radical fighters. They may offer anti-inflammatory benefits, which cause several chronic syndromes, and anti-viral and anti-cancer benefits. In herbal medicine, anthocyanin-rich substances have long been used to treat some conditions, including high blood pressure, colds, and urinary tract infections.
• The average 100 g size sweet potato (30) contains a remarkable 384% eye-healthy Vitamin-A, 7% carbohydrate, and 6.5 g sugar.
• It is a good source of fiber when eaten with the skin on.
• It contains collagen-building helper Vitamin-C and Copper, 90 Cal, and 4% protein. Manganese (25%) helps utilize many vitamins in the body and supports the metabolism of nutrients.

How to use it for good health? Eat it raw, baked, steamed, microwaved, puree.

17. Greek Yogurt- Feed Your Second Brain “Gut”

.Fermented dairy products contain naturally occurring beneficial bacteria and are a natural source of probiotics.  Greek yogurt with live active cultures with low sugar content (less than 10g per serving) is recommended.

Probiotics (31) help your gut health by being used as food by the microbes.

• Probiotics can calm inflammation.
• They boost skin function and help make skin radiant inside and outside.
• Research shows probiotics can fight free radicals.
• Good bacteria help build collagen, increase hydration, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
• They help maintain an appropriate pH that inhibits pathogenic bacteria colonization.
• The Lactobacillus family of bacteria can reduce UV-induced sun damage on the skin.
• Probiotics absorb nutrients from food 

18. Olive Oil (32) 

• It may prevent heart stroke.
• Extra virgin olive oil infused with Vitamin D (33) (34) can help muscle repair.
• The oleic acid (73-83% of Olive oil) can smooth the skin (34).
• The polyphenol in olive oil acts as a potent anti-oxidant, improving general health and appearance. They show anti-cancerous activity by scavenging free radicals.
• The essential fatty acid in olive oil nourishes the skin and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
• It helps Inhibit and prevent the development and growth of the tumor.

Portion size: Dietician recommendation is 15 mL per day. Use olive oil sparingly in your cooking and sprinkle it with lemon or vinegar on a salad.

19. Garlic (35): You May Have to Love the Smell!

• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Garlic helps reduce plaque deposits in the heart and blood vessels and reduce thickened arteries, inhibiting blood flow, thus preventing heart attack.
• Antitumor and anti-microbial effect
• Helps respiration and digestion- Garlic contains allicin, which helps people with lung problems, resulting in difficulty breathing. It cures asthma symptoms.
• Effective against leprosy and parasitic infection
• Garlic is prebiotic and feeds probiotic bacteria and their growth, populating healthy bacterial assembly.
• Allicin in Garlic helps acne-causing bacteria (36), reducing swelling and inflammation, which helps blood circulation, providing better nutrition to the skin. It helps in producing clear skin.

Garlic is an easy plant to grow even inside the house. Eating a clove of garlic every day before you sleep helps your body. Chop them off and use in stir fry, chutney, pickles, and yogurt. These are some of the ways you may enjoy garlic’s delicacy and benefit from it for your health and skin.

They preferably drink two teaspoons of amla juice diluted in water on an empty stomach in the morning to help all the above processes.

Take Away

• If we have to eat, why is it not the best food? Put a variety on your plate to get the best outcome. Include superfoods or swap the diet to enjoy vitality, stamina, and good health. It will make your visit less to hospitals and doctors.
• Eat as much organic as possible. Try not to strip off the nutrients by peeling the vegetables, refining the whole grains, and using them.
• Stay closer to the low side of the food chain. Realize refined and processed material can significantly lose its nutritional value.
• Good health has no substitute. So eating healthy and simultaneously getting medicinal benefits is the smart way.
• Rest 8 hours, no more or no less. Exercise-even 30 minutes of brisk walking will help your overall health.
• Eating in moderation is the key. Too much of any good thing is terrible. Follow the guidelines. Talk to your nutritionist about portions.