Fruits and vegetables should be eaten as part of a healthy diet, but did you know that there are certain ‘Superfoods’ that have even greater health benefits. The average person should eat around 5-10 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. A couple of handfuls of strawberries, as an example, is a portion. A glass of orange juice counts as a portion. If you add a pepper, onion, broccoli, and mushrooms to a risotto, that is four of your fruits and vegetables already. They are low in calories and very high in antioxidants, which help to strengthen the body’s immune system. Fruits and vegetables also count toward your daily water count. Even a banana contains 70-90% water. They are full of sugar, but the natural sugar that your body needs, and sugars actually help to keep the blood sugar under control. Foods high on the GI (Glycaemic Index), such as white bread and sugar, cause a spike in blood sugar and the result afterward can be a sluggish feeling.
By sticking to fruits and vegetables to balance the blood sugar, the body will continue to boost in health – weight loss, clearer skin, more energy, and a feeling of wellness.
Broccoli
This is from the cruciferous family. Other vegetable from this family include cauliflower and Swede, and has anti-cancer properties. Broccoli is tasty, and can be cooked or eaten slightly raw in a stir-fry. It is such a versatile vegetable and contains a substantial amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Tomato
The great thing about a tomato is that, when cooked, its health benefits increase. It is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that works in the male reproductive system to prevent prostate cancer. It can be used in so many dishes, hot or cold and is great with pasta.
Peppers
I mean the non hot peppers that are coloured red, green, yellow, orange, and purple, but chilli peppers are useful too, and the stimulate the metabolism for hours afterward. The purple peppers are not usually available in supermarkets, but in some health supermarkets, they are. They are lovely in a stir-fry, and taste similar to a green pepper. Peppers are tasty, crunchy, low in calories, and contain vitamin C, which is great for the health of the skin.
Apple
Apples come in a wide variety – Cox’s, Granny Smiths, and Pink Ladies to name just a few. The great thing about apples is that they are easy to digest, do not need to be cooked, and they can be eaten completely, even the pips and core. Apples contain pectin, which is a fibrous skin that helps to pick up toxins from the body and expels through the large intestine. They are low on the GI, low in calories, and highly nutritious.
Grapefruit
Grapefruits contain a lot of water, and they are tasty, if not a little sour. Pink grapefruits are a little sweeter. Sprinkle a little sugar on if you cannot handle the taste. Grapefruits are known as a slimmer’s food, and there is research to show that eating a grapefruit 30 minutes before a meal actually helps you to eat less. The fibre in the pectin actually keeps you fuller for longer. Pectin and is very good for removing toxins from the body. White grapefruits are quite sour, but pink grapefruits are a little sweeter and contain even more antioxidants.
Berries
All berries, whether they are strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, goji berries all contain large amounts of vitamins and a number of antioxidants, which rid the body of toxins and keep the skin looking luminous. They stabilise the blood sugar levels, and are low on the GI scale, therefore keep the body full of energy. They are low in calories and tasty to use in desserts. In fact, one of the super food fruits is the dried goji berries. Known to Hollywood celebrities as a super food, they contain antioxidants, are low in calories – much lower than other dried fruits – and they are ideal for slimmer’s to snack on. They are also expensive to buy. All berries are tasty and work just as good as the goji.