Recently,
I have been working on trends in modern diet. Diets are fascinating
because they show, that we are not afraid to experiment and we look
for health in many wonderful places. It got me thinking about what
the ideal diet should look like. Not many of us think about composing
our menus based on recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals
and as a result, in my opinion, we have problems with health. There
are more and more evidence showing association between poor health
and mineral and/or vitamin deficiencies. I think, that it is quite a
hot topic. So, I did my own analysis and came up with the list of 14
super foods, which we all should include in our diet.
Do
you want to supercharge your life and know which super foods to
include in your diet? On my list there are the following: fish,
sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts,
yogurt, eggs, quinoa, lentils, dark chocolate, olive oil, fruit and
vegetables.
It
will surprise you but according to my own calculations we do not need
to eat meat. Fish is another story. While meat is only a good source
of protein, vitamin B and selenium, fish, however, are also a good
source of other nutrients like for example calcium, vitamin B12,
folate and others. This means, that if we resort only to fish, we
will make automatically more room for fruit and vegetables in our
diet and this is healthy.
Seeds
are powerful and some are more powerful than others. However, they
are also a source of phytic acid, so they should be fermented before
eating. We do not have to eat them a lot, 100 g of sunflower seeds
and 100 g of pumpkin seeds is enough. They are excellent source of
many vitamins and minerals. My analysis has shown, that if we do not
include sunflower seeds, almonds, or olive oil in our diet, then we
will have deficiencies in vitamin E. Other products like avocado or
broccoli, which are also good source of this vitamin, will not remedy
the scarcity, unfortunately.
Almonds
and nuts are the same story. Almonds are selected because of vitamin
E and calcium. If you rely on them in your diet, because you need
calcium, you should keep in mind, that they are also a source of
phytic acid and you should ferment them before eating, otherwise you
will not benefit from this nutrient-dense food. Walnuts are famous,
because they are excellent source of omega 3 and those not eating
fish should regularly consume walnuts. The most impressive and
important health benefits of brazil nuts are, that they are the best
source of selenium. This is especially significant for vegetarians
and vegans and 100g should take care of our needs. Selenium is
usually found in meat produce, so every plant eater may have
deficiencies in this mineral.
Legumes
are also on my list. Personally I find that a mini version of a bean,
lentils, is the best. If you are not consuming them already, maybe it
is time to re-think the strategy. It is worth it. They are low in
calories, but high in fiber and many nutrients.
Grains
can also be powerful. The most powerful of them all is quinoa and
some call it the best new food superstar. Quinoa is packed with
vitamins and minerals, and because it contains all essential amino
acids, it is also a good source of protein. So why not switch from
rice to quinoa? We will definitely benefit from the switch, providing
we remember to ferment it before eating, due to the presence of
phytic acid.
Many
people say, that dairy is not good for you. I find that eggs and
yogurt are excellent and that we should think about them while
shopping. Natural yogurt is a great source of probiotics as well as
vitamin B12 and calcium. Vegetarians from India rely on legumes in
their diet and they consume a lot of yogurt. I believe, that they
developed this habit to increase fiber consumption found in high
levels in all legumes. The health benefits of probiotics cannot be
overstressed. We all should make sure, that we provide enough of them
every day.
Potassium,
which is good for our heart, can be found in fruit and vegetables.
Eating them on regular basis should take care of our daily
recommended intake. A good tip to know: 100g of tomato paste contains
30% of our daily recommended intake of potassium so why not prepare a
tomato juice?
Lastly,
dark chocolate. I just love it and lately it has been my major source
of sugar. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and it takes care
of sugar cravings, which we all have.
Some
say, that superfood is just the marketing term used to describe foods
with supposed health benefits. I am not sure why people say this,
because obviously superfoods
have extra large doses of vitamins and minerals and nutrients, like
antioxidants. If you take a look again at my microelement table list,
you will no longer doubt, that certain food can only be described as
superfood and that without them, we will have hard times to stay
healthy.
