Love Food Editors - Superfoods: 50 Best Foods to Change Your Life

If you want to live a long and healthy life, there are many simple lifestyle changes that can boost both your brain and body functions. Most experts agree that the secret to a healthy lifestyle requires just a little common senseclean living, eating a balanced diet, and getting plenty of exercise are all important. Choosing a healthy diet that is rich in superfoods is an easy step to improving how you look and feel.

The theory that certain foods can have a lasting effect on our health and well-being is certainly not a new one. More than two thousand years ago the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, wrote about the link between diet and health, and modern-day physicians and dietitians are increasingly looking to our diet and so-called superfoods to help prevent and treat a whole host of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers disease, stroke, cataracts, and many others.

All foods have some nutritional value, but superfoods earn their name because they contain particularly high levels of a particular vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acid, or phytochemical that has been shown to improve some aspect of our health or well-being. Superfoods come in all shapes and sizes, but the best way to be sure that you get a good selection is to make plant-based foodssuch as fruit and vegetables, whole-grain cereals, beans, nuts, and seedsthe dominant ingredients in your diet.

In the pages that follow, you will find a whole host of superfoods that are readily available, easy to prepare, and make a delicious addition to your usual diet. Each page details the nutritional benefits that can be found in a particular ingredient, along with information on how best to prepare and store certain foods.

Some superfoods, such as blueberries, red bell pepper, and oranges, have vitamins and antioxidants that help reduce damage to cells.

Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and watercress, contain naturally occurring plant chemicals, called phytochemicals, which work to block the growth of cancerous cells.

Others, such as garlic and onions, earn their superfood status because they actively help to strengthen the immune system by boosting the bodys natural resistance to disease and infection.

Oil-rich fish, such as salmon, fresh tuna, mackerel, and sardines, offer a wealth of health benefits. The omega-3 fats found in these fish help to keep the heart healthy and also have an anti-inflammatory effect, which can help to relieve the symptoms associated with such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies have also shown that regular inclusion of oily fish in the diet can help improve concentration for both children and adultsand although they wont actually make you smarter, as many people believe, they certainly have a beneficial effect on mental focus and productive output.

Many herbs and spices have superfood qualities. Cinnamon for instance, which is a key ingredient in many sweet recipes, is believed to help lower bad cholesterol and improve blood-sugar levels. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help to fight infection in the body.

The good news is that, despite their incredible health-boosting properties, superfoods dont have to be expensive or exoticmany of the fruits and vegetables we consume every day, such as carrots, beets, apples, lentils, and tomatoes, contain compounds that technically make them superfoods. Put simply, this means that making the change to a healthy, balanced diet doesnt have to be expensive, and doesnt require hunting in health-food stores for unusual ingredientsjust include more of the good stuff!

The theory that eating certain foods can help you live a longer and healthier life has been supported by a growing body of evidence from around the world. Some studies suggest that the right diet may even help counteract the negative effects of smoking, lack of exercise, and the stresses of modern living, and that certain foods could be the answer to niggling health problems such as indigestion, headaches, and lack of energy. It might seem as though the easy alternative to a diet overhaul is to take a vitamin pill every morning, but its important to remember that most superfoods contain a cocktail of active ingredients and its this combination (and interaction) that offers the health benefits.