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The foods you eat have a significant impact on your mood and on your overall health. But while it’s common knowledge that fruits, veggies, and other whole foods are good for you, there’s more to it than that. On one end, you have empty calories – the foods that have little to no nutritional value outside of the calories they give you. On the other, are superfoods. “Superfood” isn’t an official classification – it’s a marketing term. But it refers to foods that pack a lot of nutrition into each bite. I’m Dr. JJ, a naturopathic doctor in Toronto, and I want to help you keep your mind and body strong through your diet. In this article, we’ll take a look at what superfoods are, and explore three particular superfoods that may be beneficial for your health. Let’s take a look. What Are Superfoods? As we already mentioned, the term superfood is not an official classification and is fairly new. The notion of superfoods has mostly been used as a marketing term to promote certain nutrient rich foods. But it can also be used as an educational term. This is because it raises public awareness of the health benefits of foods that are referred to as superfoods. These foods are typically dense in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. While superfoods can be beneficial in providing nutrients to your body, they work in tandem with keeping an overall health conscious diet. Incorporating these superfoods into your diet can provide added nutrients and benefit your health. Replacing processed foods with superfoods can give your body what it needs to be healthy and maintain its various functions. How Can Superfoods Help? Now that we know what superfoods are, let’s talk about how they can help. We’ve talked about how superfoods are high in antioxidants. There are a number of different types of antioxidants. That includes vitamins - A, C, and E, in particular. It also includes minerals, like copper, zinc, and selenium. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, is also an antioxidant. So is curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. It even includes a hormone – melatonin. In all, thousands of antioxidants have been identified. They’re important because they neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are leftovers in your system from your body’s natural energy production that can cause damage. Superfoods are high in antioxidants and can help combat the damaging effects of free radicals. This can be beneficial for a variety of health issues and conditions, including: Parkinson’s disease Cancer Heart disease Stroke Arthritis Immune deficiencies Respiratory diseases, like asthma Emphysema Eating nutrient rich fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of numerous lifestyle related health issues. These nutrients can also aid in promoting increased energy, and are good for your skin. Furthermore, as you age your body doesn’t need as much food or calories. You want to make your calories count. Superfoods are jam packed with nutrients that you can get from less calories and less volume of food. This is also beneficial in helping you maintain a healthy weight. Overall, superfoods can provide you with an array of health benefits. Let’s take a more detailed look at some specific superfoods and why including them into your diet can be beneficial. Three Great Superfoods While superfoods are great for your health and give you many of the nutrients your body needs, they are not a cure all. Superfoods should be incorporated as part of a balanced healthy diet. Having a variety of nutrient dense foods can help give your body the nutrients it requires and can provide numerous health benefits. A balanced diet should contain a combination of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean protein. Although, there are particular food items that you can consume to get a nice amount of specific minerals and vitamins. Let’s take a closer look at three great superfoods that you can incorporate into your diet. 1. Cruciferous Vegetables You might not recognize the name, but if you’re a fan of healthy eating, it’s a good bet that one of your favourite vegetables is part of the cruciferous family. They include: Broccoli Kale Cabbage Cauliflower Radishes Turnips Arugula Kohlrabi Bok choy Brussels sprouts Mustard greens Each of these actually come from the same plant – mustard. They’re absolutely packed with nutrients, including vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, fibre, manganese, iron, beta carotene, magnesium, zinc, copper, and more. They’re also pretty low in calories, meaning you get a much bigger nutritional bang for your buck. But beyond that, there’s a lot of evidence that they can help with a variety of different health concerns. That comes from a substance called indole-3-carbinol, which is derived from a substance found in cruciferous vegetables. Research has shown promising results in using indole-3-carbinol as a treatment for cervical dysplasia, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and many others. While you chew cruciferous vegetables, they produce a substance called sulforaphane, which has also shown to be helpful with prostate cancer. 2. Green Tea Unlike most of the other foods on this list, green tea isn’t a nutritional powerhouse. In fact, because it’s mostly water, it has essentially no protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, sugar, or calories. It does have trace amounts of vitamins and minerals, but they’re nothing to write home about. But it still has a boatload of health benefits. If you drink green tea, it might be because of its reputation as a natural solution for healthier skin or as a weight loss tool, but it goes much further than that. In particular, it’s loaded with polyphenols, plant substances that serve as potent antioxidants. These, among others, have shown to be hugely beneficial for heart health. In particular, one study found that green tea helps reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, each cup of green tea a day reduces your risk of stroke by 4%, and heart attack by 2%. It’s also been shown to reduce your risk of a wide variety of different types of cancers, including endometrial and ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer. If you’re concerned about staying sharp as you get older, green tea can provide benefits there as well. Studies have shown that it helps reduce cognitive decline, specifically more so than black tea or coffee. RELATED ARTICLE: Superfoods For A Stronger Mind It’s worth noting that green tea does have caffeine in it, so drink wisely. 3. Bone Broth Bone broth might not have the most appetizing name you’ve ever heard, but there’s a reason it’s on this list. It’s what you get when you boil the bones, connective tissues, and other less than tasty bits from an animal carcass after eating. Now, this might be a new idea to you, but if you’ve ever had a bowl of soup that wasn’t vegetarian, you’ve already had bone broth. Its most common use is as a base for making soups and stews, though you can drink it as well. But of course, not all bone broths are created equal. The health value of your bone broth depends on what kind of animal you used to create it. That said, it has been shown to have a number of health benefits as well. First, it’s rich in a variety of different nutrients, including iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin K, gelatine, and glutamine. And because it’s so low in calories (it’s mostly water, after all), drinking it can help you feel fuller. They can be a useful naturopathic optimal sleep solution, since they have the amino acid glycine, which can help you feel rested and relaxed. The gelatin they have is of particular interest as well, since it helps with collagen synthesis. That’s good for your skin, hair, nails, muscles, joints, and more. If you make your bone broth from chicken bones, a particular type of collagen you get from there can help support your joints if you have osteoarthritis. The glutamine in bone broth is helpful too – your intestines use it to build their lining. If you’re dealing with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, collagenous colitis, leaky gut, malabsorption, or IBS, glutamine can help repair the damage to your intestines. Questions? Ask Dr. JJ! If you want to know more about superfoods, I’m here to help. I’m Dr. JJ, a naturopath in Toronto, and I can help you navigate the world of nutrition. Let’s make sure what you’re eating benefits your body and brain. Book your appointment with me, Dr. JJ, today.

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