Nutritious Foods For The Body! We Are What We Eat!

Foods that are full of health packed antioxidants can help to keep us healthy! There are many power packed superfoods that can help keep our body in optimal health. With that said there are genetics that play a role in certain disorders and conditions that no matter what you eat are not going to change the diseases we are predispositioned too! However, we can help delay and or improve certain things by fueling our body with food derived vitamins and flavonoids.

I have always taken a interest in nutrition and the dynamics it has on the body! I take what i learned in school when i attended to be a medical assistant and also read many books and articles. I solely base the information i am about to give on these facts. I want to share some of my favorites with you and hope that someone may benefit from some of the information i am about to share.

So what is a superfood? Keeping this simple and to the point a superfood has a higher than normal content of antioxidants and vitamins! It can help to reduce one’s risk of illness. Some examples of superfoods and not in any particular order are as follows. Berries all berries, Nuts, Seeds, Dark Leafy greens, Olive oil, Green Tea, Onions and garlic, Fish, Grains such as Quinoa and Oats. This is just a small list there are many more, like mushrooms and broccoli. You can educate yourself by looking online and or asking your doctor! Or reading books from the library or even a nutritionist. With this in mind here are some of my favorites and i want to share how i make them more optimal with added benefits!

Let’s start with coffee, I take my coffee black no added creams or sugar, however, i add cinnamon. Cinnamon is a powerful spice with health benefits, mostly known for lowering blood sugar levels and being a substance with powerful medicinal properties. So next time you grab a coffee toss in some cinnamon!

Green tea, may lower your risk of disease, cancers, and there some evidence that it has helped to shrink tumors with polyphenols and catechins. I personally make my green tea even more optimal by adding lemon. The lemon will infuse more antioxidants and higher anti cancer properties.

Drink lots of H20 and add orange slices, lemon slices, even cucumber it will add a ton of vitamin C.

Berries tons of berries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries. Berries fight inflammation in the body, help to prevent cancer, and our loaded with antioxidants.

Olive Oil, this is the only oil i use. Olive oil is rich in healthy fats, it can lower blood pressure, help with oxidative stress and lowers risk of heart disease. Use it in your salads. My go to is when i eat french or italian bread, i pour olive oil into a small bowl and add spices such as garlic,oregano, parsley, rosemary, and onion powder then top with some parm cheese. Dip that bread and whola ..Delish!

Seeds such as pumpkin and flax and chia will increase your omegas. They also help reduce cholesterol.

Mushrooms, such as my favorites, shitake, oysters, bella and portabella have a ton of antioxidants that protect us from free radicals and help keep us looking young. They also boast the immune system. It is better to cook mushrooms it is safer then adding to your salads. Mushrooms although are a powerhouse antioxidants when eaten in raw form they can contain toxins. So what i do is saute them and add to spaghetti dishes, or scrambled eggs, or roast them.

Walnuts, almonds, are amazing in health benefits, high in omegas and minerals. I can not eat them and it makes me sad, i love nuts however, am highly allergic to these powerhouse superfoods. I am jealous to those who get to enjoy these amazing superfoods. So although not a nut i eat peanuts instead they are also a superfood high in omegas but they are actually a legume.

Red wine, merlot, cabernet, pinot in moderation has many health benefits. It thins the blood, lowers the risk of stroke and heart disease it is high in cardiovascular health and helps raise your good cholesterol aka as your HDL. I truly enjoy a glass of wine with dinner at night.

Greens tons of greens, spinach, kale, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, and broccoli itself as well as brussel sprouts. I personally can eat raw, steamed, sauteed and roasted. I never really liked brussel sprouts however, i roasted them one night and fell in love. What i did was toss them in olive oil, pepper salt and then sprinkled them with garlic, italian seasoning as well as rosemary and thyme. Then sprinkled parm cheese all over and roasted them until they had slight toasted brown burn, amazingly delish. And kale make kale chips drizzle with seasonings and go wild you can use any spices and dont forget hot pepper for some extra added spice roast them up and eat a healthy chip!

Eat dark chocolate very nutritious, releases endorphins and may help with brain function.

Ginger root, i always take the root and shave off some pieces and swallow them. Ginger root has been proven to aid in nausea, digestion, reducing motion sickness has anticancer effects and anti inflammatory effects. Ginger root is a amazing superfood!

Fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, are full of omegas, they lower the risk of stroke and heart disease in adults. Limit to twice a week for mercury reasons esp if pregnant or breastfeeding. I make salad full of veggies and spinach based then add tuna on top.

I also use apple cider vinegar, take two supplements coq10 as well as vitamin D 3. Other then that i limit red meat and when i do it must be extremely lean, i do not eat pork or at least maybe eat no more then 0nce a year, i do eat chicken and or turkey, and eat more brown grains over bleached white. I use butter made from olive oil and omegas. And my peanut butter is loaded with omegas.

These are just some of the things i do and hope that helps someone else. I may not be able to prevent what i am predisposed too, however , it may help aid in the severity and or delay, and or may prevent other things. To all you bloggers eat well, stay healthy and remember to smile 🙂 xoxo