Military to Civilian Fitness

Guest Author: Matt Carter

The increased interest in health and eating healthy foods has spurned a few terms that marketers have latched onto. One of those terms is “Superfoods,” and as far as truth in marketing goes, that term is not far from being very true. Superfoods are natural foods, usually fresh or raw, that have immensely healthy benefits when consumed. As such, they are super healthy foods that provide benefits above and beyond comparatively similar natural foods.

What are Superfoods and Why are they good for you – The Importance of:

The importance of superfoods is that in busy schedules and hectic lives, eating quality foods becomes a challenge. Understanding and implementing superfoods into your diet provides boosts to both nutrition and phytochemicals such as amino acids, antioxidants, and enzymes. For those of us who are health conscious, consumption of superfoods helps to reduce the chances of many diseases associated with diet and aging. One such benefit is the increased consumption of antioxidants.  Antioxidants help to reduce oxidation on a cellular level. Oxidation is chemical breakdown of cellular health and is a very natural process. Cellular oxidation within cells has been scientifically linked to the formation of certain cancers. Antioxidants help to prevent the damage caused by free radicals, which are the result of oxidation during cellular function.

What are Superfoods and Why are they good for you- The Importance of Cellular Thinking:

Everything or most everything that we eat is either broken down and used within cellular function or eliminated through our intestines. When we eat food, it is broken down in our stomachs and intestines where bits of it are absorbed into our blood stream. Food that is absorbed makes its way to our cells by those helpful red blood cells that carry food and oxygen to our cells and then pick up cellular waste. It is those bits of food that we absorb that are so important, and the primary reason that superfoods are so beneficial.  Superfoods are packed full of better “bits”, stronger “bits, and certainly “bits” that are healthier for our bodies. Superfoods also have the added benefit of having nutrients that are already easy for our bodies to absorb and as an added benefit, most of those nutrients are in a usable form. This means that our body does not waste energy breaking down nutrients and rebuilding them into usable chain.

What are Superfoods and Why are they good for you – Examples of:

Spinach and leafy greens such as Chard, Collard Greens, and Kale which are all full of Iron. Iron helps maintain healthy red blood cell populations, and that means healthy cells.

Avocado, Tomato, Peppers, are all vegetables that have high concentrations of beneficial nutrients such as lypoene. Avocados are packed with beneficial fats. Peppers contain many important vitamins and hot peppers have been linked to weight loss.

Pumpkin, Winter Squash, and summer squash are not only full of vitamins but also antioxidants such as carotenoids,  and lutein. The nutritional value of pumpkin can help to reduced and prevent the formation of cataracts and other eye disease.

Black Tea or Green Tea and also Chia Seeds are sources of antioxidants. They contain nutrients that help to prevent brain disease such as dementia. They are also significant sources in the fight against high cholesterol and heart disease.

Eggs and egg whites contain Choline which is thought to promote healthier cardiac function and brain function.

Blueberries are full of antioxidants that reduce free radicals and help to improve the health of our brains.

There are many benefits of eating healthier foods and sometimes those benefits can be found in supplement form. Either way, learning about how superfoods can help improve human health is a benefit to everyone.