Using the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate as a guide, we recommend eating primarily vegetables, fruits and whole grains, healthy fats and healthy proteins. We suggest drinking water instead of sugary drinks, and we also address common dietary issues, such as salt and sodium, vitamins and alcohol. So, here's a list of 10 easy-to-eat, easy-to-find everyday superfoods that make eating healthy simple and delicious. All berries are excellent sources of fiber, a nutrient that most Americans don't get enough of.
Fiber helps keep the digestive system healthy and working properly, keeps you feeling full and is good for the heart. All berries are good for you, so be sure to mix them. In winter, when berries aren't in season, eat frozen berries (without sweeteners) and use them in smoothies, oatmeal, or even defrosted in yogurt. Raspberries (one of the best breakfast foods for weight loss) have the most fiber (8 grams per cup) and also contain ellagic acid, a compound with anti-cancer properties.
The same amount of blueberries has half as much fiber (4 grams), but it's packed with anthocyanins, antioxidants that can help keep your memory sharp as you age. A cup of strawberries contains 3 grams of fiber, but more than the recommended daily dose of skin-firming vitamin C. Oats are a breakfast staple and a superfood. Eating more oats is an easy way to increase fiber intake and makes for a filling breakfast.
In addition, oats are a whole grain and natural oats have no added sugar. For a meal or snack as a superfood, start with natural oatmeal and turn it into things like blueberry oatmeal pies, homemade granola to enjoy with fruit and yogurt, or homemade energy snacks with peanut butter. Yogurt contains probiotics, or good bacteria, that help keep our bowels healthy. Just 1 cup of yogurt provides almost half of the recommended daily value for calcium and provides phosphorus, potassium, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and protein.
Choose Greek-style yogurt to increase protein even more and, whenever possible, opt for natural yogurt. Flavoured yogurts tend to have a lot of added sugar, which adds calories without being nutritious. While superfoods may not have a quantifiable definition, foods labeled as such are healthy enough to be eaten every day. Superfoods aren't just delicious, they're packed with health-boosting nutrients and antioxidants.
So top your oats with berries, add sweet potatoes to a bowl of cereal, eat some nuts, and reap the benefits of superfoods every day. Oatmeal keeps cholesterol under control, helps fight heart disease and keeps you full until lunch, thanks to its soluble fiber. Look for old or steel-cut varieties. Walnuts are a solid source of omega-3 fatty acids, the fats that lower bad cholesterol for you (LDL) and increase good-for-you cholesterol (HDL).
Fleshy and filling, as a substitute for beef, mushrooms can reduce up to 400 calories from a meal. The popularity of kale is here to stay, because this green leaf is packed with so many nutrients. In fact, one cup of kale contains 177 milligrams of bone-nourishing calcium. However, calcium isn't the only nutrient needed for bone health, as vitamin K is also needed to maintain strong, healthy bones.
Fortunately, one cup of kale provides 493 micrograms of vitamin K. Chop the kale and massage it with olive oil and lemon for a delicious salad, or sauté it with lots of garlic for a delicious garnish, your bones will thank you. Fiber intake is generally low in the United States. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that adult women under 50 should consume 25 to 28 grams of fiber per day, and men under 50 should aim to consume 31 to 34 grams of fiber per day.
However, Americans seem to eat only half of this amount. Fiber is important for maintaining intestinal health, stabilizing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol. A serving of chia seeds not only covers nearly a third of the day's fiber needs, but it's also rich in antioxidants that may have protective effects against chronic diseases. Chia can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, or even made into a pudding.
Like blueberries, raspberries are an incredibly nutrient-rich fruit. Their nutrient profile is similar to that of blueberries, but they are one of the richest sources of fiber in the entire plant kingdom, making them an excellent addition to your list of healthy foods to eat every day. Adding 1 cup of raspberries to your morning yogurt bowl will help you meet your fiber needs for the day. While human research is limited on how raspberries themselves affect or prevent chronic diseases, increasing the amount of raspberries (and berries) you eat will help you increase your intake of antioxidants, which is a fundamental part of disease prevention.
Broccoli is a powerful vegetable and its health benefits are enormous. For example, it's rich in a robust plant compound known as sulforaphane. Sulforaphane helps fight inflammation, protects DNA, and may even slow tumor growth. Of course, broccoli alone can't prevent or treat cancer, but including it daily will have protective effects.
The recurring theme throughout the list of healthy foods to eat every day is that all of these foods are plant-based or plant-based. While there are many other health-promoting foods that aren't on this particular list, such as lentils, bananas, and beets, it's a good place to start if you want to add more healthy foods to your diet. .