NUTRITION
The Naked Truth About Superfoods
Spiritual Warrior
All these superfood lies.
Advertising companies often present us with unbelievable health benefits about superfoods. It’s a kind of appealing idea thought: that some foods are healthy, some are unhealthy and some superhealthy. When you’re able to purchase all these “superfoods” to become healthy, why should you even bother with altering your habits? Why settle for a struggle of change, when you can be made superhealthy by chia seeds in your cereal? An interesting 2014 research in Great Britain, conducted by YouGov reported that 61% of Biritish people already purchased some type of a superfood.
Needless to say, there’s definitely a big science discussion on the topic of omega-3 glucosinolates and anthocyanins. A lot of people may believe we know the value of antioxidants that “mop up” the free radicals damaging our cells, preventing the cause of cancer and reverse ageing processes. Interestingly, the European Food safety Authority reviewed the evidence and found no actual effects on health. With all the free radicals our body actually uses them to kill bateria. Does that mean our own immune system might weaken because of that?
As bad as it may sound, the truth about nutrition is incredibly complex, different for each individual and his lifestyle. It is important to enlight the fact that if you do regular exercise and consume a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, nothing is a superfood. And if you live unhealthy, no food will magically save you.
As a great introduction into the topic of heathy diet and nutrition, I really recommend this amazing video, made by Dr. Mike Evans:
Kale
One of the most trending superfoods out there is kale, however it is also the most perplexing. Surely, you’ll harly find a vegetable that is less exotic. Kale has been grown for a huge number of years in northern Europe and lots of other places too. It was clearly one of the stolid, practical harvests, that individuals were guided to grow in their own gardens. Along with red Russian kale and cavolo nero, it’s one among several cultivars of the glorious Brassica oleracea species, related to Chinese cabbage, bok choy and turnips and gives us kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts.
Health benefits
Well, we realize it is healthy to consume a diet including a lot of vegetables, so actually the question must be: is kale a lot better in relation to the others of those? The answer is simple. No, it’sn’t.
Like attempting to produce your car go quicker by filling it with more gas. Superfood fans like to argue that kale contains high levels of minerals and vitamins, which is actually highly determined by the soil they may be grown in. Even more, all the vegetables contain them in different amounts, so there’s no point making them compete in a nutritional contest. Sure, by weight, kale typically contains more calcium, vitamin B6 – and calories – in comaprison to spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, typical cabbage or carrots. But you will reach the same goal of “superhealth” by eating just al little more of these. Spinach and brussels sprouts additionally contain less vitamin A and fibre than typical kale. Big deal. No great evidence demonstrates eating tons of vegetables and fruit with kale is more healthy than eating lots of them without it.
Spiritual Warrior
Avocado
An actual delicacy, and at this moment one the most popular fruits in the USA. Technically it’s more a fruit than a vegetable. The interest in avocados is actually so high that the large Mexican criminal gangs were caught harvesting and transporting it across the border. To examine the use and flavor and really, it’s nutritional content – avocado is obviously uncommon. Whether it has superpowers is another issue.
Health benefits
It’s high content of monounsaturated fats really helps to shield your cardiovascular system, but you can even get that from uncooked olive oil, sunflower oil and lots of other stuff. And you should. As a result, despite looking so light, avocados are extremely calorific. About 240 calories are provided by one (a Mars bar supplies 228). A report on eight preliminary studies in 2013 (“paid by Hass Avocado Board”) found that your cardiovascular system may benefit by eating hass avocados. Today, there aren’t many great-quality independent systematic reviews of the aftereffects of avocados on your health and well-being.
Kale
A Serving Of Kale Has More Absorbable Calcium Than A Small Carton Of Milk.
Avocado
Avocados are the size of a baby in its mother's womb at 16 weeks. They're also a good snack to feed to babies young and old!
7 Myths you still believe about “Healthy Eating”
A great way to challenge your nutritional knowledge would be to look at the video created by Matthew Santoro. He adresses some important questions and “facts” on this topic and explains the value of a well balanced diet:
Pomegranates
Grenadine, the reddish syrup you saw in 1992 at the bottom of tequilla sunrise was extracted from sweetened pomegranate juice. It’s frequently replaced with fruit that is less expensive nowadays, since no one actually sees the process or the source of it’s creation.
Health benefits
Studies merely suggest advantages of using pomegranates, if you have existing health conditions. The evidence are not clearly understood, although it is often indicated that drinking a great deal of pomegranate juice might help with decreasing the artery damage due to cholesterol and boost blood circulation to damaged hearts. There’s also an extremely vague idea that it could impede the progress of prostate cancer. You won’t be surprised to learn that there are a great deal of antioxidants in pomegranates (particularly in the rind, which you can’t eat), but that doesn’t mean anything until substantial doses of antioxidants won’t be scientifically proven to improve folks’s health and well-being.
Goji berries
Also known as wolfberries, this fruits of boxthorn are becoming pretty high-priced under its Chinese name. When fresh, the fruits appear to be pink, like elongated grapes. Therefore, they can be quite simple to blend into things or to nosh on.
Health benefits
Evidence indicates that traditional Chinese medicine used Goji berries for thousands of years. But do not take this as an endorsment, evidence suggest that tradicional Chienese medicine, as also tradicional European medicine, is largely a waste of time or even dangerous to your health. Drinking the juice, or eating goji berries, nearly surely isn’t terrible for you personally, however there’s no evidence suggesting that goji berries do anything more useful than just about any other fruit. There are many studies promising they treat cardiovascular disease, cancer and many other things, but they happen to be tiny, poorly performed and far from a normal amount of eaten berries, that an average human eats daily.
Pomegranate
A pilot study found that it has some beneficial effects on erectile dysfunction.
Goji berries
Legend says a man named Li Qing Yuen consumed goji berries daily and lived to be 252 years old.
Spiritual Warrior
Chia seeds
South and Central American seed with the ancient history as well as a weirdly high omega 3 content. Chia seeds were destined to become superfood long before anyone even knew this term. In addition they act rather excitingly in the kitchen, forming a gloopy type of gel when mixed with liquids, which suggests it is possible to use them to thicken beverages as well as make jellies that are unusual. Otherwise, you grind them in a flour or can scatter them on practically anything. They don’t taste of much.
Health benefits
When considering to buy, always read the small print. Omega-3 fatty acids, in the event you already don’t know, are found in oily fish and are often used in the Mediterranean diet, which seems to be very healthy. One hundred grams of chia seeds comprise about 17g of omega3s, which is increadibly high – around eight times as much as salmon. However it is not simple to consume a complete 100g of chia seeds, which incidentally, additionally feature 486 calories – nearly as much as a Big Mac. On the other hand it is important to answer a question – “Why do you even want to eat a lot of omega3s?”. The evidence on the topic of omega3s are also vague and there is specially very little evidence which suggest any health benefits of chia diet. Fish are certainly good for you, helping to protect against cardiovascular disease (government recommends two portions, one oily, every week).
Beetroot
Some time ago, it was one of the most popular health-foods on the market. You’ll see mushy sectors of it sealed in plastic, possibly soaked in vinegar. Mostly elderly still eat a lot of beetroot, like tongue or condensed milk. Like a lot of relics it has become trendy again. Freshly roasted, grated, pickled or juiced, it belongs among the great vegetables. It’s possible for you to eat the leaves, which are essentially chard. The classic purple beetroot has the jolly side effect of dyeing your kitchen, your plate and you as well.
Health benefits
Like many vegetables, it is full of nitrates, which allows it to be a health panic, a sports nutritional supplement as well as a “superfood”, all in one. The part that is nice is the fact that beetroot juice does appear to reduce blood pressure, likely due to the nitric oxides that your body converts into. In practice, this has very little use. In case your blood pressure needs to be lowered, you’re considerably better off eating less salt, doing exercise and taking the drugs your physician gives you. It is however possible that nitrates in beetroot also form nitrosamines in your body, so Efsa recommends no more that two of them a day.
Seaweed
Seaweed is undoubtedly having a highlight at this time. It plays a huge role in East Asian diet and particularly in Japan. It comes in many edible forms, like laver or nori, kelp, sea grapes, dulse and more.
Health benefits
It is a quite rare example of non-animal product, rich in vitamin B12. This makes it an important food for vegans, who are not willing to take any supplements. For a little number of those who decide to have a nutritional deficiency, but despise pills, seaweed is a great “superfood”. For everybody else, it’s merely delicious and healthy (as a portion of a balanced diet). It usually includes lots of iron and calcium, but you ought to be receiving those from an assortment of sources anyhow. In general, it is a huge issue that you can exceed your body’s nutritional requirements with superfoods. This may create absorbtion problems on other areas. Fibre, iodine and alginate in seaweed happen to be promoted for weight reduction, but the effect is far from proven. Furthermore, iodine is something you don’t wish to consume much of. Iodine toxicity may cause weight gain and thyroid problems. According to where it grew, some seaweed might even have lots of heavy metals, which – in substantial amounts – could do actual damage to your health.
Chia seeds
The chia plant (Salvia hispanica), sometimes referred to as chia sage, originated in the central valley of Mexico and is a member of the mint family.
Beetroot
Bet you didn't know it, but beetroot is a Hangover cure. Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its colour, is an antioxidant so the humble beetroot could be the key to beating your hangover.
Seaweed
Most of the world’s oxygen (about 70%) comes from seaweeds and other microscopic algae.
What are your thoughts on nutrition and healthy foods?
Do you use any supplements or superfoods? How did they do for you?
Do you have any advice, comments or ideas you can add to our post?
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Spiritual Warrior
Author
I was always curios. The waves of euphoric exploration on the newly-discovered topics carry me deeper into the ocean of knowledge. And then i start to write. As a psychologist and enterpreneur i developed a critical view of the world which offers unlimited possibilities for improvement. Because there is too much "false" teachings and personal growth guides out there, i decided to build my own knowledge base with science proven information and recent discoveries. I invite you to create it with me. Only with helping each other and spreading love through the Universe, we will all grow and raise our frequency of existence.
