Super Foods Summary.

I thought in this entry I would write a quick list of some great foods that we should try and include in our diet, due to the vitamins they contain, and health benefits they can bring us. I've tried to just include ones that we might not eat a lot of in our daily lives, just so I'm not repeating information and advice that you've probably heard 1000 times! As previously, I've included 'Eat With' information, so that you can maximise the vitamins and minerals you absorb from the food - refer to the 'Vital Vits' entry if in doubt as to which foods have certain vitamins. At the end I've included some other foods we should all consider eating more of...and some to limit our intake of!

1) Beans etc.

- Aduki Beans

- Soya beans

- Tofu: Eat with Vitamin C

2) Dairy and Eggs

- Eggs (obviously! Just eat the whites, which are pure protein, if you're watching your diet. The yolks are fat.)

-Probiotic and prebiotic yoghurt

- Cottage cheese: Low in fat

3) Fruit

-Guava: Eat with fats

-Apricots: Eat with almonds

-Grapefruit

4) Fish

- Sardines

- Tuna: Eat with spinach and quinoa for a superfood salad! (Go easy on the dressing - some olive oil and lemon juice will suffice!)

5) Herbs and Spices

- Cinnamon: Sprinkle on food at breakfast to really kickstart your metabolism

6) Nuts and Seeds

-Almonds

-Brazils nuts: Eat in salads

-Hazelnuts

-Sunflower seeds

NOTE: While nuts ARE healthy, and contain GOOD fats, don't go overboard - they are high in calories, and their intake should be fairly limited

7) Vegetables

-Butternut squash: Eat roasted, with olive oil drizzled on top

-Kale: Eat with fish

-Sweet potato: Eat with olive oil and sunflower seeds sprinkled on top

NOTE: Squeezing lemon juice on your veggies helps the body to absorb the minerals!

8) Grains etc.

-Brown rice

-Cous Cous: Eat with live yoghurt

-Spelt (find it in spelt bread, and use in baking)

9) Lean meat

-Chicken: Eat with mushrooms, grilled and with no skin

-Turkey: As above

10) Try and include more of these in your diet:

- Grape juice & green tea: Packed full of antioxidants

- Miso: A great thing to eat at the start of a meal to help metabolism, and encourage you to consume less in the rest of your meal

- All oily fish, i.e. salmon

-Apples: Eating two a day has been proven to be great for heart health....So I guess it's a case of 'Two apples a day keeps the doc away...'

- Garlic: Helps to thin the blood and aid circulation

Limit....

....red meat to twice a week, as it's high in saturated fats, and hard for the body to digest, putting stress on the gut, and making us feel lethargic.

....feta cheese: very high in fat. This can be said for many cheeses, so always check calorie and fat content before consuming.

...never consume raw egg - sounds obvious, but I used to put egg yolk on steak tartare (as is the traditional French way) before I had my health epiphany, and also used to eat cake batter - it is not good for your digestive system!

Hope that's helpful!

Nati xXx