What Makes Superfoods So Important to a Healthier You?
By Dr. Molly Casey
There are neverending debates on diets. I am not here to tell you what is right for you. As I always say, every single diet works -- for the right person at the right time. What I am here to do is to give you information that -- if you read and implement in your life -- can help you along your individual health journey. There are some basics to know and stick to, and then go where the path leads you.
Let’s look at a path lined with vegetables and the green superfoods.
Vegetables: What Do They Do for You?
Vegetables are important. You’ve heard that all your life. But do you know why? What do veggies do for you? Vegetables are packed full of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are organic substances found in very small amounts in natural food. The body requires vitamins for proper development and optimal functioning. Minerals are inorganic elements found in the earth and food, again in very small amounts, that help the body develop and grow and promote optimal functioning. You need these substances to function at your best.
Vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories. Fiber is a carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. It helps you feel full longer, helps stabilize blood sugar, and is lower in calories than many foods when you compare volume to volume of specific foods. It assists in waste elimination by either absorbing water from loose stool or helping to soften weightier stool.
Vegetables can add a great deal of variety to your food and diet choices. It is easy for your diet to get stuck in ruts, easy to go to the same things, and boredom can often divert you away from maintaining healthy eating choices. There are such wide varieties of vegetables that it can nearly feel never-ending. It does take time and a willingness to try new things, however.
Superfoods: What Are They?
Superfoods is a term that has been thrown around a great deal in the past number of years in health and wellness. Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They may contain higher, more concentrated portions of these categories and are therefore thought of as an excellent source of food to consume for overall health and sometimes specific wellness goals.
There are many different types of superfoods. To make it simple, I think of superfoods in two categories: superfood greens, which are mostly vegetables, and superfood fruits. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants help feed the body but also fight off elements that cause harm. These are extremely beneficial to your body and well-being, and are a great way to support your overall health journey.
It is important to recognize that these are impactful and, ideally, should be a significant part of your health journey. They are not meant to be ingested as a “top off” to try to negate a diet full of processed food and crap.
How Can You Get Them Into Your Diet?
It can be tough to get a diet full of the optimal amounts of vegetables and superfoods. So I have found that the simplest way to do this is by taking a superfood powder. There are integrity-filled companies that produce high quality superfood products. The food is dehydrated and then ground into a powder. You get a maximum amount of superfoods into this powder that you can then mix into water instead of trying to eat large amounts of actual food product. One superfood drink a day -- every day -- can really create a boost in the diet portion of your health journey.
Not all products are created equal. Be sure to look for organic or with few or no additional additives -- certainly no artificial additives or fillers to sweeten, for instance. I stick with products that are formulated by doctors and are of high grade. These products can only be sold by professionals with a medical license of some sort or the company itself. To purchase, one must have an account through a provider or company. The point of this is to keep an extreme level of integrity and professionalism in the process. These are the cleanest and healthiest options because the companies hold themselves to a higher standard.
Take advantage of the opportunity to use superfoods; they’re an important tool in the quest for optimal health.
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