What you feed your body three times a day, 365 days a year can be the most powerful determinant of how you’ll look and feel, and even how long and well you’ll live. The good news? You have complete control over this. Want to look and feel younger, have more energy, and lower your risk for cancer and heart disease?
No? You enjoy looking older than you really are, you are quite satisfied with parking it on the couch every night because you’re exhausted from filing paperwork (Seriously? Why?), and you’ll roll the dice with all that other stuff? If this sounds like you, stop reading this now and start an active prayer practice. Because you’ll need it, friend.
Otherwise, read on to discover common, everyday foods that have the potential to radically transform your life for the better….if you let them.
Avocadoes
Also known as Nature’s Butter! This powerful fruit contains monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and beta-sitosterol….translation? Super good for your heart and a cholesterol buster to boot. They also have vitamin E, potassium and fiber making their punch extra powerful against high blood pressure and strokes. The avocado doesn’t stop there, though. It is also rich in lutein, a powerful antioxidant that protects the eyes from age related macular degeneration and cataracts. An avocado a day really could keep the doctor away. Tip: Sprinkle lemon/lime on unused half to preserve.
Pomegranates
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve noticed the buzz around this fruit lately. Naturally high in polyphenols, this fruit has been shown to help fight free radical damage, which affects the process of aging and cancer production. That’s right….protect yourself against cancer, and look good doing it. Pass the Pom!
Broccoli
The heavyweight contender in the fight against cancer. Not only does it destroy cancer producing compounds in your body, it cleans up its own mess that it may have made during the battle. (Think about it…just what exactly happens to the bad stuff all these good foods are supposed to destroy?) Steam it, stir fry it or bake it. However you get it in your diet, get it in today.
Blueberries
The ultimate warrior against oxidative stress, which we’ve already learned makes you look and feel older inside and out. Research has shown that ½ cup of blueberries has been shown to reverse declining memory and poor coordination, while increasing feelings of well-being. It does this by increasing the brain’s ability to maintain dopamine levels, which decline as you age. If that isn’t enough for you, they’ve recently been discovered to halt the growth of breast cancer cells. Cool, huh?
Flaxseeds
A great plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower the incidence of heart disease, strokes and various mental/emotional concerns. Its also been shown to lower cholesterol, inhibit breast tumor growth, and improve gastrointestinal regularity. A couple of spoonfuls of this twice a day will go a long way. Grind it first, though. Otherwise, all this goodness just passes you by….literally. Tip: Remember to refrigerate these.
Garlic
Garlic has been proven to fight cancer, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, fight viral, fungal and bacterial infections and improve your overall immunity. Throw it in your stir fry or eat it raw! A clove a day (raw and crushed) during flu season is a time honored practice utilized by many looking to protect themselves and their families from the flu bug. There’s just nothing wrong with this food at all. Stay away from it on a first date, though. She might not find your flu fighting ways sexy enough to withstand.
Ginger
Recent studies have proven that ginger is just as effective as aspirin at preventing blood clotting, making it useful against heart disease and heart attacks. It also lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, decreases triglyceride levels and reduces atherosclerosis. Need more? It has powerful antioxidants that have been shown to significantly slow the growth of tumors. Extra bonus: It tastes good, too!
Salmon
Ahh, my favorite sea creature. Eating a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids (high in salmon) is not only heart healthy, it may also reduce the symptoms of some autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. It also raises docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in the brain, which have been demonstrated to be low in those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Make sure you buy this wild caught from the Alaskan Ocean, though. Otherwise, the benefit might not outweigh the risk of eating a mercury laden fish. (Environmental toxicity: That’s a topic for another post!)
Green and black tea
Sisters from the same plant, these teas both have powerful antioxidants that may inhibit lung, breast and digestive cancers. They also prevent heart disease, reduce diabetes and obesity, and protect the body from aging. Drink my way to youth, you say? Well, if you drink it, it also protects you from osteoporosis and tooth decay. If I can keep limber and all my teeth until I’m called from this Earth, that sounds like youth to me. I’d bathe in it if it weren’t so expensive. I’ll have to settle for cooking with it (yes, sprinkle leaves on meat and boil rice in it) and drinking it.
Pumpkin
While you may be more familiar with it in pie form or carving it with the kids, it has many more benefits that go further than holiday fun. They are rich in beta carotenes, which everyone knows are beneficial for your ocular health. (Good bye, expensive Lasik surgery) But you might not know about alpha carotenes (pumpkins are the best and most plentiful source for this), which have been discovered to be more powerful than its beta counterpart in fighting cancer. They are also full of vitamin C, potassium and zinc. Buy some to carve with the kids, but save the insides and roast or boil them. Then, add them to soups or salads for a naturally sweet flavor. Roast the seeds, too and sprinkle in your stir fry or veggie dish. Okay, okay use in your pumpkin pie too….but only one slice.
