5 Superfoods Everyone Should Eat

Obesity rates are skyrocketing among Americans, thanks in large part to fast food, larger portions, and sedentary lifestyles. Many people are acting to change their diets and include healthier options in their weekly menu, but just what are the best foods to eat to help maintain a healthy weight and fight off diseases? While most people just assume that more vegetables, fruits, and greens are the best answer; there are certain foods in these categories that provide the most bang for their buck. In particular, there are five superfoods that are even more nutrient rich than others and provide compounds to help protect against some cancers and increase heart health.

With a little investigation of local markets, Americans can find any of the following superfoods to add to their diet and boost their intake of nutrient rich produce.

1. Sweet Potato. The purple sweet potato in particular is packed with beta-carotene and contains 150% more antioxidants than blueberries. The purple sweet potato is consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner by the women of Okinawa, Japan and can be difficult to find in the U.S. Fear not though; our orange sweet potatoes contain many of the same nutrients and are very healthy.

2. Tumeric Tea. Again coming courtesy of the women of Japan, tumeric is a spice that the women of Okinawa add to their tea daily. The spice has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and is rich with antioxidants that can help in the fight against cancer. The women of Okinawa suffer from breast cancer at just one-fifth the rate of their American counterparts.

3. Mangosteen. The white, creamy flesh inside the mangosteen fruit is rich in Vitamins A and C and cancer fighting antioxidants. While the fruit itself can be hard to find, the juice is widely available and is nearly as valuable to the diet as the fruit itself. Mangosteen can also be found in a tea form.

4. Greek Greens/Mustard Greens. Greek Greens, including arugula, cabbages, and spinach, can be eaten raw, boiled, or cooked into casseroles. The people of Icaria, Greece boil their mustard greens and toss them with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. The greens are high in Vitamin K (something Americans lack) and are good for blood and bone strength. One in three Icarians lives to the age of 90 and they have no reported cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

5. Barramundi Fish. Already becoming more popular in the U.S., Barramundi fish contain loads of omega-3s which are extremely healthy for the heart and brain. Because the Barramundi dines on plankton it is free of mercury making it safe even for pregnant women to eat.

By adding any or all of these foods to a person’s diet, they can boost their body’s ability to fight off diseases of the heart and some cancers. These are just five foods that can help anyone take the first step on the road to better health.