They are fashionable for a few years for its beneficial properties and high nutritional value. We tell how much truth there as a “super” refers.
Caring for food is something that more and more people are pointing meet the properties of food, follow a healthy diet, inform us of the latest advances in nutrition … In this favorable environment, for quite a while, publications tell us superfoods frequently as products with a higher nutritional value, which makes them especially beneficial to health . Are they really so wonderful? We’ll tell you then.
What are Superfoods?
According to study there is no official definition for superfoods, but generally use this term to refer to foods that are differentiated by their nutritional potential, and its high concentration of vitamins, healthy or antioxidants fats.
Among the Superfoods usually find especially fruits and vegetables, but also some fish, algae, seeds, cereals and legumes. They feature come from places a little away on the map and have exotic names like goji berries or chia seeds, but They are also present as common foods such as sardines or walnuts.
They are attributed benefits such as antioxidants, anti-cancer, slimming or reduce the risk of heart disease and other diseases. They are mostly healthy foods, but be cautious about trusting these superpowers.
How much truth and how much of myth
Nutrition experts warn us that our health depends on many factors besides what we eat together, such as physical activity, the environment, hormones or genetics, so we cannot attribute it to a single food. It is more advisable to speak of groups of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains or legumes, within a varied and balanced diet.
The properties of these superfoods are usually supported by studies and research but although their results are correct, we must be cautious with the interpretation that is usually done in the same media, as they cannot always be transferred to everyday life.
Nutrients are, but the laboratory conditions in which these studies are made on certain foods are often very different than we consume us in our day to day. For example, they can be done only with animals, or tested only in isolation, as it is usual in our diet we mix many types of food.
Superfoods affordable and easy to find
Given what we have said, it is not necessary to spend a fortune on shopping or go far to find products with an interesting nutritional potential. We know that by themselves are not going to perform miracles, but these five examples well deserve the label also super, so good they bring.
Extra virgin olive oil
Part of the beneficial fats that are necessary in our diet, specifically unsaturated monounsaturated fats, which help lower bad cholesterol and increase good addition to care for our cardiovascular health and contain antioxidants. Recently it was discovered that following a Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil, could help significantly reduce breast cancer.
Avocado
It is the star of Instagram, but not only for the color that adds to dishes, but also for its delicious taste and healthy properties. Also part of the category of beneficial fats, so its benefits are very similar to olive oil, with a good supply of Vitamin E, which helps to improve the appearance of hair and skin.
Leafy greens
Better if we eat raw, in salads or as a base for a refreshing smoothie, the green leafy vegetables (chard, watercress, arugula, spinach …) are rich in vitamins, especially vitamin K, responsible for clotting blood, so they help prevent circulatory problems such as varicose veins or spider veins. They are satiating and low in calories, so within a balanced diet help us keep our weight.
Broccoli
A small serving of broccoli (about 100 gr.) Contains as much vitamin C as an orange, but not the only one that abounds in this food that is also a source of vitamin A, B vitamins, calcium and beta carotene, contributing on one side to strengthen our immune system and the other to prevent premature aging thanks to its antioxidant properties. Low heat, water and fiber, are other characteristics that make it ideal to add it to our plates.
Vegetables
Is mistakenly associated with unhealthy dishes, but legumes generally contain little fat, so it all depends on the ingredients that we add them to cook. They are a source of vegetable protein quality and we provide iron (especially lentils and soy), calcium and magnesium, as well as up in most of carbohydrates of slow assimilation, we provide energy for longer without raising blood sugar levels as do simple carbohydrates.
As mentioned, the benefits of these foods are always given in the context of healthy habits and a balanced diet. If we have doubts about what foods are best suited us or we need some nutritional requirement is best to consult a professional nutritionist, titled and health, we help you find the dietary guidelines we most agree, individually.
