When it comes to being healthy, the best time to start incorporating more nutrition into your diet is now. Once you start looking, you will find lots of information on healthy eating and what foods to add in to your diet.
For women, often the greatest emphasis in prevention is put on decreasing the risk for heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes. The other emphasis or motivator for women is good nutrition to fight aging.
All this information can be overwhelming, so here’s a set of six foods that are easily incorporated in a daily diet. These foods are considered “super foods” and I would agree with the experts that every woman needs to incorporate these in her diet on a regular basis.
Super Food # 1: Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries)
Goal: 4 servings every week
Why: These fruits may protect your body with powerful anti-cancer nutrients known as anthocyans, which are believed to play a role in cell repair and cancer prevention. Berries are also high in vitamin C and folic acid. They are packed with antioxidant power to protect the heart and to protect against skin aging.
Super Food # 2: Low-fat yogurt
Goal: 1 serving every day of the week
Why: Yogurt has live cultures which help boost immunity. Evidence shows that yogurt can be helpful in reducing problems with irritable bowel syndrome. Yogurt is also a great source of calcium (at least 20% of the daily needs) for your bones. Be sure to choose yogurts low in sugar and fat.
Super Food # 3: Fatty fish
Goal: 2 to 3 servings every week
Why: Fatty fish like sardines, salmon, mackerel, and tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids. These foods may help with the risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, depression, joint pain, and a number of illnesses linked to inflammation, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. They may even offer some protection against Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to limit consumption to 2-3 servings per week since these fish can store toxins in their fatty tissue.
Super Food # 4: Beans
Goal: 3 to 4 servings every week
Why: Beans are a good source of protein and fiber and may have protective effects against heart disease and breast cancer. Beans may also play a role in stabilizing female hormones.
In studies published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers found that in general, beans (and lentils beans in particular), may have some protective effects against breast cancer. In research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, doctors found a relationship between a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and a higher intake of legumes. Well known legumes include peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts.
As a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, beans can help lower cholesterol. Isoflavone can help in the regulation of hormones and may aid with PMS, perimenopause, or menopause symptoms. Although soybeans have among the highest levels of isoflavones, other sources include mung beans, alfalfa sprouts, black cohosh, and chickpeas.
Super Food # 5: Tomatoes (or watermelon, red grapefruit, red navel oranges)
Goal: 3 to 5 servings each week
Why: The important nutrient in all these fruits is lycopene. Lycopene has been found to protect against the effects of breast cancer (as well as prostate cancer in men). It is also a powerful antioxidant that can help a woman fight heart disease. The very latest research shows it may also help keep you looking younger longer by protecting against UV damage from the sun.
Super Food # 6: Vitamin D fortified low fat milk or orange juice
Goal: At least 400 IU of vitamin D daily
Why: Vitamin D is important in helping the bones absorb calcium – it helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis and may be vital in reducing the risk of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and tumors of the breast, colon, and ovary. Recent studies suggest that vitamin D has the potential to prevent up to ½ of all breast, colon, and ovarian cancer in the United States.
Unfortunately, research also indicates many women are vitamin D deficient. A combination of not enough sun exposure and use of sunscreen has contributed to this problem. The best food sources for vitamin D are fortified foods such as milk and other dairy. It can also be found in tuna, mackerel, and sardines.
Remember to work these foods into your diet on a weekly basis for the best results in achieving optimal health.