The Age of the Superfood

Better eating or healthy eating is nothing new. Dieting and the need to maintain a healthy frame has become more prominent in the last 50 years and mainly because the way food gets produced has changed. Our food has changed and thus so have we. The science is quite simple. Eat more and you’ll weigh more. Eat less and you’ll weigh less. The problem is that as a species we’ve complicated our pellets through our increased consumption of processed foods and in turn created a host of problems to face off against.

Processed foods and refined foods all undergo an industrial process which involves various levels of artificialness. The end products – cold meats, canned goods, biscuits, chocolates, cereals – are all a mixed bag of good and bad things.  Is it any wonder then that as people we find our bodies enduring something of a similar nature? For as long as I can remember, there’s always been a diet fad, a specific diet that becomes part of the zeitgeist and then picked up by large segments of society.  Paleo, Banting, Atkins, low-carb, high fat, low fat, intermittent fasting, the list goes on and on. I believe that every single diet works. I believe that if you commit yourself to an eating plan without flinching, you will get results. The problem is that most of these diets are not sustainable. There is little long-term success and that’s quite simply because most diets are extreme and fanatical.

A fundamental approach will get you what you’re after, but then what? People are prone to extremism – go big or go home, all or nothing - and this is why diets do work in the short term, but like a pendulum that swings one way, it will inevitably swing another way, resulting in the post diet problem, yo-yo dieting. The fact of the matter, or at least as far as I am concerned, is that balance is needed. The problem with balance is that it’s no easier. Moderation is tough because it’s like placing oneself in the realm of temptation. This is why people prefer to abstain completely to get the job done. I don’t know if we’re born fundamentalists or nurtured fundamentalists but I’ll say this much, we’re fundamentalists.

And let me tell you right now, we’re not getting rid of processed foods anytime soon. Maybe way down the line, a hundred years from now alongside television, we’ll gasp and recoil in horror at how our ancestors were happy to eat Froot Loops, drink milk and get fat while watching another episode of Springer. We’ll ask how we allowed things to get so out of control, and maybe we won’t, because I’ll tell you another thing and it’s inherent in the history of the human species; we’ve always been out of control.  Processed foods feed us and in turn feeds the industry created from it, and this in turn pays jobs. The machine is massive and let’s not overlook the medical profession that profits from the life-style diseases that have evolved alongside the processed food industry, namely those of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. But this isn’t a philosophy seminar, it’s a blog article about superfoods. I just felt it important to provide adequate context.

Superfood/Real Food

People aren’t idiots, well, not all of us.  I think more often it’s a case of having idiotic moments, but I digress. Prolific singer and activist, Bob Marley said, “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” This is true. People will wise up and this brings me to superfoods, an ironic term for what is essentially just real food. We’ve watered down what is real for so long that it’s come back as superfood and for various reasons. The lack of nutrition in processed food has created so much ill health that the mere fact that we can return to healthy living by just eating real food seems almost fantastical. Naturally there’s profit to be had and now an industry has emerged around superfood and not necessarily for the better. The irony of it all is that it costs less to eat fast and processed foods and more to chow down on what the earth gives us. To be better, to be natural and thus what you should be, is expensive, whereby being what you shouldn’t is cheaper and people love cheaper. I’m sorry, I’m reverting to the philosophy seminar again.

If we’re going to see our later years then it’s advisable to make the changes now that get us there, and healthier eating is one of them. The sad part of it all is that many of us have a tendency to only implement those changes when there’s a definite and diagnosed problem. Many of us also have a tendency to revert to old ways once the problem has cleared up. Off the bat, this writer does not have the answers and what I’m saying here right now is as applicable to me as it might be to you, the reader. The best place to go is probably still the bookshop or a dietician or both.  I’m not knocking the internet. The net is helpful but it’s also full of disinformation.

10 Superfoods Your Kitchen Needs

So I’ve scoured the net and I’ve come up with 10 essential superfoods or as I prefer to call it, real foods. Quite frankly I find it shameful that some of these items are pricey, let alone that in my quest to inform and enlighten, I’ve come across superfoods that are processed too! Profit once again over people! So I’ve traversed the digital terrain for you and consulted with at least two vegans who are really living the life and it’s my hope that what I convey below will be helpful and affordable, like a three reel classic slots game. It needs to be noted that these superfoods, or real foods as I prefer to call them, are listed in to particular order or hierarchy.

Apples

Abundant and available in various varieties (7500 in fact), apples are delicious and underrated, due mainly to availability. I think we take these fruits for granted, allowing us to overlook their real value and that is their ability to reduce the risk of strokes, asthma, diabetes, certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. Armed with a high antioxidant content and fibre (we all need that!), apples deserve their status as a superfood.

Watermelon

Believed to have evolved in the in the Kalahari region of South Africa, Watermelons are 92% water. Ironic that a fruit with this much water would evolve in one of the most arid parts of the world, but such is the beauty and wonder of life. Researchers at Sorbonne University found that watermelons have quite an impact on the composition of the body and are able to assist with muscle growth. It burns more body fat and build more muscle size than the commonly accepted amino acids. 

Papaya

Tropical, exotic in its features and really good for you, Papaya is commendable for its ability to protect your skin, prevent heart disease and stroke, improve digestion, maintain eye sight and reduce the risk for certain types of cancers.

Grapes

Dry them out and you’ve got raisins. Coat those raisins in chocolate and you’ve got Raisinets or Tumbles. Grapes are tasty, juicy and available in various shades and offer benefits ranging from skin clarity to heart health. Known to prevent blood vessel damage and lower cholesterol, grapes are also praised for not affecting you blood sugar levels immediately despite having 20 grams of sugar per cup.

Guavas

In Europe it’s exotic and in India it’s referred to as the poor man’s fruit, but there’s no disputing the guava’s benefits. Apparently this fruit has the highest concentration of antioxidants thus making it the ideal candidate for protection against cell damage. Cell damage as you might know is what causes skin to age and cancer. To put it another way, apples have 25% of the nutrient rich value that guava’s have.

Peaches

Peaches are delicious and if they’re not canned then they’re really healthy. Key to the success of the peach is its levels of potassium, a wonder nutrient known for its life-prolonging properties. In other words, it aids in the prevention of heart problems and low blood pressure. It’s also got antioxidants and beta-carotene and this means that it will help to combat certain cancers. In addition to these perks, peaches also promote digestion, eye function and healthy skin.

Prickly Pears

A prickly pear is the name attributed to the fruit that grows on top of the leaves of the Nopales cacti. There are no hallucinatory properties in this cacti. The prickly pear is notable for its nutritional value and ample health benefits. These include its ability to strengthen the immune system, strengthen bones and teeth, aid digestion, protect the heart, prevent cancer, reduce inflammation and aid in weight loss. If that’s not a superfood, then I don’t know what is!

Plums

Plums are related to peaches and their health benefits are extensive. This little fruit goes beyond the call of duty and has earned its place in the superfood group over and over. It will boost your immune system, your bone health, your cardiovascular health and your memory! Digestion, cancer prevention, eye health, reduced sugar spiking and reduced skin damage are all part and parcel of regular plum consumption.

Figs

Dried or fresh, figs are a treat and their nutritional value justifies their making this list of superfoods. Protein, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and vitamin B-6 are all found in figs! Figs aid digestion and are ideal if you’re constipated. Figs also boost weight loss, help to prevent colon-related cancers and reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Degenerative diseases are hampered in their attempts to wreak havoc on the body and heart disease is also given a run for its money.

Mangoes

If I could choose one fruit to eat for the rest of my life, it would be mangoes. Mangoes hold a special place in my heart. They make me hark back to my youth and my grandma’s home where a massive mango tree grew and it always seemed abundant. This is the superfood of superfoods, the trump card, the Gurkha Royal Courtesan cigar, the Lotus Esprit Turbo from James Bond, you get the picture? Regular intake will rake in a whole host of benefits; a laundry list if you will!  At a glance, regular consumption will fight cancer, support weight loss, control cholesterol, regulate insulin levels, alkalize the body, boost your memory and improve your skin if used as a body scrub. It’s also been referred to as the love fruit, need I say more?

It’s Affordable!

I’d like to think that this list of superfoods, or real foods as I have often pointed out, is affordable. It’s the one thing I felt was important to bring across, and that was to compile a list of superfoods that aren’t going to cost you an arm and a leg. Because let’s face it, quite often, due to the label of ‘superfoods’ and the industry that has emerged around it, the foods that get listed as superfoods tend to be expensive. Health stores have popped up all over the show punting the whole raw food eating plan and the vegan way of life and it’s all quite affluent. I’m not snubbing it and I don’t think the idea is to make healthy eating a segmented thing in society, but I do think that the machinations of our world are such that fast foods are more affordable because a massive industry exists around it. The only way that healthy eating, and I’m talking about the whole spectrum of superfoods, can become affordable, is for more people to start eating this way. The higher the demand, the lower the cost.

Notable Mentions

While I feel that this list is sufficient, I don’t believe it to be complete by any stretch of the imagination. With this in mind, I’d like to toss in a bunch notable mentions; foods that should have made the cut. These include the likes of kale, broccoli, blueberries, dark chocolate, tuna, dates, dried plums, red win ( in moderation), avocado, walnuts, pomegranates, oysters, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon and pineapples.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article and to get informed. If you’ve come this far, you might be serious about your health, and if you haven’t made it down this far, then you might have come here for the online casino games!