What Are Superfoods and Their Health Benefits?
December 30, 2010 
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One of the latest dietary promotions in the marketplace is that of Superfoods, foods rich in vitamins and minerals that can help people live longer, healthier, happier lives. Some Superfoods plans list the top 10 foods in them; others promote 14, and yet others have as many as around 37 listed to date.
Consider these other points about Superfoods and their health benefits:
1) On the whole, Superfoods are considered a group of wholesome foods that are powerful for us, high in nutritional content and antioxidants for more energy for us, also low in calories. They also contain manganese, vitamin C, anthocyanins and dietary fibre.
2) Dietary experts mention these food groups among the superfoods: tea, citrus, berries, cruciferous vegetables, green stuffs, legumes, nuts, oats and whole grains, olives and olive oil, fish rich in Omega-3fatty acids, orange vegetables, seeds, soy, sea vegetables, turkey, tomatoes, yogurt and kefir.
3) Besidesgiving more energy, addition health benefits are said to include protection from certain diseases and chronic ailments like heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer, and anti aging properties.
4) The following list of foods has been on the superfoods list over time, many among the top 10 lists:
- Acai berries
- Yogurt
- Avocado
- Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
- Watercress
- Beans
- Turkey
- Bilberry
- Blackcurrants
- Soy
- Quinoa
- Spinach
- Bee Pollen
- Pumpkin
- Broccoli
- Blue Green Algae
- Cacao, Raw chocolate
- Coffee Berry
- Chlorella
- Flax seed
- Maca
- Blueberries
- Noni Fruit
- Kale
- Oats
- Walnuts
- Oranges
- Raspberries
- Probiotics
- Rose hips
- Papaya
- Salmon, wild
- Spirulina
- Green Tea or Black Tea
- Tomatoes
- Wolfberries aka Goji Berries
- Yacon Root
5) Average daily servings of popular superfoods on a popular dietary plan include an orange, one to two cups of blueberries, about a half dozen servings of oats, a cup of tomatoes, half cup of pumpkin and another of broccoli, a serving of soy, one of spinach steamed or raw, tea plus weekly servings of beans four times, salmon a couple times, turkey a few times plus some walnuts.
6) After harvest time, Acai berries have a tendency to deteriorate at a very fast rate. This happens due to the high fatty content they have. While the acai berry can also be used as manure, the berry actually consists of 80% seeds, seeds that can even be ground and used to feed livestock.
After research was carried out on Acai berry, it was found that 100g of extract of the fruit contains a whopping 52.2g of carbohydrates, 32.5g of fat, 44.2g of fiber and 8.1g of protein. However, although the Acai berry is a fruit, it does not mean that you can just pluck the fruit from the tree and start eating it. The Acai berry has to processed in order to make it ready for consumption purpose.
Here are some other benefits of enjoying products with acai in them:
Fight off free radicals
Increased energy levels and stamina
Fight weight gain
Improve your vision
Cleanse and rid the body of infectious toxins
Get help with digestion
Boost the immune system
Acai has proven to have up to 10 times the antioxidants of grapes and at least twice the antioxidant power of blueberries. N fact, acai fruit is widely becoming well known as an importance source of antioxidant anthocyanin, which has positive effects on the cardiovascular system as well.
