When it comes to your health, that old saying ‘you are what you eat,’ couldn’t be more apt. The fact is that our health reflects what we eat – the healthier we eat, the healthier our bodies tend to be.
Yes, we all know how important following a clean diet is, but is that all it takes to be truly healthy or are there certain foods that give your health that little extra boost? Study after study has shown that there are certain healthy foods that do more for our bodies than others.
Sure, all fruits and vegetables are good for us, but they’re not all equal in terms of how good for us they are and what their health benefits are. There are a lot of foods that are considered healthy, but when it comes to how good for us they are, they’re not all born equal.
So, with that in mind, the question is, which foods can give your health a major boost?
One of the most popular foods in the food industry right now – avocado is the new A-lister in the salad bowl. Unlike most other fruits – yes, avocado is a fruit – avocado is high in healthy fats instead of being high in carbohydrates.
Avocado is incredibly high in nutrients compared to many other fruits (and vegetables). One small avocado contains 20 different vitamins and nutrients, including Vitamins K, E, B6, and C – how incredible is that? Avocados also contain more potassium than bananas – potassium is something that most of us aren’t getting enough of.
Then there’s the fact that if you’ve got high cholesterol, eating avocado on a regular basis can help to lower it. As well as being able to reduce the risk of heart disease – the leading cause of all deaths across the world.
Apple cider vinegar is something that we should all be getting more of in our diets. Why? Because apple cider vinegar has many different health benefits, from helping to balance blood sugar to making shedding those extra pounds a little easier.
Of course, the idea of drinking cider vinegar may not appeal to everyone, but if you’re willing to add it to your diet in one way or another, it can have a big impact. A simple way to get cider vinegar into your diet is to cook with it – many people add it to rice to add flavor, for example.
Fruit infused water
Over the past couple of years, fruit infused water has become a huge deal in the health industry, and with good reason. Not only does fruit infused water taste incredible and offer fantastic hydration, but it also has many health benefits. Then there’s also the fact that it tastes amazing – water can be a little boring on its own but infusing fruit into it can make it much more enjoyable to drink. Fruit infused water is also known as detox water because certain types of infusions can help to detoxify the body. For example, studies have shown that by drinking lemon and cucumber water, the body is able to remove toxins more quickly, boosting your health. Research has also shown that certain fruit combinations also allow the body to lose weight more quickly, due to the effect that detoxing has on the body.
Then there’s the fact that infused water helps to keep your organs, skin, and hair healthy. Studies have shown that people who drink fruit-infused water tend to have healthier skin and hair than people who don’t. This is because of the vast amount of vitamins and nutrients that are packed into fruit infused water.
Fruit and vegetable skin
There are some fruits and vegetables that we naturally eat the skin of, such as grapes, berries, and cucumber. However, there are other fruits that we tend to peel, as for some reason we’re under the impression that their skins aren’t nutritious, but that isn’t actually the case.
Various studies have shown that when we strip fruits and vegetables of their skins, we’re actually removing one of the most nutritious parts. For example, because of their bright color, most fruit and vegetable peels are a good source of beneficial phytochemicals. Then there’s the fact that fruit and vegetable skins tend to be higher in fiber than the fruit or vegetable themselves.
Scientists have also found that many fruits and vegetables are more beneficial at protecting against health conditions, like cancer, when eaten whole. Take apples, for example, studies have shown that unpeeled apples have a greater effect on cancer cells than peeled apples. Who knew that eating the peel could make a fruit or vegetable so much more nutritious?
In ancient times, garlic (particularly raw garlic) was often used to treat a range of health conditions. Although nowadays garlic is most commonly used for cooking, for thousands of years it was most commonly used in medicine. From the Egyptians and Greeks to the Romans, various civilizations relied on garlic for its medicinal benefits throughout history.
Just 28 grams of garlic contains a potent mix of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C and B6. The combination of nutrients found in garlic is able to treat a range of health problems, from the common cold to high blood pressure. Studies have also shown that eating garlic on a regular basis may also help to prevent the onset of dementia in seniors.
Honey is naturally antibacterial and antibiotic and has many health benefits. Manuka honey, however, is even more beneficial. Wondering what’s so special about Manuka honey? Well, it’s honey produced purely from a manuka bush, hence the name. This specialist type of honey has many benefits that normal honey does not, which is why it’s so popular in the health industry.
Research has shown that Manuka honey has up to four times the vitamins and nutrients or normal honey, meaning that it’s four times more beneficial. All raw honey is high in amino acids, vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and zinc, among other things. However, Manuka honey is much more beneficial.
The health benefits of Manuka honey include for treating skin conditions, like acne and eczema, treating infections such as MRSA, using on burns and sores to speed up healing and offer pain relief, and also using to treat digestive problems, such as IBS.
So, there you have it, the foods and drinks that can give your health a major boost.