{"id":4177,"date":"2021-12-10T19:02:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T00:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/?p=4177"},"modified":"2021-12-10T19:08:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T00:08:46","slug":"7-superfoods-to-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/12\/10\/7-superfoods-to-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Superfoods to Eat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


by Kimberly Goad, <\/strong>AARP<\/strong><\/a>, December 9, 2021<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Nuts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bIt\u2019s easy to see why nuts land on every list of superfoods. \u201cThey\u2019re a dense source of nutrients that can support our immune system and metabolism, balance inflammation and gut health, promote brain and heart health, as well as offer cancer preventive properties,\u201d says Stacy Kennedy, a registered dietitian in Wellesley, Massachusetts. No wonder they promote longevity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"different<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a study published in BMC Medicine<\/em><\/a>, researchers enlisted more than 7,000 adults between the ages of 55 and 80 who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease and asked them to follow one of three diets: a\u00a0Mediterranean diet\u00a0supplemented with extra nuts, the same diet but with additional extra virgin olive oil instead of nuts, or a low-fat diet<\/a>. After five years, those who consumed more than three one-ounce servings of nuts per week had a\u00a039 percent lower overall mortality risk than the non-nut eaters. In fact, over the course of the study, the nut eaters had the lowest total death risk. \u201cNuts give us fiber, protein, healthy fats and key vitamins and minerals like omega-3s, vitamin E, calcium and selenium,\u201d Kennedy says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Olive oil<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wondering why olive oil gets star billing on the Mediterranean diet? \nResearchers think the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats in olive oil<\/a>\n \u2014 particularly the virgin and extra virgin variety \u2014 are a major \nfactor. Olive oil is also loaded with polyphenols, potent antioxidants \nthat may help protect against several age-associated \ufeffailments, \nincluding Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s, cardiovascular disease\ufeff and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, both olive oil and nuts are calorie dense. How can you \nreap the benefits of these superfoods without gaining weight? \u201cYou don\u2019t\n need to eat large portions of nuts or olive oil to get the benefits,\u201d \nKennedy\ufeff says. She suggests adding a tablespoon of olive oil to sauces \nor as a dressing\ufeff, or reaching for a small handful of nuts as a snack \nwith fruit or \ufeffto sprinkle over a salad or into oatmeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, both olive oil and nuts are calorie dense. How can you \nreap the benefits of these superfoods without gaining weight? \u201cYou don\u2019t\n need to eat large portions of nuts or olive oil to get the benefits,\u201d \nKennedy\ufeff says. She suggests adding a tablespoon of olive oil to sauces \nor as a dressing\ufeff, or reaching for a small handful of nuts as a snack \nwith fruit or \ufeffto sprinkle over a salad or into oatmeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aleksandra Piss<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Dark leafy greens<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"overhead<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not that you need another reason to fill your plate with leafy green vegetables, but here it is: Eating spinach, kale, chard, collards, lettuce and the like on a regular basis may slow age-related cognitive decline, according to a study in the journal\u00a0Neurology<\/em><\/a>. Researchers compared study participants who ate around 1\u00bd servings of greens a day with those who ate less than a serving a day and found that the rate of cognitive decline among those who consumed the most was the equivalent of being 11 years younger (in terms of brain health).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Whole grains<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eating more whole grains \u2014 think brown rice, bran, oatmeal, popcorn, \ncouscous, quinoa \u2014 may reduce the risk of early death, according to a \nlarge review of studies published in Circulation<\/em><\/a>.\n The researchers found that people who ate about four servings of whole \ngrains per day had a lower risk of dying during the 40-year study \nperiod, compared with those who ate little or none at all. The health \nbenefits are believed to be a result of the high fiber found in whole \ngrain foods, which may lower cholesterol production. In addition, says \nKirkpatrick, \u201cwhole grains can replace white, refined grains\ufeff, which \nhave a negative impact on insulin, blood sugar and satiation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Fruits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no such thing as a bad fruit (unless, of course, it\u2019s bathed \nin syrup and comes from a can). They all offer a variety of \nimmune-supportive, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties like vitamin C<\/a>,\n potassium and phytochemicals, those good-for-you compounds found in \nplants, Kennedy\ufeff says. But \u201cberries are particularly beneficial, as they\n are low in sugars, high in fiber and rich in nutrients,\u201d she adds. \u201cThe\n vibrant color is one way you can tell they are good for you. The \nblue-purple family of nutrients, like in many berries, have unique \nproperties for immunity, brain health and cardiovascular health.\u201d In a \nstudy published in Applied Psychology, Nutrition and Metabolism<\/a><\/em>\ufeff,\n healthy people between the ages of 6\ufeff6 and 7\ufeff0 who drank concentrated \nblueberry juice every day showed improvements in brain activity. The \nstudy suggests their memory also improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eskay Lim \/ EyeEm \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Legumes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"various<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

People who live in the Blue Zones \u2014 whether it\u2019s Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; or Loma Linda, California \u2014 have a thing for plant-based foods<\/a>, especially the many peas, beans and lentils that are part of the legume family. These centenarians eat at least four times as many beans as Americans do on average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLegumes are low in fat and high in protein, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium,\u201d Kirkpatrick\ufeff says. That\u2019s not all. A review<\/a> published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition<\/em> found that beans are closely linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Green tea <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t know better, you might think the secret to turning back\n the clock on aging can be found in a pot of green tea. You wouldn\u2019t be \nfar off. Research has linked green tea to a lower risk of heart disease,\n cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s and obesity. No surprise, then, \nthat one study of older Japanese adults found that those who drank the \nmost green tea\ufeff \u2014 five or more cups a day \u2014 were 26 percent less likely \nto die during the seven-year study period than those who drank one cup a\n day. What is it about green tea? Nutrient-rich foods that are high in \nantioxidants \u2014 like green tea \u2014 have been linked with longer telomeres. \nLike the plastic tips of a shoelace, telomeres can be found at the end \nof chromosomes \ufeffand protect DNA. They naturally shorten as we age, but \nthe process can be accelerated by things like smoking, stress and poor \ndiet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Kimberly Goad, AARP, December 9, 2021 1. Nuts \u200bIt\u2019s easy to see why nuts land on every list of superfoods. \u201cThey\u2019re a dense source of nutrients that can support our immune system and metabolism, balance inflammation and gut health, promote brain and heart health, as well as offer cancer preventive properties,\u201d says Stacy Kennedy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4177"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4179,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177\/revisions\/4179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}