Eating foods high in nutrients provides many health benefits, but choosing foods that are high in nutrients can be tricky choice. Some supplements made from superfoods can be used for additional health benefits and prevent certain diseases...
Super foods is a term used for foods that are packed with nutrients such as vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants and other beneficial substances. High energy foods such as sweets contain lots of calories, but little or no other nutrients, making them less healthy than certain other foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds as well as mushrooms. Nutrient rich foods can be used to make superfood supplements which can be useful for health.
EAT FOR ENERGY – NATURAL ENERGY FOODS
When people think of re-energizing food, they most often think of sweets, coffee or an energy drink. While these do restore energy and give a quick sugary boost, that is about all they do. Sweets provide sugar that is expressly digested and absorbed to increase your blood sugar levels and replenish your cells with energy, for a short while until the energy is burned out. And no one really claims that to be a very healthy practice. Some foods can, however, provide something similar to a longer energizing effect, while being healthy for you. And they do this by providing nutrients and vitamins, as well as sugars and fiber. Some food groups are better consumed in the morning as breakfast or instead of a morning coffee, some are effective as a power up snack, and some can provide an energy burst in the afternoon. Here we will attempt to discuss which foods are best eaten when and for what purpose, to achieve the maximum effect.
FRUITS
Fruits, as it is well known, are very good sources of sugar. Not only do they contain more fructose, which acts as a mild anti-oxidant, they also contain fiber and lots of vitamins. Fiber is important in that is regulates the absorption of sugar, slowing it down. So the same amount of sugar when eaten in fruit form will provide energy over a longer period of time, assuring for a longer energizing effect. There’s a reason apples are a popular snack. They might not provide the instant rush of an energy bar, but they provide a steady, and more importantly, healthier, source of energy. Apples contain as much as 10 grams of fiber per fruit, which is almost half the daily requirement for fiber. It is also one of the best things to eat after a meal to provide additional fiber to regulate the passing of food through your bowels and regulate the absorption of nutrients. Citrus fruits contain significantly less fiber (eating them with the white pulp underneath the skin helps increase the amount of fiber) but they contain many vitamins, most notably vitamin C which in itself has a refreshing and energizing effect. Bananas contain both a lot of sugar and a lot of fiber and are an ideal energy snack. Berries, especially blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, contain sugar fiber and antioxidants like anthocyanins, which new to providing a revitalizing effect protect against cancer. Basically, you can’t go wrong with fruit. Any kind is good. It is most effective when eaten in the morning or as a before lunch snack.
NUTS
Nuts are natures little energy bombs. All of them are highly caloric and packed with micronutrients like vitamins and minerals and rich in protein. Almonds contain minerals such as magnesium and calcium which have a wide range of benefits, from bone health to hormonal regulation. The high protein and mineral content in nuts make them ideal snack for bodybuilders and people who exercise. In addition to all of that, nuts also contain natural healthy oils, like omega fatty acids and linoleic acid, which can potentially affect cholesterol levels by lowering the amount of circulating bad cholesterol. As much as 100 grams of nuts can substitute and entire meal in calories and protein. A trail mix of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit can easily be called the perfect snack. The mix provides an ideal amount of calories in combination with fiber and micronutrients.
GRAINS
Although grains are usually not recommended as primary sources of carbohydrate, when combined with fiber in the form of whole grains, they still are a good source of energy. Grains are mostly formed from starches and complex sugars, and whole grains also contain the healthy fiber contained within grains that gets removed in the industrial process to create white flour, for esthetic reasons. Brown rice is the equivalent of whole wheat. Carbohydrate in whole grain form should be consumed as part of lunch or dinner, since the fiber in them will help regulate digestion and absorption.
MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms are rarely thought of as being an energy food, but they are packed full with healthy nutrients and contain many substances useful for the body. They contain high amounts of vitamins E and D, as well as riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, copper, chromium and selenium. They are also rich with fiber, and low on calories, making them the perfect nutrient packed food with a smaller energy footprint. Eating mushrooms can also help with appetite control so that you don’t overeat. Eating mushrooms daily is associated with better weight control. In addition to all that, they also contain high amounts of antioxidants, and compared to fruits and vegetables, they are of the same antioxidant levels. Mushrooms are rich in protein and contain a full amino-acid specter, meaning they can serve as the perfect replacement for meat, providing protein nutrition to people to would rather avoid meats. Mushroom also require little processing when compared to standard protein sources like meat, meaning that most nutrients are preserved during preparation. Some research shows that mushrooms provide bio-active compounds that appear to improve immune function and potentially lower the risk of common diseases like heart disease and cancer.
NATURAL ENERGY FOOD SUPPLEMENTS
Considering the nutrient dense packaging of energy foods, or super foods as they are also called, using them to make supplements is a very natural conclusion. Supplements are made in many ways, and some use high processing of the ingredients and isolation processes to extract the nutrients from the foods as to better package them. This process might be practical, but it also risks destroying many nutrients and reducing the potential of the super foods. Passion Projects, for example, uses natural processes to make their super food supplements, preserving as much of the original nutrient potential as possible. The Passion Projects super food supplements make use of all the ingredients from this list, and many more, to create the most nutritious and healthy dietary supplements as possible.