Day 26: Superfoods

Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are tiny, nutritional dynamos – in fact, they’re the single richest source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids you can buy. They’re also loaded with antioxidants, protein and minerals, plus soluble and insoluble fiber to help keep your digestion moving in the right direction. What’s more, chia seeds have an unusual property – they swell to more than 5 times their weight in liquid, so adding a spoonful or two to meals will help you feel fuller faster.

How do you eat them? They’re virtually tasteless, so you can drop a spoonful or two into just about anything, including smoothies, sauces, soups and salads.

Beans
Dense and delicious, beans help raise levels of the hormone leptin, which curbs appetite. They also deliver a powerful combination of B vitamins, calcium, potassium and folate. All of this good stuff might help maintain healthy brain, cell and skin function, and even helps to reduce blood pressure and stroke risk. Pretty amazing, eh? To increase your intake, try eating beans as a filling side-dish instead of bread or potatoes. Beans will help keep you feeling fuller longer and deliver an excellent source of sugar-free energy through much of your day.

Walnuts
You don’t need to eat a lot of them to tap into their power. Just a small handful a day will deliver a healthy dose of omega-3s, alpha-linolenic acid, melatonin, copper, manganese and the hard-to-find gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E, which may help protect your heart. Walnuts on your plate may also protect your brain and help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Avocados
Don’t be afraid of an avocado because you think it’s fattening! The often overlooked avocado is a delicious, creamy superfood that’s simply too health-boosting to skip. The myriad of healthy fats and nutrients found in avocados – oleic acid, lutein, folate, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and glutathione among them – may help protect your body from heart disease, cancer, degenerative eye and brain diseases.

Avocados also taste great and are easily integrated into any meal – or even a fruit smoothie. Add a half an avocado to smoothies for a creamy texture and a powerful nutritional boost, or enjoy an avocado half as a nutritious “side” to your morning omelet instead of potatoes or toast.

Blueberries
Tasty, sweet, and packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, flavonoids and soluble fiber, blueberries may have the power to help prevent serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

We love to blend blueberries into our smoothies, but while most of us think of blueberries for breakfast, they’re also perfect for dessert. Having a snack attack? Instead of ice cream, curl up with a small bowl of frozen blueberries and enjoy popping ‘em in your mouth, one by one!

Spinach
Glorious Spinach! Add approximately 1 cup (large handful) to every shake to increase intake of phytonutrients. Your shake will be green, but you can’t taste it!



◊These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.