5 Super Foods to Boost Your Energy and Immune System

photo credit: Pam Cantú

Did you know that fruits, vegies and fish are good for you? Yes, yes boring. We all know we should be getting 2-4 fruit, 5-7 vegies per day and 2 serves of fish per week. Tell me something I don’t know! How about this;

Cruciferous vegetables protect the body from nasty free radicals which cause everything harmful, from a wrinkle to cancer. Cruciferous vegies include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts.

Orange and yellow vegetables and fruit contain carotenoids and loads of vitamin A, which dramatically improve the immune system, and protect the eyes and skin. Try paw paw, apricot, pineapple, rockmelon, pumpkin, carrot and oranges.

Green leafy vegetables are packed with folate and photochemicals. They are one of the most nutrient dense, yet low calorie foods we have, are packed with minerals such as iron and vitamins such as vitamin K. In fact one cup of cooked dark greens will contain up to nine times the daily recommendation of vitamin K. In case you weren’t aware, vitamin K aids in regulating blood clots, reduces osteoporosis, and helps protect our joints from inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Try baby spinach, rocket, asian greens, silver beet, parsley.

Dark coloured berries have been shown to massively improve the immune system. Like dark coloured green leafy vegies, berries have a positive effect on inflammatory diseases. There has also been studies to show they help reduce age related memory loss such as Alzheimer’s. Many cancer institutes prescribe dark coloured fruits and vegies to boost the immunity of their patients. Try Goji berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries.

Oats are the best head start you can give your body every day! They can help lower cholesterol, control blood sugar levels. They are low GI, rich in soluble fibre and beta glucan. They also contain phytochemicals in the outer layer of the grain, which are important antioxidants. And the best thing is they make you feel full for longer!

Imagine if, every day, you managed to put one of each of these five super foods in your diet? Blueberries and yoghurt on your porridge in the morning, An orange for morning tea, Dark green leafy veggies in your salad for lunch, and some broccoli at dinner time. How easy is that!
The next time you have the choice of a fried meal or fresh food, don’t just think about the calories you’re ingesting, ask yourself, I am a super human being so why wouldn’t I want to feed myself some super foods. Give you body what it deserves.

Do you know of any other super foods to give our body a lift?

Thank you to Dietician Michelle Tabrett (Michelle.tabrett@hotmail.com) for highlighting the importance of super foods.

Tagged As: energy, nutrition

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