5 Tops Foods to Fight Disease

It was William Shakespeare who said – If music be the food of love, play on. I don’t mean to belittle the great playwright, but in today’s world, we must be more concerned about the food of health rather than the food of love. Most of us live to eat – we indulge our taste buds like there is no tomorrow, forgetting in the process that if we continue to eat indiscriminately, there will soon come a time when disease and illness ensure that there is no tomorrow. Diet plays a large role in who we are and how we live our lives – we are what we eat. And in a society plagued with diseases, both old and new, the only way to lead a healthy life is to choose to eat foods that not only provide you with energy, but which also help fight disease.

There are many foods that keep disease from knocking at your door, but the best ones are:

• Brightly colored fruits and vegetables: There’s no substitute for nature’s goodness from fresh fruits and vegetables when it comes to protecting your health and keeping disease away. A platter of fruits and vegetables that are brightly colored provide you with more nutrients than a full meal does – blueberries, pomegranates, oranges, lemons, papayas, pineapples, bananas, tomatoes, strawberries, cranberries, carrots and green vegetables add to your health because they are rich in fiber (which helps clean your digestive tract of toxins), antioxidants (which prevent cancer and destruction of cells by harmful free radicals), vitamins and other nutrients which maintain your cholesterol and blood pressure and help your body to function normally.

• Unprocessed whole grains: Whole grains are rich in protein and fiber, besides being good sources of complex carbohydrates that provide you with energy without spiking your blood sugar levels and causing diabetes, heart diseases and stroke. Brown rice, whole wheat, chick peas, legumes and foods made of other grains that are not processed make for wholesome and filling meals which are healthy and tasty as well.

• Healthy fat sources: Not all fat is bad for you, and because your body needs a certain amount of fat to stay in good health, choose to eat those found in foods rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids – fish like halibut, tuna, salmon, haddock and sardines, and nuts like walnuts, groundnuts and almonds are good for your heart because of their healthy fat content. Also, cook your food using olive oil and canola oil because both are healthy sources of fat.

• Mood enhancers: Mental health is as important as, if not more important than physical health. A few foods that boost your mood and make you more alert and sharp include chocolate (in moderate quantities), nuts, and foods that are rich in protein like eggs, low fat dairy products and lean meats. Besides this, you must avoid eating food that is rich is sugar and that has been processed – junk food like pizza and ice cream may taste good, but they have a detrimental effect on your brain and your mood in the long run.

• Rich in anti-oxidants: They’re the new kids on the health block, the ones everyone is raving about. Anti-oxidants have been credited with a host of health benefits – from keeping away cancer to slowing down the aging process, they’re good for the human body in every possible way. Besides fruits like blueberries and pomegranates, other foods that are rich in anti-oxidants are red wine (because of the resveratrol content, wine is good for you in moderation), green tea (drink it as a substitute for coffee and eliminate caffeine from your diet as well), broccoli, tomatoes (the lycopene is better absorbed when it is cooked or eaten as a sauce), garlic, onions, spinach, and carrots.

This guest article is written by Teresa Jackson. She writes on the subject of Online Nurse Practitioner Schools. . Visit her online HERE and email her at teresa.jackson19@gmail.com