The Top 5 Healthiest Foods You Should Eat Every Day

We’ve all heard about “superfoods,” but you don’t need to eat some expensive exotic berry extract from the amazon rainforest to be healthy. Just include these 5 food families in your diet on a regular basis!

You’ve probably seen lists of the “top healthiest foods” before, but often they only include specific foods, rather than entire classes of foods you should be eating. We all know broccoli is often considered a “super food” for example, but what if you hate broccoli? There are many other foods in the same family that are also healthy that you can choose instead and enjoy your food – after all, enjoying what you’re eating is key to eating healthy on an ongoing basis!

Choose from each of these 5 groups of the healthiest foods, and find the ones you like best to consume regularly and stay healthy:

1. Cruciferous (Brassica) vegetables

The cruciferous category includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard and mustard greens, turnips, bok choy, kohlrabi, rutabaga, horse radish, and a few other vegetables. Cruciferous veggies deserve the top because they are master detoxifiers.

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Cruciferous vegetables can speed up enzyme processing of toxic compounds. They make the body a more efficient detoxifier. Plus, cruciferous vegetables…may reduce risk of hormone-related cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers.

2. Berries

No matter the color or shape, you can’t go wrong with berries. Blueberries often make the list, but don’t forget about blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries. All berries are loaded with anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins limit cellular damage by blocking inflammation and oxidation in the body. This is key to preventing a host of chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and chronic pain….

3. Apples

…Want to shed a few pounds? Eat apples! Adding apples to your weight loss plan can help you eat less and lose more weight….

Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that selectively lowers LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. This improves the cholesterol ratio. Cholesterol ratio is more important than total cholesterol when it comes to heart disease risk.

Apple peels are rich in polyphenols, including one called quercetin. Quercetin…encourages damaged cells to die, lessening the chances they develop into cancer.

4. Citrus

Nutrients in oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines are anti-inflammatory and help support the integrity of the connective tissue in the joints.

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If you are eager to reduce your chronic disease risk…look no further. Citrus has a mind-boggling number of healthful actions in the body. Nutrients in citrus suppress new cancer formation, block carcinogenic compounds from reaching vulnerable cells, and transform carcinogens into less toxic substances.

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5. Green Tea

The latest studies show that green tea polyphenols rev up metabolism to aid weight loss, regardless of the caffeine content. This beverage also has been linked with reduced risk of everything from heart disease to osteoporosis and obesity.

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And for beating cancer, you can’t beat green tea. Studies associate regular green tea consumption with reduced risk of many cancers, including those of the breast, prostate, and ovary.

Read the full article at HealthierTalk.com