Superfoods - what are they and what are the health benefits?

Nature's miracle foods

Many foods have in recent years acquired the status of 'superfood', which simply means that they are particularly good for you and may have long-term benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and degenerative brain conditions. The list of superfoods is long and seems to be growing over time, but the following are the best of the lot and are worth including in any healthy diet.

Eggs

The humble chicken egg is one of nature's best superfoods. Eggs are cheap, easily available, incredibly versatile and packed with so many good things that you'd think eating them regularly should be compulsory.

Most people (diabetics excluded) can safely consume a dozen eggs in a week, and the beauty of eggs is that they can be eaten in so many different ways - soft boiled, hard boiled, poached, fried, scrambled, and as a tasty omelette (to name just six).

Organic, free range eggs are the best for you and if you are not fussy about the size you can get half a dozen eggs for less than a pound - that's three healthy meals for thirty-three pence each. The average chocolate bar costs more than that and has none of the health benefits.

Eggs have had a bad press in the past because of their cholesterol content. In fact, the evidence is that regularly eating eggs can increase the healthy type of cholesterol in your blood (high-density lipoprotein, HDL) whilst reducing the unhealthy type (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) which can cause heart disease. Eggs are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and also contain essential minerals (iron, zinc, copper) as well as vitamins A, B6, B12, D, E and K. Eggs are a perfect parcel of natural goodness.

Nuts

Nuts are another of nature's miracle foods, and one that deserves to be more widely consumed than they are. Nuts come in a dazzling variety of shapes, sizes and flavours, each having its own particular benefits. You only need to consume a small quantity to get an amazing boost to your health and a feeling of well-being.

Firstly, nuts are an invaluable source of protein. Rich in fatty acids, they help to improve cholesterol levels in the blood, and thereby massively reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. They are also packed with minerals and vitamins, so you can stop wasting all of your hard earned cash on vitamin pills.

Almonds are especially nutritious and fairly inexpensive (a 200g packet costs about two pounds and should last you a fortnight). These not only provide a tasty between-meals snack, they can also help with heartburn and acid reflux. Walnuts contain an omega-3 fatty acid which helps with memory and coordination, whilst pistachios are high in fibre and magnesium.

Peanuts (avoid the roasted and salted kind) are packed with monounsaturated fats and nutrients and, if eaten regularly, significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that peanuts can also protect you against cognitive dysfunction (such as Alzheimer's disease) in later years.

Good as they are for you, you should never binge on nuts. Never eat them straight from the packet - it's better to pour a portion of a dozen or so onto a plate and eat off the plate. I keep a wide selection of nuts in air-tight plastic containers. Buying larger packets instead of those smaller 'snack packs' (which tend to encourage over-indulgence) can save you quite a bit of money and you will have a much wider choice of nuts to feast on at any time.

Green tea

The health benefits associated with green tea have been known for almost a thousand years and it is probably the healthiest beverage known to man. Black tea, without milk and sugar, is also good for you, but green tea has many additional benefits.

The least contested benefit of green tea is that, if you drink it regularly (between two and five times daily), it will boost your metabolic rate substantially, allowing your body to burn calories faster and thereby reduce fat build up. If you drink nothing but green tea you will feel healthier - less bloated, more energised - within a week.

Green tea also contains powerful antioxidants which have many health benefits, including slowing down the aging process and reducing the likelihood that you will develop cancer, diabetes, heart disease, even cognitive dysfunction.

Another plus point is that green tea contains caffeine, which helps you to remain alert and focused throughout the day. If you want a healthy hot drink in the late afternoon or evening it is better to go for the decaffeinated variety or opt for a low-caffeine herbal infusion (such as fennel or camomile).

Avocados

Avocados may be an acquired taste but there's no doubt that it is the healthiest fruit you can eat. Aside from the claims that they can significantly help with weight loss (by boosting your metabolic rate), avocados are packed with nutrients and vitamins which make them a valuable addition to any diet.

Avocados have an unusually high fat content - specifically the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid which is so exceptionally good for you. It has been proven that avocados can lower the level of the harmful cholesterol in your bloodstream, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

The smooth, fleshy texture of avocados make them an appetising snack if eaten raw by themselves (delicious with a smattering of sea salt), but they are at their best as part of a salad.

Apples

There's some truth in the old adage that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Apples are too easy to take for granted - they are cheap, easy to obtain, the most banal of foods - and yet they are astonishingly good for you. Packed with fibre and vitamins, they make a satisfying snack (far more so than one of those expensive 'energy bars', which still leave you hungry) and they hardly ever fail to lift your mood.

Eating apples regularly (once a day is a good rule) has many long-term health benefits, reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and degenerative brain conditions. An apple stuffed with a few raisins and sultanas, cooked in the microwave, makes a healthy and filling desert.

Blueberries

The obvious selling point of blueberries (apart from their delicious zingy taste) is their low Glycemic Index, which makes them suitable for people already diagnosed with Type II diabetes. They are also a good source of potassium (needed to regulate the amount of sodium in the bloodstream) and vitamins C and E. Because they are especially high in antioxidants, they may help to prevent the onset of cognitive dysfunction in later years. Eating a handful of blueberries every day could be the single best investment in your long-term health that you could make.

Bananas

Like apples, bananas are something we just take for granted, and yet they are one of the best things you can include in your diet. You always feel better after eating a banana, and there's a good reason for this: they contain high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid that is converted into serotonin, the neurotransmitter that creates a feeling of well-being in the brain.

Bananas are one of the best natural cures for depression, but they are also a phenomenally good source of energy and provide just the boost you need before you set out on a long walk or throw yourself into a full exercise work-out.

Not only have bananas been shown to help with weight loss, they are high in potassium and so lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of a stroke or heart attack. They assist the digestive process, providing relief from both diarrhoea and constipation. Not only that, they can also relieve heartburn and acid reflux, and they can also improve mental alertness. You'd be absolutely bananas not to eat this miracle fruit.

Grapes

Like blueberries, grapes have a lowish Glycemic Index and so are beneficial for insulin regulation and protecting you from diabetes whilst helping with weight reduction. In addition to fibre and potassium, grapes contain powerful antioxidants and so eating them regularly can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Grapes are good at lowering blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of strokes. Red and black grapes have more health benefits than white (green) grapes because they contain a higher quantity of flavonoids. The latter have both antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties and offer greater protection against cancer and heart disease.

Dark chocolate

I'm not quite sure whether dark chocolate counts as a superfood but it certainly has plenty of health benefits, most of which few people know about. From an early age, it is drummed into you that chocolate is bad for you, that it will rot your teeth, ruin your insides and make you a diabetic. Well, all this may be true of the over-sugared garbage that goes by the name 'milk chocolate', which can be as injurious to your health as tobacco and alcohol (and yet we don't mind our kids stuffing themselves silly on the stuff), but it certainly does not apply to what I call real chocolate, or 'dark chocolate'.

Dark chocolate has few of the additives that make milk chocolate so unhealthy and addictive (sugar, emulsified fats, artificial flavourings). It is mostly cocoa and is remarkably good for you, providing you eat it in moderation. Being high in calories, dark chocolate is harmful if eaten to excess, so to get the benefits you must be careful to eat no more than a small piece a day (say a square measuring 3cm by 3cm).

In addition to being rich in valuable nutrients, fibre and minerals (potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron), dark chocolate also contains antioxidants that can lower blood pressure and insulin resistance, thereby reducing the risk of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

There is some evidence that eating dark chocolate may also improve brain function by assisting the flow of blood to the brain. It can even help to prevent tooth decay and bad breath, by inhibiting the build up of bacteria on your teeth.

Dark chocolate is graded by its cocoa content - if this number is less than 75 per cent it isn't worth buying. I opt for a cocoa content of 90% or higher - not only is it healthier, it also tastes much more luxurious. To avoid bingeing on dark chocolate, it is best to eat it right at the end of a meal - just let it dissolve slowly on your tongue and it will leave a sweet, pleasant taste.

© James Travers 2016