3 Power Houses within the Healing Foods Family for better Health

3 POWER HOUSES WITHIN THE HEALING FOODS FAMILY FOR BETTER HEALTH


There are 22 Power House Foods listed in our website Natures Healing Foods. These foods that are listed, many of them are readily available at restaurants. Some of them can be steamed. Some of them can be eaten with milk, and some just peeled and eaten.


WHOLE GRAINS
The New Broccoli

We've heard for years that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can protect against heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. But did you know that whole grains are now believed to provide just as many benefits? 'Whole grains have this whole army of different phytonutrients that are doing just as much as fruits and veggies,' says Susan Moores, a Minneapolis nutritionist and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. (A phytonutrient is the name given to the parts of plants that have health benefits.) According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, eating three daily servings of whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease by 25 to 36 percent, stroke by 37 percent and type II diabetes by 21 to 27 percent. Whole grains include oats, whole wheat, brown rice, bulgur, and bran, among others. 'Pick foods whose first ingredient contains the word whole instead of enriched,' Moores says.


SWEET POTATOES
Vitamin and Mineral Powerhouse

The Sweet Potato, a tuberous root vegetable, nutritionally, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium and vitamin, C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid. Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber despite the name 'sweet', it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, and have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance. Sweet Potatoes – A nutritional All-Star – one of the best vegetables you can eat. Mix in unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness.



BLUEBERRIES
Keep the Mind Sharp

When researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University analyzed 40 fruits and vegetables for their disease-fighting antioxidant activity, blueberries came out on top. And not just by a little – the study showed that the benefits of eating one serving of wild blueberries are equivalent to those of eating two to three servings of some other fruits and vegetables, including apples, broccoli, and even spinach. Studies published in the past year also show that eating plenty of blueberries may help lessen brain damage from strokes and may reduce the effects of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. 'Blueberries really show promise in helping us with our mental acuity – keeping our brain sharp,' say Moores. 'The antioxidants in blueberries protect cells from damage, but now we're finding that other components in blueberries might restore cells to be healthier.' She recommends eating blueberries a couple of times a week.