That's Fit

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

If you're a fan of the onion, I've got good news for you: The very bulb blamed for both bad breath and teary eyes simply bursts with health benefits, making it a SuperFood worth pursuing.

Onions, part of the Allium family of foods, inhibit growth of cancerous cells, increase good cholesterol when eaten raw, reduce overall cholesterol levels, minimize blood clots, ward off colds, pump up the immune system, cut the risk of diabetes and certain cancers, promote antibacterial and antifungal properties, and relieve stomach discomfort. Onions can even boost bone density (well, in newborn rats anyway), according to the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. And they contain more of the antioxidant quercetin than any other common fruit or vegetable. This makes the onion capable of reducing the risk of both heart disease and Alzheimer's.

Worried about the the onion's odor? Don't be -- the very sulfurous compounds that give onions their strong smell are what activate certain enzymes in the liver, prompting protective activity that lasts for hours.

Oats were featured in a You Are What You Eat SuperFood post on Christmas Day. It seemed fitting for those living in cold-weather climates to spotlight a healthy, warm-yourself-up sort of food. And since January finds more people warming up to steaming bowls of oatmeal than any other month -- that's why January is designated National Oatmeal Month -- it seems a great time to spice up this SuperFood with both flavor and nutritional value. These few ideas do just that.

• Mix some dried organic blueberries into your piping-hot bowl of oats and add a few walnuts too. Enjoy the boost of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids these add-ins provide.
  
  

• Stir in some sliced banana and a spoonful of organic peanut butter to transform your oatmeal into a nutty, potassium-rich extravaganza.
  
  

• Try some low-fat granola, flaxseed, wheat germ, and sesame seeds next time you serve up your oats.
  
  

For a few more oatmeal toppers and some recipes too, visit the Quaker Oatmeal website here.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Kiwi is a popular fruit-salad topper at my house. We love it. It's sweet, a bit sour, and superbly healthy.

Kiwi tops the list when it comes to SuperFoods. From a study of 27 different fruits, kiwi was named one of the most nutritionally dense, says Stephanie Dean, R.D., dietitian with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. It's full of antioxidants, vitamin E, and lutein and can ward off vision problems, prevent blood clots, and lower cholesterol almost effectively as the SuperFood barley.

Dr. Steven Pratt calls kiwi one of the newest SuperFoods in his trendsetting book SuperFoods Healthstyle, but that doesn't 'mean kiwi is new to the nutrition scene. A two-piece serving of the fruit has twice the vitamin C of an orange -- also a SuperFood -- and as much potassium as a banana. It has as much fiber as one serving of bran flakes, all for about 100 calories, and it serves as a good source of magnesium. Kiwi is also a low-fat, sodium-free fruit.

It gets better.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Every time I walk into my local grocery store, scents of cinnamon drift my way, compliments of spiced-up holiday decorations strategically located just inside the sliding doors. On most school-day mornings, I make my boys slices of cinnamon toast. They always ask for more. And when I buy my favorite Yankee candles, I always grab the cinnamon varieties. I burn them whenever I'm home. I especially love them at Christmas time.

Think warm mugs of apple cider sprinkled with cinnamon, baked apples with crushed nuts and cinnamon on a cold winter day, or a cool glass of spiced tea on a hot summer afternoon and you're likely to conjure up visions of a Super Spice that's good for all seasons. Not only is cinnamon good, though. It's also quite healthy.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

According to the bloggers at The Daily Tiffin, a site devoted to fun and healthy lifestyles, chili peppers are one heck of a Superfood. High in antioxidant carotenes and flavonoids and containing about twice the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits, chilies can be added to just about any dish. Homemade soups, stews, chili, salads, and salsas are just a few.

Chilies, believed to have been around for more than 6,000 years, are a member of the plant genus "capsicum" (cap-sih-kum) and contain high levels of special compounds called capsaicinoids. This is what makes them so super. Capsaicinoids are responsible not only for the well-known spicy heat of chilies but also the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer, and heart-healthy effects offered by these potent peppers.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

If you scan a list of Superfoods, typically listed by doctors, nutritionists, and health magazines in alphabetical order, it will take a while before you land on yogurt. It's usually last on the list. But it's definitely not the least of these foods that allegedly enhance health, defy aging, and impede the progression of all sorts of illness and disease.

Just consider the dairy protein, the calcium, the friendly bacteria, the scrumptious taste, and the creamy texture and you've got one super health food. Add vitamins, fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics -- intended to help control both weight and regularity -- and WOW, yogurt packs quite a nutritional punch. Go organic, and you'll enjoy less sugar; fat; and artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

I have pineapple on my mind because we just happen to have a fresh one in our house. It's been sliced and diced into nice little squares, and it sits in a Tupperware bowl in our fridge right now. My boys and I are happy to have this juicy fruit during a time when all of our favorites -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon -- are disappearing from the grocery store produce aisles. It's a great fruit for many reasons -- it's super for nibbling, super if you're in a pinch and need to grab a quick bite, super for school lunches, and well, it's just plain super.

Pineapple is a Superfood because of its healing power on the joints. A top source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps support joint health, pineapples have anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate osteoarthritis. Bromelain also cleans up dead cells after injury, helps reduce inflammation related to asthma, and even inhibits the growth of malignant cells in both lung and breast cancer.

I always find it easier to work the daily recommendation of 7 to 8 servings of fruit and vegetables into my meals during the summer. All sorts of fresh produce is in season at that time of year making it pretty simple to include a variety of fruits and veggies into meals or just as a quick snack.

Now that winter is approaching, it's a bit more difficult to incorporate tasty produce into your diet each day. Strawberries are one fruit that I love which can usually be found at the supermarket all year round. The superfood is great for you as it's full of fiber, folate, vitamin C and antioxidants, which look after your heart and help protect against cancer, among other benefits.

If you'd like to incorporate more of the ripe, red berry into your meals, why not try some of the strawberry-enhanced meal suggestions offered here. For breakfast you can enjoy an English muffin topped with low-fat cream cheese and fresh, sliced strawberries, add strawberries to your favorite salad at lunch and enjoy chicken, vegetable and strawberry kebabs at dinner.

If you haven't heard about the benefits of flaxseed yet, where have you been hiding? The superfood is full of fiber, can lower cholesterol as well as reduce the risk of heart disease, may protect again breast cancer and contains tonnes of Omega-3 fatty acids. So if you haven't added it to your diet, now is as good a time as any.

Many people choose to grind the seed, which can be found at most local grocery and health food stores, in a coffee bean grinder and then sprinkle it into yogurt, cereal or even pasta sauce. If you'd like a few new ideas, take a look at the three tasty recipes listed here.

You can treat yourself to a Raspberry Smoothie, try a delectable Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin or whip up some Flaxseed and Blueberry Pancakes, which include another superfood (blueberries) as a main ingredient. Having taken a look at the recipes, I'm already craving one of the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

I'm relatively new to this fitness blog and one of the biggest benefits that I've discovered from writing posts is that it gets me to search out and learn more and more about health and fitness. One of the tings I've discovered since I started is the concept of a superfood. As Bethany mentions in her post 'What exactly is a superfood', these items are basically just incredibly good for you as they're high in a number of nutrients, vitamins and more.

The author of this piece takes the time to discuss 5 personal favorites, and the breakdown and accompanying information go something like this:

• Whole grain bread - Find a loaf with 2g of fiber or more per slice. It should also be made with whole wheat or whole grain (as opposed to enriched) flour.
• Wild salmon - As many of us have heard, farmed salmon is often full of harmful chemicals. Stick to wild salmon and you'll consume all of the Omega-3 goodness with far fewer accompanying chemicals.
• Green vegetables - Anything that has a rich, green color like kale, broccoli or spinach is great for you as these foods are full of fiber, vitamin E and calcium.
• Blueberries - This is one fruit I'm hearing about constantly lately. They contain loads of antioxidants (more than any other food, according to the article) and also provide you with a bunch of vitamin C. Plus, they're just as healthy frozen as they are fresh.
• Avocados - I know a lot of people who avoid avocados because they contain fat. This is true, but it's monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart. Plus they contain vitamins C, K and B6 as well as fiber and folate.

To find out the rest of what the author of the article said about each superfood, take a look here.

Foods rich in nutrients, such as blueberries avocados, pomegranates, dark chocolate, etc, are often referred to as "superfoods." It's not an FDA-sanctioned term, like "organic," and doesn't make the food a "cure all." In fact, while these foods are certainly healthy, the term "superfood" is more or less a superlative used by marketers to try and sell their product.

Subsequently, the term has been banned in the European Union, unless it's accompanied by an explanation of exactly why the product it's applied to is so good for your health. The new regulation also effects other commonly-used marketing terms, such as "low in salt" or "light" -- as manufacturers of products with such labels will not only have to explain why their claims are true, but also disclose if their product is high in unhealthy ingredients, like fat or sugar.

This is a big step forward for Europeans who want to stay informed on the foods they're consuming, as opposed to blindly following marketing hype.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

What is Acai? Not only is this Brazilian berry being touted as having ten times the antioxidants of blueberries and grapes, but Dr. Perricone (of Oprah fame) calls it his number one Superfood. That's all well and good, but is it even available for general consumption? It sure isn't on the shelf of your local supermarket next to the orange juice, but it is becoming more common. Try these . . .

Acai Berries
Acai Roots sells a big ol' bucket of these nutrient-rich berries. Get them delivered and try some of their recipes for acai drinks as well as the traditional Brazilian way to eat acai.

I have to avoid some foods very much on purpose sometimes, because I know they create a sort of "viscious circle" of cravings. When I indulge once it gets harder not to indulge again, and again...and before you know it I've blown a whole week of dieting -- and I feel heavy and tired and gross.

On the other end of the spectrum, most healthy foods are well advertised and come to mind easily, even if we don't always choose to eat them. But still, I was a little surprised by what made this list of 5 superfoods for weight loss. Along with grapefruit and green tea was sardines, canned pumpkin, and grass fed beef. In a list that could only have 5 things these are not the foods I expected to see. I will say, though, that the article does make good arguments for having them there and it definitely made me think of some new snack ideas!