In the world of marketing, image
is everything. If you're James Franco or Roger Federer or Taylor Swift, your
name and face can be used to sell anything from phones to watches to perfume --
even if you're not necessarily famous for the your tech-savvy, your promptness,
or the way you smell.
In the food world, the biggest
celebrity of all might be kale -- the Shakira of salads, the Lady Gaga of leafy
greens. It's universally recognized that kale anything--kale chips, kale pesto,
kale face cream -- instantly imparts a health halo. Even 7-Eleven is making
over its image by offering kale cold-pressed juices. And yes, kale has plenty
of benefits -- including high levels of folate and more calcium, gram for gram,
than a cup of milk.
Still, kale's actually not the
healthiest green on the block. In fact, in a recent report published by the
Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47 "powerhouse fruits and
vegetables," kale placed only 15th (with 49.07 points out of 100 for
nutrient density)! Here's a roundup of the 10 leafy green cousins that
researchers say pack a greater nutritional wallop. Read 'em, eat 'em, and reap
the benefits.
SUPERFOOD #10 Collard Greens
Nutrition Score: 62.49
A staple vegetable of Southern
U.S. cuisine, collard greens also boast incredible cholesterol-lowering
benefits -- especially when steamed. A recent in vitro study published in the
journal Nutrition Research compared the effectiveness of the prescription drug
Cholestyramine to steamed collards. Incredibly, the collards improved the
body's cholesterol-blocking process by 13 percent more than the drug! Of
course, that won't do you any good if you insist on serving them with ham hocks.
SUPERFOOD #9 Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition Score: 63.48
Even more so than its cousin
kale, the humble Romaine lettuce packs high levels of folic acid, a
water-soluble form of Vitamin B that's proven to boost male fertility. A study
published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found supplemental folic acid
to significantly increase sperm counts. Get the man in your life to start
craving Caesar salads, and you may soon have a baby Julius on board. (Ladies,
this green packs health benefits for you, too! Folate also plays a role in
battling depression, so change out your kale for Romaine and, while you're at
it, stock up on these other 8 Foods That Boost Your Mood.)
SUPERFOOD #8 Parsley
Nutrition Score: 65.59
Yes, that leafy garnish that sits
on the side of your plate -- the one they throw away after you eat the rest of
your meal -- is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one
sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K.
Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley
may help control your appetite. A study in the journal Flavour found
participants ate significantly less of a dish that smelled strongly of spice
than a mildly scented version of the same food. Adding herbs, like parsley,
creates the sensory illusion that you're indulging in something rich -- without
adding any fat or calories to your plate.
SUPERFOOD #7 Leaf Lettuce
Nutrition Score: 70.73
The nutritional Clark Kent of the
salad bar, this common and unsuspecting leafy green is ready to take its place
among the superfoods. Two generous cups of lettuce provides 100 percent of your
daily vitamin K requirement for strong, healthy bones. A report from the
Nurses' Health Study suggests that women who eat a serving of lettuce every day
cut the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent than when compared with eating just
one serving a week. (What other foods might you be underestimating? Find out
which are in your kitchen now in our 6 Surprising Superfoods.)
SUPERFOOD #6 Chicory
Nutrition Score: 73.36
Chicory is a family of bitter
greens, but its most well-known member is radicchio, the small red or purple
leaf that comes in a head about the size of a softball. It's one of the best
dietary sources of polyphenols -- powerful micronutrients that serve a role in
preventing disease. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who
consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer
than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at
about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red
into your leafy greens.
SUPERFOOD #5 Spinach
Nutrition Score: 86.43
Spinach is to kale what Michael
Jordan is to LeBron James -- the once unrivaled king now overshadowed by the
hot new thing. But like MJ, spinach has a few more championship rings than its
more current rival -- primarily its position as a top source of biceps-building
iron. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram
serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of the muscle mineral -- that's more
than a 6-ounce hamburger patty! Recent research also suggest compounds in the
leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant.
A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that
having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly
reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the
spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of
three months. (It's easy to see why spinach tops our list of the essential 8
Foods You Should Eat Every Day.)
SUPERFOOD #4 Beet Greens
Nutrition Score: 87.08
Yes, the stuff they cut off and
throw in the garbage before charging you an arm and a leg for "beet salad."
A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber--that's more
than you'll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of
Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for
every 7 grams of fiber consumed. Try them in stir frys and eat to your heart's
content!
SUPERFOOD #3 Chard
Nutrition Score: 89.27
Chard. Sounds like
"burnt." It's not as fun a name to drop as, say,
"broccolini," but it might be your best defense against diabetes.
Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13
different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins-anti-inflammatory
compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from
the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of
about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of
anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation.
SUPERFOOD #2 Chinese Cabbage
Nutrition Score: 91.99
Taking the silver medal in the
powerfood Olympics is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage. Rich
sources of highly available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the
cabbage have the powerful ability to "turn off" inflammation markers
thought to promote heart disease. In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women,
published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those who
ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent
less inflammation than those who ate the fewest.
SUPERFOOD #1 Watercress
Nutrition Score: 100
The top dog, the unrivaled
champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest
thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and
flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and
a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100
grams -- two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is
also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which
research suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week trial published
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest daily supplementation of
85 grams of raw watercress (that's about two cups) could reduce DMA damage
linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat may inactivate PEITC, so it's
best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches.
Courtesy of: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-zinczenko/10-superfoods-healthier-t_b_6213842.html?utm_hp_ref=diet-and-nutrition
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