Posts Tagged ‘super food’

Holy guacamole or should we say whole food guacamole, is a good term for a super food. The avocado is packed with nutrients. Today avocados are eaten more than apple pie. That is good news considering that it is low in calories, and has no cholesterol, no sodium, and has a mono and polyunsaturated fat content.

Avocado

Avocados are a fruit, and fruitarians do include these in their diets. They are not sweet, so it can be used by diabetics. The nutrient content is impressive. It is a source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, cooper, carotenoids, and tocopherols, (vitamin E).         

In a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, an extract of avocado containing these carotenoids, and topopherols, inhibited the growth of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.

Monounsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid have been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer. Oleic acid has shown promise in its ability to significantly decrease cholesterol.  Potassium is a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.

Diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and low in sodium reduce the risk of both high blood pressure and stroke.

This could be the perfect green pill, a small but potent concentrated source of  nutrients. This fruit provides potent protection against many of today’s common ailments.

Guacamole

Guacamole is one way than avocado finds its way into main stream diets. Between salsa and guacamole the American public is eating their full of avocados. There are more than 500 varieties of avocados grown worldwide.

Hass avocado the most readily available and most common was found to contain the highest content of lutein that surpassed the amount in some of the most popular fruits.

Raw Avocado

The nice thing about avocados is they are eaten raw for the most part. This is on the menu of many raw food aficionados. It is used in blended green smoothies, eaten in salads and used for snacks. In fact is a beloved fruit ask David Wolfe, also known as David Avocado Wolfe.

A raw vegan diet consists of fruits, vegetables, avocado, nuts and seeds. Avocados provide a way to have highly digestible fat in a vegetarian diet. Avocados are available year round. Since they supply vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, H, K, and folic acid, plus the minerals magnesium, copper, iron, calcium, and potassium it would seem a wise choice.

Besides being an alkalizing food. It is highly versatile and can be used in many recipes. With avocados a little goes a long way. It doesn’t take much time or effort to include this green gem in your eating plan.

Kale has one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any vegetable. Kale is nutrient dense, and light on calories. Kale is a dark green leafy vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family of vegetables. These include cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, spinach, and Kohlrabi.

Phytonutrients

These vegetables have sulfur-containing phytonutrients. Kale’s sulfur-containing phytonutrients are known to help prevent cancer. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables are chopped or chewed. This triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals. Sulforaphane is a compound that also exhibits anti-diabetic and antimicrobial properties.

Sulforaphane is also found in Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, collards, turnip, radish, arugula, and watercress.

Protection

Sulforaphane may also offer special protection to those with colon cancer-susceptible genes, suggests a study conducted at Rutgers University and published online in the journal Carcinogenesis.

Sulforaphane, which is formed when cruciferous vegetables such as kale are chopped or chewed, triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals, it inhibits chemically-induced breast cancers in animal studies, and it induces colon cancer cells to commit suicide.

Vitamins and Mineral Content

Kale is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin E vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and manganese; it also contains dietary fiber, calcium, copper, and potassium, Magnesium, iron, zinc and selenium.  Kale is a source of beta-carotene. It is a powerhouse of nutrients, that helps the body get rid of free radicals.

All this comes with 2.47 grams of protein, and 2.6 grams of fiber in a one cup serving. For calories it is a modest 36 in a one cup serving. It has half the iron of beef liver. One cup of kale contains just 36.4 calories, but provides 192.4% of the daily value for vitamin A.

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll has anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Sources of chlorophyll are green leafy plants. Its molecular structure is just about identical to hemoglobin. When vegetarians need to build up their iron supply they turn to green leafy vegetables, kale is on top to the list. Chlorophyll helps to rebuild and replenish our red blood cells. This is what we depend on for energy.

Chlorophyll is known to eliminate bad breath. It does this in two ways it deodorizes odors in the mouth and throat. More importantly it promotes a healthy digestive track which is usually the cause of bad breath.

Fiber

Kale is known as an intestinal broom for very good reasons. It provides 10.4% the daily value for fiber. Fiber is known to reduce high cholesterol levels. It also helps regulate blood sugar levels. Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and this group of vegetables is associated with a lower incidence of cancer. Kale’s fiber binds to cancer-causing chemicals keeping them away from the lining of the colon.

Calcium

Kale is also a very good source of calcium. The debate going on is that the calcium from dairy products is not being utilized. When the absorption of calcium was compared kale was absorbed 40.9% and milk was 31.2%. Kale has the nutrients that make calcium available for use in the body. The most healthful calcium sources are green leafy vegetables. Dark greens are loaded with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other healthful nutrients. They are a source of magnesium which is needed to work with the calcium.

We are a country that has a huge appetite for dairy products. We also have a large portion of the populations on pharmaceuticals for osteoporosis. The United States has a diet based on dairy products; it has one of the highest rates of osteoporosis.

Many societies that did not use much in the way of pasteurized dairy products had strong healthy adults without signs of osteoporosis. A cup of kale supplies 93.6 mg of calcium. With two cups of kale you would get a nice daily dose of calcium. Image, the hunter-gatherers were robust without dairy products.

The most healthful calcium sources are green leafy vegetables. Dark greens are loaded with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other healthful nutrients. They are a source of magnesium needed to work with calcium. Kale does not contain oxalic acid which prevents the absorption of calcium. Spinach and chard contain oxalic acid.

Conclusion

Kale cooked or raw on your plate or in a glass, delivers superb health. It is known to make wonderful green smoothies. You can blend it with some of your favorite fruit. All it takes is a good blender, water and fruit. You thought vitamins and minerals come out of a bottle, they come out of a pan or a drinking glass. This is a must if the health of your family is a priority. Kale is a super food that delivers health.