Remember when you used to sneak your Brussels sprouts to the dog under the table? Well, Fido got the better part of the deal. Here’s why.

Green is good. Green foods are filled with nutrients that improve not only overall health but the health of your heart and immune system. Green foods also lower cholesterol, improve brain health, and improve emotional and mental health. Better health and improved mood? We all could use that!

There is an abundance of green all around you, but if you’re wondering how to choose green super foods, here’s a primer:

1. Start with the produce section. Fresh is always better than processed. Whenever you can, eat green super foods raw. The majority of nutrients are unlocked that way.
2. Frozen is next. Steam them to preserve as many nutrients as you can.
3. Canned green super foods should be a last resort since processing removes much of the nutrients you’re looking for.
4. Some folks also like to use a juicer. Even if some vegetables don’t taste good to you, you may enjoy them in a juice mixed with other vegetables you do like. The downside to juicing is that you don’t get as much fiber as eating the whole food.

Now, about that Super List of Super Green Foods… (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: edamame, green tea, spinach, Super Foods, wheatgrass

It’s a wonderful cycle to get caught up in! Work out, lose fat, build muscle, burn more fat. Other than doing your exercises routinely, there are foods you can eat to help build muscle tissue. Let’s take a look at what sort of super foods will help build muscle.

The Magic of Muscle For Weight Loss

As we age, we lose muscle, especially when we reach the age of forty and over. But, muscle is important. It helps to strengthen our framework. The same calcium that strengthens the bones also builds the muscle that the frame is attached to.

Muscle weighs more than fat. It’s important to realize that especially when you are losing weight. If the scale comes down slowly, don’t worry. You are sculpting a more beautiful, healthier body with lean muscle. And, that lean muscle needs more energy to operate. That’s one reason why muscle burns fat for energy. Yes, even when you are not lifting dumbbells, your muscles are at work burning fat for you. What more could you ask?

Building muscle requires a nutritious diet. Muscle needs protein, calcium, and a host of other nutrients to grow. That is where super foods come in. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: building muscle, eggs, flax seed, nuts, steak, Super Foods, turkey

We now know what super foods are so it is time to define antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that fight free-radical damage in the body. This begs the next question: What are free radicals?

Here’s the down and dirty explanation. The body uses food nutrients at a cellular level to drive certain reactions that goes on in the body. This is called cellular metabolism or respiration. Free radicals are by-products produced by these reactions. In the body, these substances bump into organs, vessels and everything else, damaging them in the process. That is why the body ages, and not always so gracefully.

Free radicals can come from not only the body but also the environment. Pollution, smoking, stress, drugs, alcohol, and other sources all feed into the damage that causes us to age. Antioxidants help by neutralizing the effects of these rogue particles. You are less prone to disease, wrinkles, age spots, arthritis, and the list goes on.

Now to the point you’ve been waiting for: What foods can you eat to get the most antioxidant benefit? (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: antioxidants, Super Foods

We’re counting down the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health! (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: Super Foods

What are super foods?

That’s the million dollar question, or rather, the 100-year-old question. Super foods do what those ” miracle” products can’t — and they do it naturally. How did your ancestors manage to live long, healthy lives without all the powders and potions? It wasn’t just because they stayed fit by working from sunup to sundown. The food they ate had a lot to do with it.

Unlike the much-hyped powders, pills, and potions said to cure what ails you, super foods aren’t ” super” because they are filled with additives and other proprietary substances that the manufacturers keep secret. These foods are ” super” because of just how uncomplicated they really are.

Super foods, as they have been dubbed, are actually foods that are nutrient dense but contain no additives or preservatives. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: Super Foods

There are some common guidelines to follow when detoxing with raw food diet.

First of all, the day before you actually begin or sooner, start eliminating caffeine, alcohol, sugar and other stimulants, including non-detox specified herbal supplements. Begin taking calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron and sulfur. This will give you a head start on your detoxification.

You obviously need to pay special attention to what you eat when following a raw food diet to detox your body. Here are some gentle guidelines. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: bee pollen, cleanse, detox, detoxification, goji berries, hemp seed, maca, raw food diet, Super Foods, wheatgrass

The Skinny on Cholesterol

On the whole, cholesterol isn’t a bad guy. It just got a bad name. cholesterol is used by cells to maintain the integrity of their membranes. The brain uses cholesterol to help improve memory. It is a packaging system for hormones and other substances that travel from place to place through the blood. So, as you can see, it has an importance in the body that can’t be denied.

The problem comes when we have an unbalanced cholesterol level. Certain cholesterol molecules, namely HDL cholesterol, or the ” good cholesterol,” help to keep the blood vessels clear, preventing plaques from forming on the walls. Other cholesterol molecules, LDL and Triglycerides, can cause problems in high amounts. They can form plaques and clots that narrow vessels and lead to conditions like stroke and embolism.

Overall, it is a good idea to maintain the balance of these three cholesterols in the blood. That means a change in the makeup of your food plate. Some foods that contain a lot of fat also contain the wrong type of cholesterol. Many people struggle with their ideal cholesterol numbers, often you can simplify the whole process and get a healthy balance just by eating right. This leads us back to how do we find cholesterol-fighting super foods?(...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: avocados, cholesterol, fish, nuts, oats, Super Foods

Broccoli is misunderstood and under-appreciated, but this superhero of super foods can do more for you in one cup than other foods can in several servings. Keep reading and perhaps you’ll gain new respect for this SUPER super food. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: antioxidants, broccoli, cleanse, detox, detoxification, digestion, potassium, Super Foods, vitamin a, vitamin c

Super Foods Help Your Heart Do What it Does

The heart is the muscle of the body. Many love poems have been written about it and people cry from the proverbial ” broken” heart, but in real life, it is a force to be reckoned with. The heart is charged with pumping blood to the entire body. It uses the blood vessel superhighway to do that. It is an involuntary muscle controlled by the brain.

How well the heart does its job doesn’t just depend on how well the brain is working but how well we feed the body. Vessel clogging foods like trans-fats, sugars, and foods devoid of nutrients all contribute to the demise of the heart. When vessels are narrowed by clots or plaques, blood pressure rises. That means that the heart has to pump that much harder to get the same amount of blood throughout the body.

Imagine if your vessels were a garden hose. Plaques and other obstructions can be represented by a knot in the hose. You’ve seen this in cartoons. The pressure builds up behind the obstruction until something gives, usually the hose bursting at the knot or the source. That could be you blowing a vessel or damaging your heart.

If you are headed in that direction, there is something that you can do. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: heart health, Super Foods

And, since skin is your largest organ, when you’re not feeding the inside of your body well, it shows on the outside of your body, via the skin.

So, if you’re feeling rather blah and your complexion is starting to show the strain, forget your makeup counter—check your kitchen! You’ll find the secrets to healthy, beautiful skin right there on your counter. What no veggies in the house?! Get thee to a farmer’s market at stock up on some skincare items.

By changing your eating habits, your skin’s health will improve right along with the health of your entire body. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: fish, goji berries, Skin Care, Super Foods, vegetables, yogurt

Read the rest of Prevention is the Cure: Cancer Fighting Super Foods

© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: broccoli, cancer, dark chocolate, strawberries, Super Foods, tomatoes

The Realities of Weight Loss

Why can’t we seem to take it off? The real answer lies in what we eat. To get your weight loss journey on track switch from processed foods to simple things like super foods. Super foods are packed with power.

Super foods have specific qualities that make it easier to lose weight.

1. They fill you up with fiber. If your belly is full, you don’t want any more food.
2. They change your desires. If you change your palate by avoiding sugary foods, then sweet treats won’t have the same appeal. In fact, when you start craving sweet summer strawberries instead of gooey strawberry shortcake, then you know you’re on your way!

It is not easy to lose fat. It takes roughly a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose a pound. That sounds like a lot, but when you are eating foods that are high in nutritional value and low in calories—ie: the super foods—the weight will feel like it is literally melting off. And, you get the benefit of super nutrients strengthening your body at the same time.

Here is a list of our favorite super foods for weight loss. (...)

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© Natural Health Blog 2011. | More articles: apples, eggs, oats, peppers, sardines, Super Foods, whole grains