There are many, many foods that are good for us, that help to keep us fuelled, and that offer the body the range of key nutrients we all need for optimal health.
In saying that, there are a handful of foods that are so exceptionally dense in key nutrients that including them in your diet most days, if not every day, will be incredibly beneficial for your health long term.
Add these five things to your next shopping list.
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Leafy greens
All vegetables are good for us, but when it comes to skin health, anti-aging, cell health and energy regulation, leafy green vegetables offer extremely high amounts of the nutrients that protect our cells from damage, thanks to the concentrated amounts of key antioxidants they contain.
This means that we need at least one serve of leafy green veggies each day, if not two to support optimal health.
This could be a daily green juice, a salad with lunch, or a green veggie side to significantly increase your intake of leafy greens.
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Nuts
For heart health and weight control, it is recommended that Australians include a handful, or 15-20 nuts in their diet each day.
However, only 1 in 20 Aussies achieve this dietary goal.
Nuts offer a range of essential nutrients we find in few other foods including magnesium, zinc, and good fats. As such, many of us would benefit nutritionally by adding a handful of mixed nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, and walnuts into our diet each day.
Think a few nuts with your breakfast cereal or yoghurt each day, sprinkled onto a salad at lunch, or enjoyed with some cheese and fruit as an afternoon snack.
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Berries
It is the rich antioxidant content of all berries, but blueberries in particular, along with their relatively low sugar and calorie load that make them such as smart food addition to your daily diet.
Rich in Vitamin C, and the anthocyanins group of antioxidants which are linked to positive brain function especially as we get older, whether you enjoy them frozen or fresh, a daily serve of berries will only be of benefit to your cellular health long term.
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Extra virgin olive oil
When it comes to our overall nutrient intake, it is the foods we consume daily that have the most powerful impact on our overall health and well-being.
For this reason, the type of oil we reach for daily to cook with, or dress our vegetables and salad is important. Specifically, when it comes to added fats in the diet, our daily mix of fats impact the overall fatty acid ratios in the body, and it is these ratios that impact inflammation.
Rich in antioxidants which help to keep our cells healthy, extra virgin olive oil has one of the highest proportions of monounsaturated fat and the lowest proportion of saturated fat of all the cooking oils available.
Often considered a poor choice for cooking at high temperatures, the truth is that the high quality of olive oil means that it can be used in most dishes – with the exception of deep frying – and should be the daily oil of choice wherever possible.
Green Tea
While plenty of us are happy to drink tea or coffee throughout the day, it is specifically green tea that is known for its range of health benefits, especially for healthy aging and for the powerful positive impact it has on inflammation in the body.
Green tea is naturally rich in the antioxidant molecules polyphenols, and it is thought that it is these molecules found in especially high amounts in green tea that are associated with a reduced risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
For this reason, if you are a black tea drinker, there are some potential benefits to be had from swapping a cup or two each day for green tea.