Ten Foods to Keep You Healthy

By Contributing Writer, Bria Crawford

As our family plans meals each week, we try to maintain a healthy diet, and I’m sure others share the difficulty of finding healthy, but tasty food. I’m not one of those people that would say, “cut out all unhealthy foods, period.” But counteracting those unhealthy products can make a difference in how many doctor visits you make as well as the condition of your body in the future.

A big motive to improve our diet is to research preservatives and ingredients in foods. When I discovered how nasty 90% of the things I consumed were, it was a big incentive to stay healthy. So here are ten cheap, easy, common, and healthy items you could incorporate into your meals…

#1 Avocados: This delicious and very nutritious fruit is easy and great for snack time with some wheat thins. We make our own guacamole dip (this is a great way to get your garlic dose in) and snack throughout the day on it. Avocados have wide ranging anti-inflammatory benefits and are good for blood sugar levels.  ”Folic acid protects the heart, and an avocado cup can offer you 23% of daily recommended dose. That’s why this fruit is highly recommended for pregnant women who need folic acid to prevent conception malformations.” (avocadohealthbenefits.net)

Avocados have anti-cancer benefits: “ In healthy cells, avocado works to improve inflammatory and oxidative stress levels. But in cancer cells, avocado works to increase oxidative stress and shift the cancer cells over into a programmed cell death cycle (apoptosis), lessening the cancer cell numbers. In other words, avocado appears to selectively push cancer cells “over the brink” in terms of oxidative stress and increase their likelihood of dying, while at the same time actively supporting the health of non-cancerous cells by increasing their supply antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.” (whfoods.com)

#2 Garlic: This useful and most popular herb has been used for thousand of years for dozens of ailments and health benefits. It’s top use is it is antibacterial. So when you get a cold, chop up a couple of cloves and down them with some salsa. Or to constantly keep your immune system on the alert, take garlic on a regular basis.

Garlic has vitamin C, B6, selenium, magnesium, potassium, calcium and manganese and flavonoids, thus  garlic is great to fight several kinds of bacteria and viruses. It also has anti-cancer components. It also strengthens your entire physical condition because it contains rejuvenating effects to all the cells in your body. Not convinced? Go HERE to read more of the wonderful things garlic can do for you

 #3 Bananas: Bananas are high in potassium and fiber. A great substitute for that chocolate cookie you were about to eat! Bananas have also been said to help hormones with mood swings. And bananas are good in so many things. We love popping a few in a smoothie or yogurt.

 #4 Eggs: Eggs are a cheap, versatile product that has dozens of uses and is high in essential protein. They are also an excellent source of the antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein which have been said to keep age-related eye problems at bay. HERE is a recipe we recently made up that is a big hit with our family and a delicious way to get that protein in.

 #5 Potatoes: Here is another cheap, extremely versatile root that is high in Vitamin C, plus a great source of potassium. If you like sweet potatoes or yams, you’ll get a good dose of beta carotene which helps prevent night blindness and various eye and skin problems, and it enhances your immunity, protects against toxins and cancer formations, and its antibacterial properties help ward off colds, flu, and infections.

#6 Cinnamon: “Studies show that less than half a teaspoon per day reduces blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. In testing, even when participants added sweets to their diets, cinnamon was able to help control their blood levels. This amount of cinnamon also significantly lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Cinnamon also has the remarkable ability to reduce inflammation in the body…. I have discovered that just smelling the odor of cinnamon boosts brain activity….Cinnamon emerged as the clear winner in producing positive effects on brain function.” From Bulk Herb Store

 #7 Nuts: Although many nuts are high in oils, they’re also good sources of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and protein. Because they are so nutrient packed, you only need a small amount to harvest nutrition. Peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, especially if bought in the shell, keep the cost at a minimal. These are great for snack time, or a grab and go breakfast if you’re not the type to sit down and eat but still need nutrients.

#8 Garbanzo Beans: Garbanzos aren’t just a great source of protein and fiber, but they are very high in iron, folate, and manganese, and may assist in cholesterol levels. And if these aren’t necessarily your favorite, try some other beans. They’re all wonderful for you!  The easiest and yummiest way we eat garbanzos is hummus dip. You can look up a recipe online.

 #9 Dark Chocolate My personal favorite: As long as your chocolate has more than 70 percent cocoa, it might help lower blood pressure because of reservatrol and flavonoids that act as antioxidants. These antioxidants protect your body from free radicals which protects your body from aging caused by free radicals which those can lead to heart disease. Dark chocolate is your heart food. (Hallelujah to that!)  It also:

BONUS: If you are a busy mom who doesn’t have time to try and incorporate health with every meal, I’ve got a life saver for you. Introducing Bolt House Farms nutrient drinks! Ranging from Mocha Cappuccino ( yes it’s healthy!) to Carrot juice that you can stand to drink, and every other fruit and veggie combination you can imagine. You can find these wonderful drinks at Walmart or Aldi’s (they are cheaper at Aldis when you can find them). These drinks are very thick and so filling I can drink one for breakfast and be good until lunch.

Bolt house drinks are also: Gluten Free, No Preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors, no genetically modified ingredients and only flash pasteurized. And they include so many different fruit and veggies in one drink. The C-Boost fruit smoothie has 5 1/2 mangos, 104 acerola cherries, and 3 1/2 apples plus many vitamins.