Many people wonder which foods are the most nutritious and which foods to consume on a regular basis to improve health. The answer is simple: Superfoods.

As the saying goes, you really are what you eat.

Superfoods

A superfood is any food that is living, rich in vitamins, minerals, high in fiber, low in calories and produces an alkaline pH in the body, as disease cannot survive when the body is in an alkaline state.

So which foods are superfoods?

Here is a simple guideline to follow:

Living, whole foods are the most nutritional and most easily digested foods because of the enzymes they possess. Basically all fresh fruits and vegetables when eaten raw are living foods, with living enzymes and have high nutritional value, especially if they are grown in organic soil. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain lots of fiber, are low in calories, have many vitamins and minerals, are high in anti-oxidants, and almost all produce an alkaline pH in the body, thus helping to combat disease.

A good guideline to follow with fruits and vegetables is to try to consume as many different colors as possible.

For example:

Red fruits and vegetable superfoods are pink grapefruit, tomatoes, red bell peppers, and watermelon. The red varieties contain lycopene, a substance that has been praised for its many cancer fighting properties, especially prostate cancer in men.

The purple variety contains concord grapes, blueberries, red cabbage, and prunes. All of these contain high amounts of antioxidants and help reduce heart disease.

In the green shade, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, bok choy and kale are good choices, as they contain lutein, folate and sulforaphane which has been shown to reduce heart disease and macular degeneration by aiding the body in detoxification.

In orange shades, carrots, mango, pumpkin, and oranges work well. The orange superfoods contain beta-carotene which fortifies the lungs, esophagus, stomach, eyesight, and helps boost the immune system.

Whites contain cauliflower, mushrooms, bananas, onions and garlic. These foods contain high amounts of allicin and anthoxanthins which aid in keeping blood pressure low and help balance the “good” bacteria in the digestive tract. Proper digestion is a key to good health as many maladies in the body originate in the intestines.

The benefits of eating living, whole, superfoods are immense. So get over to the produce section and make as many meals as colorful as you can.