The B's Have It: Three Superfoods for Overall Health

THE "BS" HAVE IT: THREE SUPERFOODS FOR OVERALL HEALTH In recent years, nutritional researchers have made significant progress in identifying the substances in our diets that promote health and those that undermine it. The knowledge they have gathered has given us a greater understanding of which foods do the most to promote overall health and wellness, and how those foods exert their beneficial effects. Three foods that share the label "superfoods" for their positive influence on many aspects of health, also share the same first letter: B - bananas, blueberries, and beets. Research has identified multiple health benefits from all three of these foods from lowering blood pressure to preventing heart disease to helping detoxify car- cinogens in the body. Banana for Stress Feeling stressed after a hard day at work? Don't have a cocktail, eat a banana! Bananas are very high in potassium, which works to lower blood pressure, while being very low in sodium, which raises blood pressure. In fact, banana producers in the United States now may legally claim that their product reduces blood pressure and lowers the risk of stroke. High blood pressure is also one of the leading contributors to heart disease, so the benefits of bananas extend to the heart as well. Bananas also have proven to be especially beneficial for kidney health. While a large body of research has indicated that eating fresh fruits promotes kidney function, the fruit that seem to offer the greatest protection against kidney cancer is the banana. A study reported in the January 2005 issue of the International Journal of Cancer found that women who ate four to six bananas per week had half the risk of kidney cancer as women who did not eat bananas. Blueberries for Aging Many of us worry about the natural effects of aging and look for ways to try to look and feel as young as possible. Few of us prob- ably realize that having a handful of blueberries every day can help you do just that. Blueberries contain compounds called anthocyanins that research has shown may offer protection from oxidative stress, which underlies virtually all disorders commonly linked to aging - cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease to name just a few. In 2006 the journal Neurobiological Aging published studies conducted at Tufts University in Massachusetts that indicated a diet supplemented with blueberries actually reversed age- related decline in the region of the brain associated with memory formation and storage. More recently, researchers at the University of Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center found that blue- berries added to the diet of mice reduced the effects of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Beets to Fight Inflammation The third of the "superfoods" contains a wide range of compounds that promote optimal health and help fight the chronic effects of aging. Research reveals that beets have particularly powerful anti- oxidant properties, which aid in repairing cellular damage. They have also been shown to fight chronic inflammation, which is linked to a wide range of diseases associated with aging including heart disease, atherosclerosis, and Type 2 diabetes. The fact that beets show both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects means that a diet rich in beets is highly likely to have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cancer. Adding fiber to the diet is recognized as an excellent way to promote colon and digestive health, and beet fiber seems to be particularly helpful in this regard. Both beets and another root vegetable, carrots, contain pectin polysaccharides, substances that significantly increase these foods' total fiber content. As a result, they may provide benefits above and beyond other vegetables in terms of promoting digestion and reducing the risk of colon cancer. Miami Integrative Medicine For more info – visit our website miamiintegrativemedicine.com or follow Dr. Jorge Bordenave in the social networking sites: