Superfoods

Superfoods are a collection of foods which are exceptionally "nutritionally dense", which also have extra add-on health benefits which come from "antioxidants" and "phytochemicals". Next we'll discuss what these statements actually mean in real terms. When a food is "nutritionally dense", it means that the food has high levels of essential vitamins and dietary minerals that we know are required by human beings. That includes all the vitamins we know so well such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and also dietary minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc and so on. But of course many foods contain these things. All foods contain at least some of the vitamins and minerals in varying quantities, so what's so special about superfoods? They big difference is that superfoods have an unusually high amount of nutrients for their size, when looked at alongside normal foods. As an example, the humble cucumber is mostly - 90% or thereabouts - water, so to get any significant levels of nutrients from a cucumber you'd have to eat an awful lot of them! With superfoods you can eat a mouthful and it will provide a large dose of nutrients, sometimes providing your entire recommended daily allowance (or more) for individual vitamins or minerals all in one go. Now that's super! Not many foods exhibit such high levels of nutrients in such small amounts, and that's why superfoods are so great. They can provide nutrition like you've never seen before. OK next up, antioxidants and phytochemicals. These may be new to you, so let's explain them both . Inside your body, oxygen reacts with cells in a process called oxidation. Unfortunately, this process is damaging to the cells. Antioxidants are chemicals which prevent or stop oxidation, and prevent the damage it causes. This damage is linked to many unpleasant conditions including premature ageing, degenerative diseases and some cancers. Antioxidants prevent the damage from oxidation by blocking the chemical reaction and stopping it from happening in the first place, and therefore in theory cut down any undesirable effects. An everyday antioxidant you are probably familiar with is vitamin C (otherwise known as ascorbic acid). Secondly, phytochemicals. These are naturally occuring chemicals found in plants and animals, but which are not required for human life. As humans we need some vitamins and dietary minerals for the various chemical processes inside our bodies to work properly - that's why they're called "essential" vitamins, but we're only just starting to really understand the real potential benefits of these new phytochemicals. Lots of the astonishing anti-cancer and anti-heart disease effects of superfoods are reported to come from different phytochemicals. Superfoods contain lots more than just strong concentrations of all the essential nutrients we need, they also have all the bonus antioxidants and phytochemicals which come with some amazing possible benefits! To summarise: Since we are human beings, and so we require different essential vitamins and minerals to live. Without these essential nutrients, our bodies stop working and we become ill. Now we're uncovering powerful new nutrients which can help to boost our health and prevent disease. Superfoods are foods that mix of all this goodness at once, and they taste wonderful too - so there's no reason not to start eating superfoods as part of a healthy eating diet. Click here to check out a list of the world's most powerful superfoods, all available from your local supermarket - http://www.SimpleSuperfoods.com/go/simples