Foods that are known to boost and support your health are typically referred to as super foods. Recently, researchers have found new foods to add to the list. Among this group of inductees are the Japanese pickle, tart cherries, chocolate, chia seeds, tree nuts, and wild blueberries. These foods help to build defense mechanisms to keep our bodies strong and in control of illness threats.
The Japanese pickle, also known as tsukemono, is basically any vegetable pickled by a special technique. According to Yahoo Health, it isn’t the vegetable that has the health benefits, it’s the bacteria that grows on the pickles that are beneficial. The probiotic bacteria, which is called Lactobacillus brevis, has flu-fighting antibodies. These antibodies also get rid of other infections, including the H7N9 flu, which can be fatal.
Tart cherries have been known as an antioxidant for some time and a 2012 study has revealed that it is a natural painkiller. According to the study, tart cherries have “the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food.” Dr. Kerry Kuehl of Oregon Health & Science University said that tart cherries naturally manage pain without the side effects which just about all medications contain.
Chia seeds were proven in a 2012 clinical study to be very heart protective due to its significant amounts of omega fatty acids. Chia seeds also help to balance and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
As I have mentioned before in a previous post, chocolate has its health benefits as well. A new study that was published in Nutrition magazine has stated that the more chocolate teens eat, the less belly fat they are likely to have. It is also good for the heart.
Other new super foods include wild blueberries that have proven to prevent and fight heart disease and diabetes, tree nuts (including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts) that can prevent pancreatic cancer if eaten at least twice a week, and jicama (known as water chestnut or Mexican yam), which Japanese researchers have found reduces cancer risks.
I am definitely happy to hear that researchers and doctors across the world are stressing the vitality of foods that we often take for granted. All those prescriptions have serious side effects whereas these foods are completely safe and they also taste good. They also make people feel good as well.