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Our diets should be tailored to provide us with the essential nutrients and vitamins we need to lead healthy lives. While we all stand to benefit from popular fruits and vegetables, there are some superfoods that women should be sure to fill their diet with. The following 10 superfoods are excellent choices for women to add to their diets:
Broccoli
Broccoli is one of the most popular vegetables in the world. When it comes to women’s health, this green veggie is truly a superfood as vegetables like broccoli are instrumental in fighting cancer. These cruciferous greens help to prevent breast cancer due to their ability to eliminate excess estrogen.
Full of vitamin A and vitamin C, meals with broccoli are more fillings with fewer calories per serving. With bonus points for its fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, and folate content, broccoli really is a winner during any meal.
Whether it’s eaten raw or cooked, broccoli is one of the best nutrient-rich vegetables to consider when looking for a vegetable to boost your diet.
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Beets
Beets are another underrated food that really packs a nutritional punch. These red roots are buttery, rich, and sweet. The unexpected flavor of beets makes them an excellent companion vegetable in a variety of meals.
According to certain research, women can take in the nutritional value of beet by drinking beet juice regularly. This beetroot juice will significantly lower one’s blood pressure, which is incredibly important for women that have been diagnosed with hypertension.
Thanks to the work of beets, women can reduce the damaging effects of high blood pressure like plaque buildup, strokes, blood clots, heart disease, and damaged arteries. Just as beets are impactful in lowering hypertension, this vegetable is also helpful for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels for women that are hoping to avoid a hypertension diagnosis.
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Sardines
Sardines are growing in popularity now that more and more women are discovering how healthy sardines are for them. Canned sardines are a convenient way to stock up on one’s fish oil intake, calcium, and vitamin D.
In one can of sardines, women will meet 125% of their Vitamin D needs, 88% of the daily selenium requirement, and 35% of their calcium needs. Additionally, this fish contains a fair amount of selenium, which helps to keep one’s immune system healthy and protects the body’s cells from becoming damaged.
When choosing the right sardines, it’s best to buy the kind that is packed in water without any added salt. Can’t stand this tiny fish? Opt for another canned fish: salmon. As salmon is high in selenium, omega-3s, vitamin D, and calcium, it is an excellent alternative to sardines.
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Kale
As far as leafy greens go, kale is one of the world’s favorite vegetables, especially after broccoli. The green goodness known as kale is powerful in holistically treating cancer and helping improve heart health.
According to scientists, half a cup of this veggie’s juice every day will improve one’s helpful HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol.
Filled with vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium, kale’s nutritional value is unmatched. Additionally, these greens contain important carotenoids like zeaxanthin and lutein which are instrumental in promoting eye health. Kale’s carotenoids help to prevent eyestrain and preserve one’s vision, which are all important qualities for women that stare at their computer screens all day.
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Blueberries
Blueberries are quite common in the United States and are one of the best fruits for women hoping to stock up on the anti-inflammatory and super-antioxidant powers. Though the full health-boosting effects of blueberries are still being studied, these fruits are filled with chemicals like anthocyanin that give them their blue color.
Whether blueberries are eaten dried, fresh, or frozen these wonder fruits are powerful in any form.
According to certain research, regularly consuming blueberries may help reduce one’s risk of developing heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. Consuming blueberries also helps to protect one’s mind from mental decline.
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Beans
Beans are an excellent food source for women as they are high in protein, and contain the essential minerals iron, magnesium, and folate. When women add their favorite beans to their diet, they load up on these important minerals.
This superfood is one of the only foods that are both a great source of protein and complex carbohydrates. When beans are a regular part of one’s diet, they have better blood sugar regulation and better weight management due to their soluble fiber.
Black beans are especially high in omega-3 fats and contain cancer-fighting flavonoids. While these black beans are gassy, they do their part in keeping the digestive system healthy.
Women that are worried about taking in too much fiber can slowly add these beans to their diet by eating half a cup or less in one serving.
While beans can come in a variety of forms, canned beans are the most convenient and particularly inexpensive. However, dried beans are an affordable choice as well that provide the same amount of nutritional benefit.
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Tart Cherries
Tart cherries are often canned, juiced, or used in baking and are typically overlooked as a superfood. These tart cherries differ from black cherries as they contain powerful anti-inflammatory qualities that make them a great fruit for managing pain.
Women stand to benefit from these cherries when used to treat gout symptoms and arthritis. According to studies, tart cherries can relieve arthritis and muscle soreness, as well as lower cholesterol, and reduce body fat.
While women can eat these tart cherries fresh, they are also tasty when canned, in smoothies, or even mixed with other foods.
If women opt for cherry juice as their source of this superfood, it’s important to avoid any juice that has excessive amounts of sugar. The most natural fruit juices have the most nutritional impact.
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Almonds
Versatile and full of protein, almonds are another superfood that is incredibly beneficial to women. These nuts work perfectly in almost any type of meal, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.
Loaded with prebiotics, almonds are important in promoting healthy digestion and improving one’s immune system. Prebiotics in almonds helps to create probiotics as they pass through the intestines.
High-fiber foods like almonds help to ease stomach conditions like diarrhea and irritable bowel disorders. By adding almonds regularly to their diet, women can boost their calcium absorption and lower their LDL cholesterol. Moreover, these almonds contain high amounts of vitamin E and are linked to lower risks of heart disease.
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Quinoa
Quinoa is a seed that is rich in proteins that will boost one’s energy levels and strength. These tiny seeds taste like couscous and contain all of the amino acids essential to healthy living. These amino acids are what build the body’s organs, glands, tendons, and muscles, which is why it is incredibly important for women to consume foods high in amino acids.
In addition to its amino acid content, quinoa is a great source of magnesium that helps to maintain healthy blood pressure levels and relax blood vessels.
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Avocado
While avocados are often avoided due to their fat content, these fruits are filled with heart-healthy fatty acids that work to eliminate belly fat, reduce the risk of heart disease, and treat fertility issues.
Packed high with protein, folate, magnesium, vitamin K, E, and B6, and potassium, the avocado is indeed a superfood that women stand to benefit from.
When consuming avocados, women should limit themselves to a quarter or a half of an avocado a day.
We are what we eat. Women that hope to be healthy and full of life should do their best to make sure their diets are filled with fresh fruits, nuts, beans, and veggies. With a steady diet of the 10 aforementioned superfoods, women will be able to significantly improve their health for now and for the future.
