Forget about excess sugar, saturated fats and carbohydrates. Start transforming your diet today and include the best foods for health in your daily menu.
But what are these magical foods that will allow you to lead a healthier life ?
Let’s list a sequence of foods — grains, fruits, vegetables, among others — that have healthy properties and will boost your diet.
However, we recommend that you seek the guidance of a nutritionist to carry out additional tests and create a diet according to your nutritional needs.
Let’s go to the list? Check out the eight best foods for health.
TOP 8 best foods for health
The secret to smart eating is variety. Eating the same foods every week makes us sick quickly.
Therefore, the more different foods you know, the easier it is to diversify your menu.
For our list, we chose basic foods that can be combined with each other to create varied dishes with something extra that will add more flavor.
Now let’s get to the list!
1. Avocado or avocado
Avocado is our tropical fruit and is larger than avocado, very popular in the USA, which is smaller.
It is one of the best foods for health as it provides almost 20% of the daily dose of fiber in a half-cup serving.
Avocado is also an excellent source of monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol.
For a change from pureed portions, try this recipe for avocado toast, a traditional American breakfast.
Cut half an avocado or avocado, mash with a fork and season with a tablespoon of lemon juice and sesame seeds or whatever you prefer. Serve the paste on slices of whole grain bread toast.
2. Oats
Oats are one of the best foods for health, as they can be served as a side dish for fruit or added to a smoothie.
Oats help keep cholesterol under control, fight heart disease and contribute to the feeling of satiety, thanks to its soluble fibers.
On the market you can find rolled oats (thin or thick), oat bran and oat flour to make recipes.
Make your breakfast healthier by sprinkling oats on yogurt, fruit salad or adding them to pancake batter.
3. Nuts
Nuts are oilseeds that are also considered the best foods for health. Just like oats, they can be used as side dishes and snacks and add crunch to healthy cakes and sweets.
Nuts are a source of fatty acids and omega-3s — the fats that reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase the good type (HDL).
Are you hungry between meals? Make a mixture of nuts, figs or other dried fruit of your choice and some anise seeds. As the food mixes, the anise releases its flavor. It’s worth trying!
4. Mushrooms
There’s a food that might surprise you to make it onto the list of best foods for health. But you can include mushrooms without fear in your healthy diet !
One tip is to use it as a meat filling or eat it as a side dish sautéed in olive oil.
It is possible to save up to 400 calories in a meal by using it to prepare a filling.
Here’s a tip to accompany a good roast meat or fish steak: sauté the mushrooms until soft, add a little white wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Serve immediately.
5. Greek yogurt
With fruit for breakfast or replacing cream in sauces, Greek yogurt is another of the best health foods you should have at home.
It is rich in probiotics (bacteria that improve digestion and increase immunity). The difference to conventional yogurt is the thicker texture, which in some versions can have up to 8 grams more protein.
Do you want to learn a healthier sauce tip to serve with chicken on a daily basis? Mix Greek yogurt with some seasonings like cumin, chopped cucumber, garlic and coriander. Voila!
6. Kiwi
There was a fruit missing from our list of best foods for health, right? And we chose a special type.
Kiwi contains twice the amount of vitamin C as an orange and almost as much potassium as a banana, did you know ?
It is ideal to take as a fresh snack or make a combination of small slices of kiwi, with a little honey and unsweetened toasted coconut chips. Take it in a small glass jar and eat it for an afternoon snack.
7. Sweet potato
The darker the color of the skin, the richer in beta-carotene (a powerful antioxidant) the potato is. Therefore, sweet potatoes are one of the best foods for health, beating common potatoes.
As a side dish, you can cut the potato into strips or chips and bake with seasonings of your choice and olive oil. In puree form, seasoned with pepper it is also delicious!
8. Whole grain pasta
Don’t want to give up the dough? One of the best foods for health is whole grain pasta instead of conventional pasta.
Whole-grain pasta contains three times the amount of fiber per serving compared to the typical semolina variety.
Because it is rich in fiber, whole grain pasta keeps you full for longer and prevents a spike in insulin in the blood after eating.
Also vary the type of sauce. Instead of the traditional tomato, serve a nice portion of wholemeal pasta with pesto sauce, chopped arugula and finish with lemon zest.