On the Oprah show, Dr. Perricone described his 10 superfoods. These foods aren't the only ones that exist that are healthy, they are simply ones he chose that demonstrate the most nutrients in each serving. Eating any fresh fruit and vegetable that has a deep rich color gives you antioxidants and important phytonutrients. However, he selected these foods to feature in his book, "The Perricone Promise, Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps. The foods on Dr. Pericone's 10 Superfoods list include members of the allium family of vegetables, acai, barley, lentils and beans, green foods, buckwheat, hot peppers, sprouts, nuts and seeds and yogurt and kefir. Each food contains essential nutrients that can keep your body strong and healthy.
The Allium Family
Members of the allium family include such foods as onions, chives, leeks, shallots, scallions and garlic. Not only do these foods help boost the immune system and people frequently use them as effective ways to stop infection, they also reduce your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol.
You'll find the acai growing in South America. However, we don't see fresh acai in our stores for a very good reason. They have an extremely short shelf life and rot before they would make it to our country. The purple fruit from this tree contains powerful antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. They help brain function, promote heart health and play a role in growth.
The whole grain of barley is a good source of fiber. Eating barley helps the digestive system and also lowers the risk of coronary disease.
Lentils and beans are one of the best sources of plant protein. The phytonutrients, substances that are part of the plant's chemical composition and sometimes called phytochemicals, found in beans and lentils show evidence of slowing or deterring the certain types of cancer.
The Benefits of Green Foods
Green foods are those health foods such as spirulina, barley grass or wheat grass found in health food stores. The foods are high in chlorophyll and contain other nutrients found in vegetables and fruit. The difference is the concentration. A small amount of green foods, packs the same punch as a complete meal of fruits and vegetables. These types of foods are great for your immune system but they also help in cancer prevention controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.
When you select buckwheat as an alternative for grain products, you'll find that your blood sugar doesn't rise as dramatically as it does with other types of wheat. That's because the protein in it keeps the blood sugar level. It also improves the health of your colon due to the high amount of fiber it contains.
Hot peppers add spice and flavor to almost any dish that's not a dessert. All peppers have capsaicinoids but you'll find them more concentrated in the hot pepper. These contain anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti-cancer and analgesic properties. They're also quite heart healthy.
Sprouts, Seeds and Nuts
Sprouts, seeds with the beginning of the plant have a high amount of plant protein in addition to being high in vitamin C. They contain powerful enzymes and also chlorophyll with the same properties found in green foods.
The nuts and seeds on Dr. Perricone's list of 10 superfoods are not fried and roasted, but raw. Nuts and seeds, depending on the variety, can increase your resistance to cancer, prevent heart disease, provide perfect brain food, lower your risk of diabetes and also reduce the signs of aging. Depending on the nut, they are also a good source of plant protein.
Yogurt and kefir are a form of fermented milk that contains beneficial bacteria. These are known as probiotics. These beneficial bacteria help the body fight off dangerous bacterial and fungus infections. They also play an important role in our digestive process. Since antibiotics kill these beneficial bacteria, you'll often find people complain of digestive upsets and diarrhea after a round of antibiotics. That's when a cup of yogurt with live bacteria can help.
