Top 10 Foods You Should Start Eating Now-Part 2

#6 Broccoli. Broccoli is one of those “super” vegetables because it has so many powerful components, each offering wonderful health benefits. But recent research suggests that several of those components are working together too. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discovered that crambene, one of the phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli), is more active when combined with another better-known cruciferous phytochemical, indole-3-carbinol. There’s also evidence that components in broccoli have synergy with components in other plant foods. For example, subjects in lab studies fed a combination of tomatoes and broccoli had markedly less prostate tumor growth, compared with groups who ate either food alone.

#7 Beans. Beans offer an amazing package of nutrients—every piece is important—but the beauty is in the balance. This plant food is uniquely high in protein and bursting with beneficial phytochemicals, many of which have antioxidant power. You get some good-quality carbohydrates that interact with lots of fiber to be digested slowly. Beans have been shown to result in relatively small increases in blood glucose levels following meals in people with and without diabetes.

Beans and soy are two of 11 plant foods that the American Institute for Cancer Research recently named as “foods that fight cancer.” The active ingredients in beans that seem to play a protective role include three phytochemicals (saponins, protease inhibitors, and phytic acid). They are thought to protect cells from the type of genetic damage that can lead to cancer. Beans may also help reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease too.

#8 Yogurt. Bet you never thought bacteria would be a good thing! Well, your body actually needs a healthy amount of “good,” or beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. We can promote the activity of these beneficial bacteria by eating probiotic foods. Most major brands of yogurt contain probiotic bacteria. Yogurt with active cultures may help stimulate the immune system, according to several recent research reviews, although more research needs to be done using well-designed human studies. Yogurt with active cultures may prove helpful for certain gastrointestinal conditions, including lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrheal diseases, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection.

#9 Apples. Eat an apple a day to help keep breast cancer away? In a recent lab study at Cornell, researchers found that breast tumor incidence was reduced by 17 percent when rats were fed the human equivalent of one apple a day over 24 weeks and 39% when fed the human equivalent of three a day. Actually numerous population studies have linked eating apples with a reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. And in the laboratory, apples have exhibited very strong antioxidant activity to inhibit cell proliferation (the type of rapid multiplication that occurs in tumors), decrease lipid oxidation (when fats in the body combine with oxygen), and lower cholesterol. Simple phenolics and flavonoids represent the majority of antioxidant activity found in apples, and it’s the phenolics in apple peel specifically that account for the majority of the antioxidant and antiproliferating activity.

#10 Almonds (and other nuts). Nuts in general contain a combination of various cholesterol-lowering plant food components. Here’s the fact that got my attention, though: In virtually all studies that examined the impact of nuts in our diet, nut consumption has been associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease risk. Each nut contains its own unique profile of phytochemicals, types of fatty acids, and types and amounts of fiber. Almonds and most nuts contain large amounts of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat), which may help raise HDL “good” cholesterol levels and lower LDL “bad” cholesterol. Plus, almonds contain a vegetable protein that may also lower LDLs.

Credit:health.glam.com