Athough many people think of the term ’superfood’ as a modern phenomena, records show that the term has been in use since at least 1945, and possibly early if we allow the hyphenated version, ’super-food’.

So what are they, and are they really all that ’super’?

In modern times, the term is generally used to indicate that a food has nutritional properties that are above and beyond those needed just to sustain life - usually that they contain vitamins and nutrients that have been proven to reduce the risk of disease and promote good health.

The claim is that ‘Superfoods’ are jam packed with nutrients and have great healthgiving properties. They are also supposed to boost our energy levels, prevent illness, boost brain power and repair cell damage.

If you want to test this theory out for yourself, look for ways to get the following superfoods into your diet.

1. Brazil nuts – These contain selenium which helps to protect the body against certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Nuts help to reduce our risk of heart disease and can help to control our appetites. Look for free recipes online which make use of this wonderful nut.

  2. Olive oil – Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fat which helps to lower cholesterol. It is a source of antioxidants which help to fight the signs of ageing and protect us from damage caused by free radicals like smoking and pollution. Olive oil is a main ingredient in the healthy Mediterranean diet so look for Mediterranean diet free recipes online.

  3. Apples – The humble apple is high in Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, and high in pectin, a soluble fibre which keeps the digestive system in good working order and helps to lower cholesterol.

  4. Seeded Wholegrain Bread – The fibre in the bread keeps the digestive system healthy, the seeds are a source of essential fatty acids and phytoestrogens in linseeds and soya can help relieve symptoms of the menopause. These high fibre breads also help to control appetite.

  5. Baked beans – Baked beans are brilliant. The tomato sauce is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant which protects the body from prostate cancer and heart disease. Insoluble fibre in the beans helps to keep the digestive system healthy. Beans are also rich in calcium, iron and protein. Serve baked beans on seeded bread toast for a great superfood meal!

  6. Tea – Both black tea and green tea are rich in antioxidants. An antioxidant in tea, catechin, helps to keep our arteries healthy and stops blood clots forming.

  7. Bananas – Bananas are high in potassium which is essential for healthy hair and skin and also helps to lower blood pressure. Bananas are also high in antioxidants and are a great source of energy. Bananas can be used in low fat recipes to replace half the fat content in cake recipes.

  8. Yogurt – Yogurt is a great source of calcium which is essential for healthy teeth and bones. Bio yogurts also help the digestive system by topping up the amount of friendly bacteria present in the intestines. Make your own yogurt – find free recipes online.

  9. Salmon – Salmon is an oily fish and oily fish are often known as “Brain food” because eating oily fish regularly helps to prevent dementia and depression. Eating oily fish also reduces the risk of heart disease, build up of plaque on the walls of the artery and lowers triglyceride levels.

  10. Broccoli – This vegetable is high in folic acid which is thought to lower the risk of heart disease and phytochemicals which help to prevent cancer. Broccoli also contains the antioxidants Vitamin C and lutein which is thought to delay the onset and progression of AMD, age related macular degeneration.

By: Roger Wakefield

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Healthy Eating for Kids

Teaching kids healthy eating is not a lecture, it is a parental practice through which children observe and learn. Further, although kids may whine and squirm and even outright reject what’s on the plate, parents must come to realize that being held hostage by childish control strategies only improperly empowers children and thus creates greater feeding difficulties in the long run.

It is the parents who are in control of what food comes into the house, how it is prepared and how it is served. Meal design, food purchases, preparation and service thus become the real feeding grounds for developing healthy eating by our kids as managed by parents.

Children can be involved in all the areas of meal design, food purchase, preparation and service – at parents and child’s discretion. While children may be involved at any step along the way, it is up to the parent to direct the options available to the child so that decisions are made within a range of healthy choices.

If parents haven’t managed the process of developing healthy eating habits, kids may come to think they are in charge or have more say than is appropriate. If this is the case, wrestling control back from the hands of the child, to the parent can be a challenge. Parents must understand that kids will chose not necessarily what is best, but what is most enjoyable from ease of preparation to overly salty or sugary foods. When parents look to change their child’s eating habits, they can expect objections and protests. Parents who give in to such behaviour only serve to teach their children that that behaviour pays off and thus the parent increases the likelihood that the child will continue to use those strategies whenever faced with things not to their liking. When parents seek to alter a child’s direction, the parent must be able to withstand the objections and protest and hold their own ground. Thus the child eventually learns that the parent means business and that the inappropriate strategies are futile.

Here are some tips for managing children’s healthy eating.

1. Depending on the age of the child, spend some time talking and constructing meal plans together. Remember though, parents guide the process and cannot be swayed or negotiated into poor decisions. Don’t use a poor decision to reinforce a good one.

2. Parents and child can go shopping together. When purchasing fruits and vegetables, ask the grocery clerk to help determine what is the freshest or ripest. Listen and learn with your child and go about smelling the produce and fruits together. Remember, it can’t come into the house if you the parent don’t buy it!

3. Unpack groceries together. This serves to teach your children the efforts involved in getting food from the store to home. Thank your child for their assistance. Let your child know how much they are appreciated.

4. Prepare snacks and meals together. Let the kids participate and have fun along the way. Think of meal preparation as a science experiment or art class. Wonder how flavours will go together or how things might look when cooked or put to the plate. Use the time to enjoy each other’s company. This will be very new territory for many kids and parents alike. However, it remains the parent’s responsibility to show their appreciation and love to their child during the process, regardless of how much or little the child actually participates. Their mere presence, for however long, is to be reinforced.

5. Finally, sit down and enjoy the eating together. Statistically, the more meals a family enjoys together, the better behaved and adjusted the children tend to be. Further, parents are more in touch with their children’s lives and together they have better rapport. As a result of the better rapport, parents actually hold more influence with their children than do the children’s peers. This becomes an essential element come the child’s adolescence when parents seek to protect their kids from more serious social issues.

Throughout, remember that developing healthy eating habits is not a race or a destination. It is a process over time. Ignore the setbacks and build on each day’s successes. Successes are there if you concentrate on finding them as opposed to being distracted by upsets.

Bon Appetite!

By: Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

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Possibly you have seen the news and heard about the acai berry but do not really know what it is about.  Be sure to evaluate and see if it is the right weight loss solution for you.

Some have reported that the acai berry has had a positive effect on everything from arthritis to cancer, increased stamina, improved circulation, better sleep, improved sexual function, and healthier looking skin.  It is most noted according to Oprah Winfrey, the today show and others as the greatest weight loss product to hit the market and it is truly a side-effect free option for weight loss.  A few companies are offering a free trial which is a great way to see if it is a product that would work for you.

The acai fruit is a small round purple berry that grows on the Acai palm widely grown and used as a staple food in Brazil.  The acai palm is a native to the Amazon region of South America.

Acai berries are considered to be one of the most nutritions and powerful foods on earth due to their great concentration of antioxidants, about 20 times more than red wine.  These nutrients help fight aging.  Compared to raw cow’s milk, Acai berries contain 3 times the lipids, 118 times more iron, 9 times more vitamin B1, 8 times more vitamin C, and the same amount of protein and calcium.  The acai berry is also an excellent source of dietary fiber and extremely rich in organic vegetable protein that lowers bad and raises good cholestrol.  Acai berries have Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids.

A research study on humans showed significant increases in antioxidant activity in the blood after comsumption of acai berries.  Acai berries’ ORAC score suggests that they are even more potent in antioxidants than blueberries and red wine!

By: Judy Kelly

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