5 Nutritious Foods You Should Eat Every Day

We all know how important it is to eat a wide variety of foods. The more different kinds of foods we eat, the more likely it is that our bodies will get all the substances they require for good health and high energy.

But there are exceptions, world-renowned nutrition expert and Olympic athletic coach Dieter Hogen tells Newsmax Health.

“Some foods are so good for you that you can and should eat them every day,” says Hogen, who created a nutrition and training regimen in the 1990s that changed the elite athletes’ training programs forever. 

“Indeed, they can become important pillars of your nutritional program that keep you in good shape for many years to come.”

Here are five foods Hogen recommends eating every day:

1. Nuts and seeds. They all have one thing in common: They provide high amounts of a wide variety of healthy fatty acids. The fact that they also contain lots of fiber, essential amino acids, and powerful antioxidants makes them highly nutritious, disease-fighting foods. “I include ground flax seeds in my daily smoothie and have walnuts as a snack,” Hogen says.

2. Omega-3 foods or supplements. We simply can’t live without omega-3 fatty acids. They are called “essential” fats for good reason—they are necessary for proper functioning of many body parts, including the brain, ears, eyes, glands, heart, skin, and joints. Good vegetarian sources of omega-3s are flax, chia, and hemp seeds and their oils. But the best sources of bioavailable omega-3 substances EPA and DHA are omega-3 eggs and small, cold-water fish like salmon, herring, trout, and sardines. 

“On days when you don’t eat any of these, take the recommended dose of a contaminant-free omega-3 supplement,” Hogen advises. “I eat omega-3 food every day, but also take a wild salmon and krill oil supplement each day.

3. Herbs and spices. They are extremely high in many kinds of powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidants and improve digestion. They stimulate our senses and make eating a much more rewarding experience. “I wouldn’t want to live without,” Hogen says. “Basil is my favorite because it goes so well with tomatoes and tomato sauces. I’m also big on pepper, turmeric, dill, cilantro, and many others.”

4. Low-starch vegetables. Low- and non-starch vegetables have high water and fiber content, but are low in calories. The carbohydrates they contain are slow digesting, and therefore stabilize blood sugar. They are powerhouses of antioxidants, containing extremely high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Dark green leafy vegetables like kale and chard have been identified as the most nutrient-dense foods on earth. Because different colors represent different phytochemicals that protect against different diseases, we like the traffic light approach, combining green, yellow, and red ones as often as possible. 

“There can be just one message: Eat as much as you can!” Hogen says. “My favorite vegetable (yes, I know that technically it is a fruit) is the tomato. I love the fact that tomatoes have so many uses—fresh in salads, cooked in stews, sauces, salsa, ketchup, and more.”

5. Fruit. Sweet, juicy, and refreshing, fruits provide lots of fiber, and just like veggies, are extremely healthy because of the high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals they contain. But there is one little problem — they are high in sugar. Because of that, limit the amount of fruit you eat and stay away from concentrated fruit juices.

“Each day I have three to four servings of whole fruits like an orange, an apple, or a cup of berries. Sometimes I go with mango, pineapple, melon, grapes, or something else that’s in season,” Hogen says.

“Choosing just one product from each of these five food groups and eating it every day will make a big contribution to your health and longevity.”
 

For the original article, visit newsmaxhealth.com.