9 Foods You Should Be Eating

As compiled by forbes.com
To put together our list of foods folks should be eating, but aren't, we checked in with Jonny Bowden, a California-based nutritionist and author of seven books, including The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy. Bowden says Americans should avoid taking their cues from the USDA's food pyramid, which he dismisses as the product of interest-group politics. Instead he favors a Mediterranean-style diet rich with fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and olive and nut oils, focusing on the following 10 foods in particular.

9 Foods You Should Be Eating.........With Pictures

Cherries

Nutritionist Jonny Bowden notes that cherries are packed with anti-inflammatory properties. They contain antioxidants, thought to help the body protect against the damaging effects of free radicals and the chronic diseases associated with the aging process.

Blueberries

Like cherries, blueberries contain antioxidants found to promote heart health. A 2009 study showed that rats fed blueberries lost belly fat, the kind of fat linked to diabetes and heart disease.

Kiwifruit

This tart little green fruit, with its soft, hairy skin and seeds you can swallow, is chock full of vitamin C--a whopping 115% of what you need to eat in a day. It's also low in calories--just 45 per fruit sans skin.

Grass-Fed Beef

Unlike mass-produced cows raised in feedlots, free-range cows nibble grass and avoid the ravages of hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Grass-fed beef is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Bowden says beef's bad rap comes from highly processed varieties like McDonald's hamburgers and ballpark franks. "Grass-fed beef is a whole different animal," notes Bowden

Wild Salmon

Even more so than grass-fed beef, wild salmon is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, associated with heart and brain health, and with bringing down blood pressure and triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease. Omega-3s have also been found to improve mood and reduce inflammation.

Flax Seed

Also a tremendous source of omega-3 fatty acids, flax seed has been shown to contain powerful anti-cancer compounds called lignans. Flax is also a great source of fiber, which enhances digestion. Try throwing it into your next smoothie or sprinkling on a salad.

Whey Protein Powder

Little Miss Muffett knew what she was doing when she ate her curds and whey. A run-off of the cheese-making process, whey in powder form can be a great source of protein. It's also been shown to stimulate the immune system. So get off your tuffett and try sprinkling some in your next smoothie.

Kale

A member of the cabbage family, which Bowden dubs "vegetable royalty," kale contains indoles, a compound found to fight cancer. Kale is also full of sulforaphane, another cancer-prevention agent. Plus, Kale contains calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K, and two nutrients that are great for the eyes, including zeaxanthin.

Dark Chocolate

Rich with a phytochemical called flavanol, found by a 2005 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology to improve cardiovascular health. Look for chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content.

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Exercise 'makes you feel full'

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Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): Brazilian researchers have discovered that exercise not only helps you shed kilos by burning calories but also makes you feel full by triggering neurons in the brain.Researchers at the University of Campinas Exercise say that exercise restores the sensitivity of neurons involved in the control of satiety (feeling full), which in turn contributes to reduced food intake and consequently weight loss.
The increase in obesity has become one of the most important clinical-epidemiological phenomena. Factors such as changing eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle both have a role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
It is postulated that excessive consumption of fat creates failures in the signal transmitted by neurons controlling satiety in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus. These failures can lead to uncontrollable food intake and, consequently, obesity.The group led by Jose Barreto C. Carvalheira demonstrated that exercising obese rodents showed signals of restored satiety in hypothalamic neurons and decreased food intake."In obese animals, exercise increased IL-6 and IL-10 protein levels in the hypothalamus, and these molecules were crucial for increasing the sensitivity of the most important hormones, insulin and leptin, which control appetite," Carvalheira said.Physical activity contributes to the prevention and treatment of obesity, not only by increasing energy expenditure but also by modulating the signals of satiety and reducing food intake.
Physical activity has always been considered a cornerstone in the treatment of obesity, however, only now have the effects of exercise on the control of body weight been understood.Thus, these findings, besides reinforcing the necessity for regular exercise also change the current paradigm established between physical activity and weight loss.The study will be published next week in the online, open access journal PLoS Biology. (ANI)

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