superfoods
Some foods are better for you than others and with all the different diets and healthy living plans out there at the moment, deciding which foods are right for you is a tough one.
It is fairly obvious that an apple is better for you than a packet of crisps, but what about nuts? A handful of nuts eaten a few times a week can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by at least 15%, and perhaps as much as 51%.
Most of us tend to eat the same foods most of the time, and we get set in our ways. By adding just one superfood to your diet each day, you will be doing yourself a massive favour with very little effort on your part. As runners we are all trying to find ways to make ourselves stronger, fitter and faster and these foods will certainly help you on the way. We will be featuring one food each month, with details about their superfood properties, and ways to include them in your diet. This information comes from a book called 'Superfoods, fourteen foods that will change your life' by S. Pratt and K. Matthews.
The 14
| Beans | Soy | Blueberries |
| Spinach | Broccoli | Tea |
| Oats | Tomatoes | Oranges |
| Turkey | Pumpkin | Walnuts |
| Yoghurts | Wild salmon |
Oats
Oats contain:
High fibre, low calories, protein, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, thiamine
Relatively cheap and easy to incorporate into your life, oats have the power to extend your health span, and reduce disease. We recommend Flahavans Organic oats, although the jumbo ones seem to have a lot of husks. They are readily available, and come in a recyclable paper bag making them all the more environmentally friendly.
Oats are an excellent source of complex carbohydrate, meaning they release their energy slowly. The perfect cereal before a long run, or an intensive speed session. I always have a bowl before heading out on a long one, and usually allow about half an hour to an hour for it to go down.
Oats have twice as much protein as brown rice, and are a rich source of thiamine, iron and selenium, so great for your bones too. They also have phytonutrients thought to be an aid to reducing heart disease and some forms of cancer. Eaten regularly, they can also lower cholesterol.
Oats have a beneficial effect on the blood sugar level. They contain soluble fibre, which slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach and delays the absorption of glucose following a meal. When our blood sugar level goes up the body releases insulin to balance it again. Insulin is actually a fat producing hormone, so don't believe the tales of 'fat free' sweets!
Flaxseeds (also known as linseeds).
Flaxseeds are the best plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. I'm sure you have heard of these linked to fish, and eggs, and perhaps, like me, known they were good for me, but not been sure what they are. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are the polyunsaturated fats that our body needs, but cannot make for itself. Generally they have been 'processed out' of the Western diet and we have to make an effort to put them back in.
Flaxseeds are a rich source of fibre, protein, magnesium, iron and potassium
Flaxseeds can help protect against breast cancer
Flaxseeds can be bought in health food shops (an organic version is best) either whole or ground. There are varying schools of thought as to whether they should be ground before using them - some say that the body can use the nutrients more easily if they are ground before you consume them, others say that this depletes the nutrients. I come from a more practical view - ground linseed doesn't get stuck in my teeth, and doesn't appear whole at the end of the digestive process!
Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day provides more than the daily recommendation of plant derived omega-3 fatty acids.
Wheatgerm
Wheatgerm is the embryo of the wheat berry (a wheat kernel that has not been heated, milled or polished), and is packed full of nutrition. Two tablespoons has 52 calories, 4g protein, 2g fibre and high levels of folate, vitamin E, thiamine, manganese, selenium, vitamin B6 and potassium, as well as reasonable levels of iron and zinc. In 2 tablespoons, there are 100 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids.
Wheatgerm aids the reduction of cholesterol absorption
Serving Suggestions:
Porridge
Porridge can be made with milk or water, although we would recommend water. It only takes a week for your body to adjust to a new taste, so persevere for a week and feel the benefits!
If you use jumbo oats, try and soak them overnight - they make a chewy, lumpy porridge that is not to everyone's taste
Sprinkle flaxseeds or wheatgerm on your porridge to boost its nutrition content further
If you can, and remember the week rule here, eat porridge plain with no sweetener. After a week or so, your body will adjust to the taste and you will begin to taste the food itself, not just the sugar added. If that thought is too much, try to use honey or fruit rather than sugar, and brown sugar rather than white.