It is probably fair to say that, there is no definitive list of what the top ten foods you should eat for optimum health, but here are some good pointers from various different sites.

As well as the ones I think should be in a top ten.

The Mayo Clinic in their top ten list, has the following foods they say the reason for them being there are the following reasons; they have lots of nutrition in, have an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.

At number one they have almonds the reasons they give for eating them are they have lots of nutrition in them such as fibre, riboflavin, iron and calcium, they say that almonds have one of the highest levels of calcium in them as far as nuts are concerned, also they contain a good source of plant protein. If you are a vegetarian then you can get protein by eating these nuts.

Their second suggestion is apples myself would I give a thumbs up with this choice, the main reason being is apples contain something called pectin, which is a fibre that fills your stomach up, it expands so you tend to eat less.

If you eat one Apple with each meal that you have, so you eat three apples you will tend to eat less food throughout the day. Apples have a built in appetite suppressant. They also have blood glucose lowering properties, as well as preventing the build-up of cholesterol within your bloodstream.

At number three, they have blueberries this is fruit has been getting a lot of attention recently and being hailed as a super food. I never used to eat these but I have been recently making green smoothies with them or eating them raw, they taste delicious. Blueberries contain high levels of vitamin C and lots of fibre hence why they are so good for you.

The next on their list at number four is broccoli, this is quite a strange looking food it can look like a mini tree but don’t be put off by how it looks, broccoli is packed full of nutrition some of the health benefits listed are prevention of diabetes.

Preventing heart related problems, and the prevention of some cancers. When you boil broccoli or steam it, or have it with some other vegetables such as potatoes and meat, it does taste delicious.

Number five is red beans on the Mayo Clinics list and the health properties of red beans are, high in phosphorous, potassium, copper and thiamin. They are low in fat have good antioxidant properties, which help prevent heart disease and cancer.  They have good levels of fibre, protein, and magnesium. Red beans are a good all-rounder as far as nutrition and health is concerned.

Next up we have salmon, which is number six on their list, one of the reasons it is a good idea to eat, oily fish such as salmon, is because of the high amount of omega three fatty oils that they contain.

These particular types of fatty acids stop the build-up of cholesterol in your body, of the  LDL type, which is the one that you do not need. Salmon tends to be also high in protein, which is another plus factor.

Salmon can also help with lowering blood pressure, so if you suffer from it, it might be a good idea for you to incorporate more oily fish into your diet.

Next down the list is something that I have recently been incorporating into my diet, which is spinach this is number seven on their list, I don’t know if you can remember a cartoon called Popeye which was based around a sailor a villain and his wife.

But when Popeye used to get into scrapes, and needed some extra strength, he would eat spinach in order to accomplish what he needed to do. Here are the health benefits of spinach, which tends to be high in both vitamins A and C and contains folate as well.

It contains vitamin B6, which is a vitamin you may need if you are suffering from stress or depression. It has also immune system boosting properties, so if you are ill or your immune system needs a quick boost spinach would be ideal for yourself, it can also help with maintaining healthy hair and skin.

In at number eight sweet potatoes, these contain a high amount of beta-carotene; your body uses this to convert into vitamin A, that particular vitamin may help with slowing down the ageing process. Another particularly good benefit of sweet potatoes is they are, high in fibre compared to their counterpart the normal potato. They taste a lot better also.

As far as vitamins are concerned, they contain the following vitamins A, C and E, and minerals folate and potassium. Sweet potatoes undoubtedly are a good all rounder. If you have never tried them they are highly recommended, they taste delicious.

At number, nine they recommend vegetable juice, so clearly this is a case of buying some vegetable juice such as tomato juice or any other, which you prefer or making your own at home all you need to do is just by your own juicer.

If you go with tomato juice which is one of the things that they recommend, it’s health benefits are good it contains something called a lycopene this is a very powerful antioxidant and may prevent heart problems.

Finally, at number, ten on their list is wheat germ; wheat germ has many nutrients in it, which are thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium, iron, potassium, and zinc.

Wheat germ is a good all-rounder if you’re lacking in essential vitamins and minerals. This concludes the list from the Mayo Clinic.

The Daily Mail has their top 10 super foods, which are

Number one, Apples please sees the above information regarding apples

At number, two they have baked beans surprisingly enough even though these are quite a basic food, some people may sometimes under estimate them.

They have insoluble fibre in which is good for digestion also they contain a lot of protein and the tomato sauce, contains lypocene please see tomatoes for the benefits of lypocene.

Next, they have broccoli to read about broccoli please see the Mayo Clinics list

At number four they have, olive oil the reason for it being there is according to them is the large amount of mono saturated fat it contains. In addition, it has LDL cholesterol lowering properties, which is another good reason to use olive oil when you are cooking something; it has high levels of antioxidants.

Number five, they have listed wholegrain bread the reason being is this type of bread is known, as a low GI food which means that it breaks down slower giving a time delay affect as far as glucose is concerned.

It will keep your blood sugar more stable over a longer period so you will feel less hungry. More so than if, you ate conventional white bread. Wholegrain bread or wholemeal bread contains more fibre, which is another good reason to eat it; it will keep your bowel movements more regular.

Listed at number six, they have put Salmon please see above for health properties of salmon.

At number seven, they have conventional tea, which is something British people tend to drink a lot of , the reasons they give are it counts towards your fluid intake, and depending on what type of tea you drink various different brands have high levels of antioxidants which are good at cell protection. Green tea also has very high levels of antioxidants and is supposed to be able to help with weight loss.

At number, eight they have yoghurt and their reason for it being there are as follows. High levels of calcium, which is essential for, bone growth and healthy teeth, and it is ideal for people who have intolerance to the sugar in milk, which is lactose. Yoghurt is very beneficial for the health of your large intestine so if you have stomach upsets then this may be a good choice for you.

At number, nine they list bananas, among the health properties of bananas are potassium, which they are high in so if you have problems with high blood pressure they make an ideal choice, they also have good levels of vitamins B6 and are very high in antioxidants. People have this misconception about bananas thinking they are fattening this seems to be more of a myth. And finally at number ten they have listed Brazil nuts, the health properties of these, are they have high levels of selenium which may help fend off cancer, Alzheimer’s and depression.

Here is my own compilation list of the top ten health foods.

First on the top of my list would be sweet potatoes main reason being is they have so many benefits, as in essential vitamins and minerals contained within contained within them

Number two would be blueberries, please see the Mayo Clinics list for the health benefits of blueberries.

At number, three would be garlic even though many people may not like eating this, it is a very beneficial food; it has cholesterol-lowering properties, can help with lowering blood pressure, and may help with preventing blood clots from forming.

It is also very good for your liver one of the best ways to eat it is raw if you can stand it, on its own raw it can be very strong.

Number four would be dandelion tea this is also a very good antioxidant and is great for flushing your liver out, one of the things that people don’t particularly understand is if you have a sluggish liver, it can interfere with losing weight that is why it is important sometimes to eat certain foods which support it.

I would also put here peppermint tea and green tea both because of their high antioxidant properties.

Number five would be onions or spring onions, onions tend to be very good for cleaning out your system and probably something we don’t tend to eat enough of, in India some people were randomly checked whom didn’t eat onions they had higher cholesterol levels compared to those who didn’t eat onions.

They also tend to have anti-clotting agents similar to those in garlic. They may also help prevent cancer. In countries where people eat many onions, there incidences of stomach cancer tend to be a lot lesser.

Number six would be tomatoes please refer to the above references to tomatoes.

Number seven would be green and red bell peppers, mainly because of the following health benefits, they may help in preventing the following cancer’s, cervical cancer and prostrate cancer which is something that men tend to suffer from more than women do. They have high levels of beta-carotene in which can be essential for good health, and high levels of vitamin A and have immune system boosting properties.

Number eight would be avocados this is something else that a lot of people don’t pay attention to, there are so many foods that we don’t even know exist but pay little attention to. These have high levels of antioxidants, good fats, potassium, and essential vitamins.

Number nine strawberries, these are one of my favourite fruits when they are in season here, they are high in iron so if you are feeling a bit rundown or tired then strawberries may be able to help you, strawberries are very good for cleansing your whole system throughout.

And finally number ten beetroot, its health benefits are high levels of beta-carotene, folic acid and contains powerful ingredients for liver detoxification, so if you’re feeling a bit sluggish beetroot may be a good choice, it will also help with losing weight if that is what you’re trying to achieve.

Sources and references

http://mayoclinic.com/health/health-foods/NU00632

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-369042/The-10-super-foods.html

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