Recent dietary research has uncovered fourteen nutrient-packed foods that time and again promote healthy living. Labeled "superfoods," they tend to have fewer calories,greater amounts of vitamins and essential minerals, and many disease-fighting antioxidants.

Beans (legumes), berries (especially blueberries), broccoli, seaweed, nuts (especially walnuts), oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tomatoes, fowl such as turkey, organic chicken, whole grains and oats, and yogurt can all help reduce your risk of developing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and some forms of cancer. And where one might have an effect on a certain part of the body, it may also help with other body functions and performance, since the entire body is interconnected. With these foods as the base of a balanced, solid diet, fast weight loss diets and other obscure programs can become a thing of the past in your life.

Conversely, the ill-effects of an imbalanced diet are several and varied. Low energy levels, mood swings, lethargy, weight gain, feelings of being uncomfortable with your body are just a few signs that your diet is unbalanced. An unbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of body tissues, growth and development, brain and nervous system function, as well as problems with bone and muscle systems. Correct protein levels are critical for good health too. However, mass marketed meats are generally filled with hormones, chemicals and other unhealthy additives;one viable alternative is grass fed beef. Returning to traditional farming has shown that farm fresh eggs are more nutritious providing twice as much vitamin E, six times more beta carotene and four times more essential Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids with half as much cholesterol as store bought eggs.

Our modern eating habits based on prepackaged convenience or fast foods are sorely lacking in many vitamins and minerals, are high in carbohydrates, salt, and fat, which can affect our mental capacities as well, and cause irritability, confusion, and the feeling of 'being in a fog' all the time. Our bodies are full but often we are suffering from malnutrition. Symptoms of malnutrition include lack of energy, irritability, a weakened immune system leading to frequent colds or allergies, and mineral depletion that can trigger a variety of health concerns including anemia. Some doctors believe that poor nutrition, especially mineral depletion is the foundation of all diseases.

And since the body is interconnected, realizing that an unhealthy body will result in an unhealthy spirit only makes sense. When we nourish our body with superfoodsand complement them with other nutrient-dense and healthy fresh foods, our spirit will be vitalized and healthy as a direct result. Superfoods can be the basis of a sound, healthy, nutritious solution to healthy long life.