by Nina Medeiros

Created on: September 02, 2009   Last Updated: September 04, 2009

If you've been anywhere near a farmer's market or a health food store in the last decade, you've heard the term Super Food. As a refresher, remember that a super food is going to first be whole and unprocessed. Despite the super convenience of instant oatmeal or the super great flavor of your favorite fortified cereal, these foods do not constitute super food.

Think of things that come straight from Mother Nature and you'll be well on your way to creating a list of some of the best foods you can eat. Tomato, blueberry, avocado, soy and broccoli have all been hailed along with dozens of other whole foods, for their nutrient rich content and their disease fighting capabilities. New research is taking the concept of super food even further.

Rather than think of eating to prevent cancer or reduce cholesterol, consider making super food a part of your well rounded diet. By adding these in on a regular basis you can whittle away at the dangerous impacts of all things partially hydrogenated!

With estimates predicting almost a third of the population at risk for Type 2 diabetes, we all need to get serious about what we put in our mouths. Face it, your insurance company would rather pay for insulin than pay for a dietician to control blood sugar, so it's up to you to educate yourself about nutrition, but when it comes to making healthy (and potentially life-saving) changes to your diet, you don't have to go it alone. The five foods profiled below have been graced as some of the most revolutionary nutrition available offering nutrient dense calories and professing to aid everything from indigestion to cancer. Bon apptit!

Figs

Figs are a super food and a super performer. Long consumed in the Mediterranean diet and renowned for their sweet flavor and high content of vitamins A & B, figs also contain iron, potassium and calcium. They also act as a powerful diuretic which promotes excellent liver function. You'll know their long and famous history isn't contrived the first time you eat them sliced with a crumble of goat cheese and a drizzle of honey. Plentiful and easy to find in the summer, try varieties like the Strawberry Fig for added sweetness.

The Acai Berry

If you're concerned about heart health make the Acai berry your new best friend. According to experts this berry, which is grown in the Amazon, contains omega 3's and amino acids and its ORAC value (the measure of a food's antioxidant power) is higher than any other berry in the world. Add these

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>