These days, there are all sorts of superfoods packed with healthy nutrients and essential vitamins that can help prolong your life. Every day, more and more research is being done on the foods you’re eating and what foods to supplement your diet with to lead healthier lives.
Medical professionals like Dr. Bitz (the Chief Scientific Officer at YouTheory®) believes “it’s become increasingly difficult to achieve and maintain health in the modern world…” and recommends supplementing the diet with certain essential ingredients as a way of maintaining a “regimen [that] creates a strong foundation for health and is suitable for most healthy adults.”
The 3 Foods You Should Supplement Your Diet With
Dr. Bitz’s recommends incorporating the following 3 ingredients, or foods, to supplement your diet with on a daily basis:
Turmeric
There’s a reason turmeric has been used in both Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries. These cultures regularly incorporate turmeric into their diet because of its powerful medicinal properties.
Dr. Bitz believes that turmeric is essential to supporting a healthy inflammation response. Turmeric is not only anti-inflammatory, but it is also rich in antioxidants and can help:
- Ease arthritis
- Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s
- Reduce the risk of cancer
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Prevent and manage diabetes
One of the most convenient ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet is by drinking turmeric tea. You can either create your own, or you can purchase turmeric tea packets from a natural foods store.
Probiotic
While a probiotic is technically live bacteria and yeast, it can be consumed through a handful of foods, which is why we didn’t want to limit probiotics to just one. Some of the foods that are rich in probiotics include yogurt (with active, live cultures), kefir, and kombucha.
Probiotics are vital to maintaining proper digestion and, as Dr. Bitz mentions, for supporting healthy gut flora. In addition to supporting our digestive system, probiotics can:
- Improve immune function
- Treat or prevent diarrhea
- Help with diseases like Ulcerative Colitis
- Help with conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Help with Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Help prevent oral cavities
Drinks like kefir and kombucha can be taken with you on-the-go and consumed daily, while yogurt can be turned into an everyday snack with added berries for an extra boost of antioxidants too.
Maca Root Powder
Maca is a vegetable from the same family as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. It’s been traditionally consumed in Peruvian culture for its dietary and medicinal benefits. The edible part of the vegetable is its roots, which is why maca is typically consumed in the form of maca root powder.
Dr. Bitz recommends including maca, a classified adaptogen, into the diet as it is incredibly beneficial in reducing the effects of stress. Consuming maca root powder can help prevent many of the diseases that form from long-term stress, including:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Mental health problems
- Neurodegenerative disorders (such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s)
- Autoimmune diseases
Maca root powder is widely available and most easily found in natural food/health stores. It can be consumed on a daily basis by being added to oatmeal, baked goods, and smoothies.
Setting Up a Healthy Diet
Creating a healthy diet is all about maintaining an all-encompassing regimen that includes nutrients from all the different food groups. With modern day stressors, however, it’s important to give our bodies extra care and attention to make sure we’re set up to handle the extra stress.
By incorporating turmeric, probiotics, and maca root powder, you are building a healthy defense system and dietary foundation that will set you up for a longer, more healthful life.
References
7 Turmeric Tea Benefits for Your Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2018, from https://www.healthline.com/health/turmeric-tea-benefits#lowers-cholesterol
Publishing, H. H. (n.d.). The benefits of probiotics bacteria. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-benefits-of-probiotics
9 Benefits of Maca Root (and Potential Side Effects). (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-maca-root#section11
Barone J, Berkeley Wellness. Adaptogens: Herbs for all that ails you? http://www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/herbal-supplements/article/adaptogens-herbs-all-ails-you. Updated April 2017. Accessed February 16, 2018.
