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

Beans, blueberries, green vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach and sea vegetables), walnuts, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, tomatoes, fowl such as turkey, free range organic chickens, whole grains and oats, and yogurt can all help lower your risk of experiencing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and some forms of cancer. And where one food might have an effect on a certain part of the body, it will effect other bodily functions and performance, since the entire body is interconnected. With these foods as the base of a balanced, solid diet, weight loss gimmicks and other obscure programs can become a thing of the past in your life.

In contrast, the ill-effects of an imbalanced diet are several and varied. Low energy levels, emotional swings, tired all the time, 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. Sufficient protein levels are important for healthy bodily functions as well. However, factory farming meats are generally filled with hormones, chemicals and other unhealthy additives;many small farmers are now offering is grass fed meats. Returning to traditional farming has proved that free range 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.

Many modern diets 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 choose the right nutrients through a balanced dietand 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.