Figuring out which foods will help contribute to a healthy and balanced diet can be tricky. It can be hard to find the right foods for everyone because individual preferences and nutritional needs vary widely.
In this article, we will provide you with a list of fifteen healthy foods to eat every day, all of which have important health benefits that can help contribute to a balanced and nutritious diet.
You must consult your doctor before adding any of these foods to your diet if you have an underlying health condition or food allergies.
List of Top 15 Healthy Foods to Eat Every Day
- 1. Broccoli
- 2. Kale
- 3. Spinach
- 4. Peanut Butter
- 5. Almonds
- 6. Mangoes
- 7. Blueberries
- 8. Quinoa
- 9. Olive Oil
- 10. Tomatoes
- 11. Avocado
- 12. Sweet Potato
- 13. Eggs
- 14. Salmon
- 15. Garlic
1. Broccoli
Broccoli is widely known for providing an impressive nutritional value, but what exactly makes it so nutritious? According to the National Library of Medicine, it provides many essential nutrients and benefits to the body.
Some of the benefits of eating Broccoli are it provides the body with antioxidants that assist in preventing oxidative damage to the body, provides fiber to aid your digestive system, contributes to heart and eye health, and on top of all of that, is low in calories, making it wonderful for weight management.
There are many more benefits of Broccoli besides those listed above, however, these are some of the most noteworthy perks for your health that you can consider.
2. Kale
If you are looking at recommendations for some of the best healthy foods to eat, this leafy green is likely to be on most of them. The bountiful nutrients and vitamins it provides, including potassium, fiber, folate, magnesium, and vitamin C, contribute to our overall health in many ways.
According to WebMD, Kale is important for good eyesight, supporting heart health, lowering blood pressure, and strengthening your bones. For all of these reasons, it is no wonder Kale would make it on any superfood list.
3. Spinach
Spinach is another great option to improve your diet. Spinach is a staple for eating healthy, as it has a plethora of nutrients beneficial for various bodily functions.
According to Medical News Today, spinach is a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins C and E. These nutrients support the immune system, help the digestive system, and potentially even have anti-cancer properties.
4. Peanut Butter
If you are looking to add a variety of healthy foods to your diet, peanut butter is a delightful addition to your meal. Peanut butter is great, not only because it can fit into practically any meal or snack on a given day, but it is packed with multiple essential nutrients.
Peanut butter is not only a great source of protein, which helps with building muscle, but the other vitamins and minerals help skin and scalp health, particularly protecting it against UV rays, and lowering the risk of heart disease. According to Denver Health, peanut butter also provides the body with vitamin E, magnesium, iron, selenium, and vitamin B6.
5. Almonds
Almonds are another great food to help you have a balanced diet. According to Medical News Today, almonds provide a plethora of nutrients including magnesium, vitamin E, iron, calcium, fiber, and riboflavin.
These vitamins and nutrients are important for the body, but one of the biggest things almonds do for the body is reduce total cholesterol levels, which is vital for healthy living.
6. Mangoes
Mangoes provide many health benefits and can be included as part of a healthy diet.
According to Healthline, mangoes are rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins including vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, copper, and folate. These multiple essential nutrients can enhance your immunity and improve digestive and eye health.
7. Blueberries
Every healthy food list must contain at least one kind of berry fruit due to the many benefits and anti-oxidants that berries provide. Blueberries are extremely healthy for the body for many reasons. Blueberries are a good source of fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.
According to the earlier Medical News Article, blueberries improve the composition of gut bacteria, help prevent disease and maintain bodily functions, reduce metabolic risk factors, and may prevent cardiovascular disease.
8. Quinoa
Quinoa is a highly versatile superfood that can be included as part of your healthy meal for lunch or dinner if you choose to have it.
According to Healthline, Quinoa is very nutrient-dense, while also remaining gluten-free, so you can add it into plenty of different diets and lifestyles as either a healthy snack or a nutritious meal.
Additionally, it is high in protein and helps metabolic health, which is good for improving muscle-growing capabilities and maintaining internal body regulation.
9. Olive Oil
Another food that provides plenty of significant benefits and contributes to a healthy diet is olive oil. Olive Oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, which is widely considered to be one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world.
According to health.com, Olive Oil is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds and is high in monounsaturated fats. Thus olive oil is very helpful in protecting your body from cellular damage, and provides your body with the necessary essential fats that it needs, without containing large amounts of saturated fats, which you need to avoid.
10. Tomatoes
Another example of a food that can help you with a healthy lifestyle is tomatoes. According to WebMD, tomatoes contain potassium, vitamins B and E, and multiple other nutrients, one of which is lycopene. Lycopene is useful for giving tomatoes their bright red color and is essential in the body for protecting cells from damage.
Tomatoes are useful for aiding your immune system, lowering levels of “bad” cholesterol, lowering your chances of heart disease, helping protect your eyes from blue light emitted from screens, and is useful for potentially preventing you from getting emphysema.
11. Avocado
Avocados are known for their abundance of healthy fats, which make them very good for the body, however, they are packed with many more essential nutrients.
According to the same Medical News Today article, avocados are excellent sources of lipoproteins, which are also seen as “good” cholesterol, which helps rid the body of bad cholesterol. Additionally, avocados are filled with vitamin B, vitamin K, vitamin E, and fiber.
12. Sweet Potato
One food that might not be on many people’s radar for the most nutritious foods to eat is sweet potatoes. According to the Mayo Clinic, sweet potatoes are not only low in calories, but they are also rich in vitamins A, C, and B-6, fiber, and potassium. These nutrients work to slow down the aging process in the body and reduce the risk of cancer.
13. Eggs
Eggs are a staple of many people’s breakfasts, but what makes them so good for you? Eggs are a great source of vitamins B-2 and B-12, while also providing amino acid leucine and choline. These nutrients work together to store energy in the body and stimulate muscle-protein synthesis.
14. Salmon
If you are looking for a food that might make for a delicious protein-rich meal, salmon may be the food for you. According to the New York Times, along with having many familiar benefits such as being an excellent source of protein, selenium, and iodide, it also has other essential nutrients.
Salmon is filled with more omega-3 fatty acids than almost any other food out there. Omega-3 fatty acids help lower rates of heart disease and stroke. These fatty acids are also potentially useful for early brain development and may even help prevent age-related cognitive decline from diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
15. Garlic
Last, though certainly not least, on this list is garlic. Eating Well states that garlic has multiple health benefits such as helping the immune system, lowering cholesterol, helping your blood sugar levels, and providing the body with prebiotics, which are the good bacteria that are essential for gut health. Garlic contains ample amounts of vitamin C, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K.
If you are looking for some of the healthiest foods to eat every day that can help your overall health, in this article we have provided you with some of the best options. It all depends on your specific diet goals and nutrient requirements for which foods you want to add to your diet.
Eating a balanced and nutritious diet is essential for healthy living, so think about adding some of these foods packed with many benefits to include in your healthy diet plan.
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