These Everyday Foods Can Help You Live Longer And Healthier

Everyone wants to live a longer and healthier life, but it seems like most people don't want to do too much work to insure that it happens. But what if you knew that just adding a few servings of delicious tasting everyday foods to your meals might help extend your life? If you would be willing to do that then read on and find out what these super foods are.

More and more, science is finding truth in the statement "You are what you eat" and to support that, recent research suggests that some chemicals found in food such as sulforaphane can help to fight off free radicals and cleanse the body of toxins before they can do the damage that causes aging, heart disease and cancer. And where you get this seemingly miraculous chemical? Believe it or not, you can get it right at your grocery store since it is a phytochemical that is contained in the food you probably already eat - broccoli and in higher concentrations in broccoli sprouts. But broccoli isn't the only food you should boost your intake of, here are some others that not only tastes good but can help keep you healthier and living longer:

Lycopene is also important for your health and there is much press lately about eating cooked tomatoes which contain a readily absorbable form of it. Lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers but it also may help reduce cardiovascular disease and even play a role in reducing macular degeneration. While you can get it from eating fresh tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes have their own health benefits, when the tomatoes are cooked it makes the lycopene more easily absorbable by your body so serving for serving your getting more of it. You probably already eat a lot of foods with cooked tomatoes such as pasta sauce, soups, sauces and even pizza. If you really want the best health benefits, eat foods that are not loaded with preservatives and are made from organic tomatoes. You can also get lycopene from watermelon, guava, pink grapefruit and red bell peppers - generally any fruits and vegetables that are red will have lycopene in them.

Vitamin A is essential for good health and that's why getting enough beta-carotene as important as your body turns this into vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for good vision and also contributes to healthy skin that can help reduce the risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Beta-carotene can be found in orange colored fruits and vegetables such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes and cantaloupes. These foods also contain lutein and lycopene which can help reduce premature wrinkling and can also help your body fight damage to your eyes caused by the sun which can result in macular degeneration.

Some other foods to add which can help reduce the risk of heart disease and keep your eyesight healthy are dark leafy greens. You can eat them fresh or frozen but, of course, organic is best. If you find that mixing up salads is a pain try buying one of those premade bags with all the different kinds of greens in them. Don't go so much for the iceberg lettuce, try making salad with spinach leaves instead since they have a much higher nutrient value.

While it's great to improve your health and live longer, it doesn't make much sense if your mental abilities can't keep up. So you want to add in some foods that help boost your brain power. These foods include foods that have a lot of fatty acids like cold water fish such as salmon and tuna as well as flax seeds. In fact, a recent study suggests that a higher intake of these fatty fish can really put the brakes on mental decline.

So, you can see that adding a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet can help improve your health and your longevity. But how much is enough? chances are you are not eating enough and, in fact, you should try to get about 10 half cup servings of fruit and vegetables every day. While it might seem like just taking vitamin supplements can do the trick, this is no substitute for the real thing as the real fruits and vegetables have other chemicals and enzymes that are not included in the supplements.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://naturalhealthbuzz.com where you can learn more about health through good eating as well as more foods that can help you live a longer, healthier life.