Nutrition
- Top 10 Most Powerful Foods
They have little fat but heaps of several key
nutrients, including the B vitamin folic acid, copper, zinc, magnesium and
potassium. They also make a great source of protein (usually found in higher-fat
foods), fiber and complex carbohydrates for energy that's much more stable
than what you'd get from more sugary foods. Two servings a day of your favorite
bean can lower blood cholesterol as much as 27 percent.
Like white rice, it's almost a pure complex
carbohydrate, but it packs in the fiber, too. It's also a rich non-meat
source of zinc and contains all the minerals white rice lacks. You'll even
get protein--five grams per cup.
It contains lots of antioxidants, fights bacteria
and maybe viruses and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It may
even help prevent cancer. A couple of cloves or four Kyolic garlic gel caps
a day should make for a healthful dose.
One of the most nutrient-dense fruits you can
find, calorie-for-calorie it beats oranges and apples. One papaya provides
30 percent more than the RDA for vitamin A and 300 times the RDA for vitamin
C. It teems with allergy- and disease-fighting phytochemicals, too.
With all the essential amino acids, they're
about the most perfect protein you can eat. And without the yolk, which
contains about 300 milligrams of cholesterol (close to your daily limit),
egg whites are the rare no-fat, high-protein food.
Aside from being easy to cook and incredibly
versatile, it's the meat for the active guy. White meat has just 370 calories
and 18 grams of fat per six ounces (dark meat has 450 calories, 26 grams
of fat). It's high in iron, protein, niacin and zinc. Leave the skin on
until the bird's cooked to keep in the juices; it'll come off easier when
it's cooked, too, taking most of the fat with it.
Vitamin C, beta-carotene and fiber figure highly
in broccoli's nutritional profile. But it's broccoli's high content of the
phytochemical sulforaphane that has been making headlines lately because
of its powerful anti-cancer effect.
Soy is now available in various tasty forms,
from soy milk to veggie burgers to fake bacon to tofu (tastes great fried,
then mopped off with a paper towel, and in miso soup). It features high-quality
protein, is low in saturated fat and contains the heart-healthy omega-3
fatty acids most people only get from fish. It might even reduce cancer
risk, lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.
We love these in part because they're so delicious
and easy to cook. Each potato also has a whomping 8,285 IU of vitamin A
(one-and-a-half times your RDA), 50 percent of the RDA of vitamin C, and
decent amounts of three essential minerals: calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Hey, don't scoff. You're probably not drinking
enough; few people do. Eight eight-ounce glasses a day are the bare minimum.
If you're active, you can sweat away two pounds of water surprisingly fast.
All your organ systems need the stuff in order to function. You also need
the crucial minerals water provides, including sodium, potassium, calcium
and phosphorus. A healthy water intake will help prevent kidney stones (which
afflict men way more than women) and keep your urinary and gastrointestinal
tracts functioning better.
References
Men's Fitness at http://www.mensfitness.com/
