These five foods are what I call superfoods and I’ll explain why. By including these in your diet as staples your health will dramatically improve.
1.Wild Salmon
The American heart association recommends eating 2 to 3 servings of fatty fish a week. This includes other fatty fish such as Mackerel and Black cod. Yes you read that right, Black cod is incredibly high in omega 3.
Omega 3 can significantly reduce levels of triglycerides in the blood (click here for link to research), raises good cholesterol (HDL) (link) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) (link)
This combination of benefits dramatically reduces your risk of heart disease.
Omega-3s may also help treat autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis (link)
Omega 3 also reduces systemic inflammation which leads to many diseases such as cancer and heart disease (link).
In addition to eating 3 portions of fatty fish a week, I suggest also supplementing omega 3 in the form of fish oils. The best product is Oh-mega pharma pro by trained by JP. It’s free from any heavy metals and it’s in triglyceride form which is much more bioavailable than it’s ethyl ester form, that majority of companies use. It contains 4g of EPA/DHA total which is the dose that gives you the most powerful health benefits (link).
Most people today consume too many omega-6s vs omega-3s. Studies show that this can increase inflammation and may play a role in the increasing risk of certain chronic conditions, such as heart disease (link).
I prefer to eat wild salmon instead of farmed as farmed contains a much higher ratio of omega 6 fats. If you have the budget then pick the wild salmon to eat twice a week. If not, having farmed salmon will still drastically improve your health.
Even though farmed salmon contains more heavy metal contaminants such as mercury and cadmium than wild salmon, it still contains very little when compared with other fish such as Tuna. So, if you’re having farmed salmon twice a week the heavy metals will not cause any harm to your health, and it contains enough omega-3 to still increase DHA blood levels by 50%.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables contain Sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is the most powerful naturally occurring activator of the pathway NRF2. Which regulates many different genes including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory genes and genes that inactivate harmful compounds.
Cruciferous vegetables are strongly associated with lowered cardiovascular disease mortality. Those in the top 20% of the population of cruciferous vegetable intake saw a 22% reduction in all cause mortality (link).
Men who consumed 3-5 servings of vegetables a week saw a 40% decrease in prostate cancer risk compared to men who had less than one serving a week (link).
Smokers who consumed at least 4 servings of cruciferous vegetables a month saw a 55% reduction in lung cancer risk (link).
To maximise your sulforaphane in your food, steam your vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes.
This is because steaming deactivates epithiospecifer protein which stops the formation of sulforaphane but does not inactivate myrosinase enzyme in the way boiling does.
By doing this you increase the amount of sulforaphane by 3-fold and do not damage the myrosinase which is the enzyme that converts Glucoraphanin in cruciferous vegetables to the active compound sulforaphane.
When eating cooked broccoli, it was found that adding 1 gram of mustard seed increased the bioavailability of sulforaphane by 4-fold compared to eating broccoli on its own (link).
I recommend getting at least 1 portion a day of cruciferous vegetables.
3.Grass fed Beef
Beef is an incredibly high-quality source of protein. Its biological value is very high which means per gram of protein a large quantity is used for creating new muscle tissue in your body.
It’s a rich source of haem iron which is the most bioavailable source of iron. It is 35% more bioavailable than non-haem iron. Haem iron is found in animal sources and non-haem in plant sources.
Both grain and grass-fed beef are rich in nutrients.
Beef is full of vitamin B12, B3, and B6. It’s also rich in highly bioavailable selenium, and zinc.
In fact, meat contains almost every nutrient that you need to survive (link).
It’s also high in creatine which improves strength and endurance.
Most people don’t know this, but beef fat is 50% monounsaturated fat, the same fat as in olive oil and nuts, not just saturated fat.
This is why grass fed beef is healthier. It contains a much larger quantity (6 times more) of omega-3 fatty acids and grain fed beef contains much higher amounts of pro inflammatory omega 6. As discussed above, a high ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
4.Liver
Liver is probably the most nutrient dense food on Earth. It’s a whole food multivitamin. People are obsessed with fruit and vegetables nutrient content, but liver is far superior.
In only 100g of liver here are the nutrients;
Vitamin B12 3460% of the RDI
Vitamin A 1000% of the RDI
Riboflavin (B2) 250% of the RDI
Folate (B9) 65% of the RDI
Iron 80% of the RDI
Copper 1620% of the RDI
Choline there is no RDI but it’s full of this nutrient which is vital for brain health
People used to be concerned that liver is high in cholesterol. Studies (link) have now shown that dietary cholesterol has very little impact on blood cholesterol in most of the population (the same goes for eating whole eggs.)
Liver is very high in vitamin A which can accumulate in your body unlike water soluble vitamins such as vitamin C.
I would suggest using Liver as a multivitamin with just 15g a day. Cook a whole batch, divide into 15g portions and freeze to keep fresh.
5.White Rice
Grains are seeds that are highly defended by plants as they don’t want you to eat them so they can grow.
Grains (seeds) contain many defence chemicals that can cause problems to your digestion. They contain digestive inhibitors, phytic acid which prevent mineral absorption and lectins which include gluten in wheat.
The lectins in grains are to ward off insects to stop them being eaten. Lectins can cause bloating and abdominal pain.
White rice is milled so it’s husk, bran and germ are completely removed. This means it does not contain any lectins or digestive enzyme inhibitors.
White rice is the perfect carbohydrate. It’s completely hypoallergenic and is one of the first foods babies are given when weaning, as it has such low toxicity.
It’s particularly good for athletes who need to consume a large volume of carbohydrates from carbs so will need a source of carbs that easy to digest.
Conclusion
These 5 foods should be staples in your diet when looking to optimise performance and health;
Wild salmon is full of heart health omega 3 and should be consumed twice a week
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli reduce your risk of cancer and should be eaten everyday
Grass fed beef is a highly bioavailable source of protein, haem iron and vitamins. It contains 6 times more omega 3 than grain fed beef
Liver is the most nutritious food on planet Earth. I have 15g a day as a real food multivitamin
White rice is hypoallergenic carb source that is perfect for athletes
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