To start the New Year, you should add nutritious and healthy spring foods to your menu.
According to Health, choosing the right foods in daily meals can help improve your mood, focus, energy, skin, and metabolism. Here are the foods you should be enjoying this spring:
sparagus: Provides large amounts of folate, a B vitamin that helps you avoid drowsiness and fatigue. Dr David Mischoulon, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical University (US), said that folate plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, which all help improve human mood. One cup of cooked asparagus contains 268 micrograms (mcg), or about 2/3 of the recommended daily dose of folate for women. One of the remarkable health benefits of this superfood is to treat hangovers through its ability to break down toxins in the liver. Asparagus can significantly reduce the toxicity of alcohol and increase the concentration of enzymes that break down other toxins in the liver, while improving liver function, helping the liver to fight similar toxins in the future and always healthy liver protection. Additionally, asparagus contains asparagine, which acts as a diuretic to help remove excess uric acid and oxalic acid in the kidneys, improving resistance to disease in the body’s cellular system. The sulfur and chlorophyll abundant in asparagus help detoxify heavy metals that build up in the body such as mercury and lead. Asparagus also contains a lot of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps remove carcinogens and free radicals from the body.
Fresh Garlic: According to Tara Gidus, nutritionist in Florida (USA), thanks to the allicin in fresh garlic you can keep completely in shape. Allicin has a tangy onion flavor and helps reduce cravings by stimulating a feeling of fullness that exists in the brain.
Spinach: Provides the body with iron, an important component of red blood cells that helps deliver oxygen and energy to muscles. Swedish researchers have also identified compounds found in spinach that strengthen mitochondria, the center of energy production in body cells. This means that consuming a cup of cooked spinach per day can provide more energy to the body.
Artichoke: If you’re constantly tired of climbing stairs every day, try eating artichokes. According to Forrest Nielsen, an American nutritionist, this food is rich in magnesium, a mineral important for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including those that generate energy.
Strawberries: Contains high levels of antioxidants that help our skin recover from damage caused by environmental factors such as UV rays or pollution. Plus, according to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, strawberries are also high in vitamin C, which helps reduce wrinkles and reduce dry skin.
Blueberries: Consuming blueberries on a regular basis has huge benefits for the brain. Blueberries contain anthcyanins, which are antioxidants that work to increase signaling between brain cells and improve their recovery, thereby improving cognition and memory.
Nuts: Contains tryptophan, an amino acid that produces serotonin, which improves mood. Spanish researchers found that nut eaters had higher concentrations of this natural emotional regulator than others. In addition, this fruit is digested slowly, brings stability to your mood and helps you deal with stress better.
Legumes: Joseph Colella, a legume loss surgeon at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, USA, says legumes are one of the best options you should try if you are planning on losing weight. The body has to work to crush the beans to synthesize fiber, so it takes a lot of energy to digest food.
Eggs: Egg yolks contain a lot of choline, an important nutrient for memory. Dr Steven Zeisel, Director of the Nutritional Research Institute at the University of North Carolina (USA), said: “Our bodies need choline to make a substance called acetylcholine, a very important chemical for the process. of information storage ”. The recommended daily intake of choline is 425 mg. A large egg contains about 147 mg of choline. Alternatively, you can take other foods high in choline like nuts and red meats.
Salmon: It is a food that helps prevent wrinkles in the skin very effectively. Salmon is rich in eicosapentaenoic fatty acid (EPA), an omega-3 that inhibits the production of enzymes caused by UV rays that reduce collagen, cause wrinkles and sagging skin. What’s more, Omega-3s also help regulate oil production in the skin and increase hydration levels for soft, acne-free skin.
