Nutrition
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11 Foods and Drinks to Consume Every Day
Certain foods and drinks deliver outsized benefits when included in your daily diet. Here are 11 to consume every day:
- Coffee
If you can tolerate caffeine, starting your day with coffee can power up your mind and body. Drinking 3–5 cups of coffee daily has been associated with a decreased risk of dementia by 65% and Alzheimer’s disease by 64%.
- Green tea
I like to say coffee in the am + green tea in the pm = recipe for health. Green tea has lower caffeine content than coffee, so it’s a better option for later in the day. EGCG, the most abundant and powerful antioxidant in green tea, has been shown to protect against cancer.
- Honey
Add a small spoonful of honey to your green tea for additional health benefits. Honey is considered one of the top longevity foods in the Blue Zones, used throughout history for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Oat bran
Oat bran is a terrific breakfast option. Loaded with fiber, oat bran has been proven to lower blood pressure and improve the gut microbiome after just 3 months of daily consumption.
- Blueberries
If you want to double your benefits, add a cup of blueberries to your oat bran in the morning. Blueberries have also been shown to lower blood pressure and enhance arterial function.
- Walnuts
Triple your benefits by topping your breakfast bowl with a handful of walnuts. Eating walnuts is associated with living longer, in particular reducing the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
- Leafy greens
For lunch, make it a big salad loaded with leafy greens. Consuming a big salad every day is associated with the brain being 11 years younger.
- Extra virgin olive oil
Top your salad with EVOO, which has been proven to lower blood pressure while improving absorption of carotenoids and other fat-soluble vitamins found in the salad.
- Turmeric
Sprinkle a small amount of turmeric root powder into your salad to dial up the nutrition even more. Less than a teaspoon of turmeric a day appears to significantly lower the DNA-mutating ability of cancer-causing substances.
- Dark chocolate
For a healthy mid-afternoon snack that also indulges your sweet tooth, reach for a square of dark chocolate. The flavonols in dark chocolate have been shown to increase blood flow, prevent blood clots, and even protect against memory decline.
- Beet juice
Wash your dark chocolate down with a glass of beet juice, which is another product on this list proven to lower blood pressure. If you are an athlete, beet juice can help even further — it has been shown to improve exercise stamina and increase physical performance.
There you have it — 11 foods and drinks to incorporate into your daily diet. As shown above, many of these can be combined for synergistic effects. If you follow the combinations outlined in this article, you’ll power through all 11 by mid-afternoon.
Do that, and you’re playing with the house’s money for the rest of the day!
