Foods that stand head and shoulders above the rest, such as berries in the fruit group. Foods having healing and medicinal qualities in folk lore, such as garlic and ginger are also considered Super Foods. They are foods that give you ‘more bang for your buck’ in nutritional terms, so they give you more nutrients without a lot of kiloujoules .

If you include any two of the food groups mentioned in this article, you could live out your life in glowing good health, at least nutritionally. There are many other foods that could fit into this group, but according to the world’s great diets, such as the Mediterranean and Japanese diets, to name just two, these foods are a common denominator, consumed by the healthiest people worldwide and are readily available.

The first food in this super group is definitely cold-water seafood, specifically salmon, sardines and tuna. These fishes are extremely rich in the fatty acids DHA and EPA Omega 3, which for one thing is essential for optimal brain health. The brain is about 60% fat. The membranes of neurons, specialized brain cells that form the nucleus for all thought and communication are composed of two layers of fatty acid molecules. Fatty Omegas are used to build and protect neurons, keeping the brain well lubed and running at peak performance.

Also, fatty omegas have been shown to control the bad cholesterols in the blood stream, aiding in cardiovascular health. There are other numerous benefits, far too many to list in an article.

The next group is Nuts, such as walnuts, peanuts, macadamias and most other nuts. Nuts are loaded with Omega fatty acids as well as phytonutrients, needed for cellular health and metabolism. Just 5 small handfuls of nuts per week, especially walnuts, have been shown to improve cholesterol levels from 15% to over 40%. That beats most drugs and it’s safer too.

The Berry family, especially blueberries, are extremely high in vitamins and antioxidants, antioxidants being essential in controlling free radicals, nasty little compounds that eventually destroy cell walls, contributing to aging and a whole host of illnesses. Berries are also high in water and low in calories, making them a great choice for your waistline.

Whole Grains are definitely in the super food category. You’ve probably heard the old adage that “Bread is the staff of Life”? It’s not hard to see why as whole grains are excellent sources of B vitamins as well as E, folic acid, magnesium, iron, fiber and antioxidants, even more so than some fruits and vegetables. Whole wheat, brown rice, wild rice and popcorn, yes popcorn, are good examples of whole grains.

Legumes or Beans are nutritional powerhouses in every sense. If you think about it, beans are seeds, containing the genetic code and all of the chemicals and nutrients to produce a plant. To start, beans are loaded with high quality protein and amino acids with a low caloric count. Toss in B vitamins, folate, magnesium, potassium and most other trace minerals and large amounts of fiber as well as hundreds of phytonutrients and you may have the super food A list with beans alone.

A quick note to vegans. Traditionally, the best sources of Amino acids, full spectrum, along with Omega acids and protein have been animal products. But if you combine a grain, corn for instance along with a legume, peas for example, you will get high quality proteins without the cholesterol as well as the valuable Omegas and full range of Antioxidants. To your health!

Consuming fruits, vegetables and water every day is important, and now, superior fitness can be achieved with high fiber foods and health drinks not found in grocery stores. Even if you can digest the recommended 25-35 grams of fiber in food and half your body weight in ounces of water every day, as experts recommend, you may not be getting the best nutrition available. Most people find this prospect hard to swallow, and give up quickly on ever reaching perfect health and fitness. It takes too much time, effort and energy to buy, prepare, and devour that much produce, and who can guzzle that much water every day without craving some kind of flavor or enhancement?

The good news is that there are now some very beneficial high fiber foods and health drinks, which are concentrated, so that small amounts help you reach those powerful fiber and water amounts. You won’t find these concentrated health foods and drinks on the shelves at your local grocery store, and certainly not in the refrigerator section of the convenience store. We’re not talking about so-called “enhanced vitamin water” beverages that are filled with fructose and isolated vitamins, or energy drinks boosted with caffeine and sugar. Instead, we are referring to naturally produced health drinks, concentrated with real whole food sources such as cocoa, strawberry, lemons, peaches and raspberries. These health drinks are loaded with natural antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, and some have several grams of soluble fiber, plus protein from plants. Your body understands how to process these natural drinks better than man-made chemically produced, artificial drinks being sold in stores, and you achieve better results.

The best way to get ample amounts of fiber each day is to eat raw fruits and vegetables. The challenge, though, is how to eat 25-35 grams of fiber in five servings of raw fruits and vegetables every day. Fortunately, you don’t have to consume mass quantities of plants to achieve the results that high fiber can offer for keeping your digestive system running smoothly. There are now some delicious high fiber foods available in natural, tasty shakes that you can mix with water or other liquids for much of the fiber you need. Throw in a few frozen banana pieces or berries to mix with the powdered shakes and you are quickly on your way to the fiber and nutrients you need each day with all the complex carbohydrates and essential vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables Best of all, the shakes taste good, and some contain FOS, fructooligasacharides, a pro biotic soluble fiber found in foods like garlic, onions or barley. Who wants to have garlic or onions for breakfast when it is easier to have a quick, tasty low carb, high fiber shake made with real strawberries or cocoa? That makes it so easy to get more essential fiber, complex carbohydrates and natural antioxidants for breakfast than most people get all day.

Drinking diet sodas or high fructose, caffeine and sugary energy drinks to get fit is like lifting 12 oz cans of beer to build muscle up. Those types of drinks only tear your body down, while health drink formulas made from all natural ingredients give your body the nutrients it needs to keep going strong. Water is good, but if you find it incredibly tasteless and boring to drink half your body weight in ounces of plain water every day, look for some new ways to make your water wetter and better. When you can drink a quart of water enhanced with all natural antioxidants and complex carbohydrates for better taste and more benefits, why wouldn’t you? It makes no sense to spend more than a dollar for a bottle of sugar water when you can spend the same to super boost that water with natural energy, fat flushing and anti aging properties. Again, we’re not referring to loading up on caffeine, sugar, or vitamin water beverages with isolated vitamins and minerals. Instead, we are talking about enhancing your beverages with natural fruits and whole vitamins and minerals from real foods found in nature. It is so easy now to find these carefully produced, powerfully charged health drink formulas that you don’t need to shop every health food store or grocery store. You won’t find them there, but you will find them on the Internet. You have to step out of your comfort zone, change the way you think about nutrition, and change the way you shop for high fiber foods, health drinks, and other essential nutrition.

Some people think juicing is the best way to get fiber from fruits and vegetables. However, many people find it difficult and disappointing to spend hours cleaning and preparing the piles of produce needed for a small glass of juice. While juicing may have been good for Jack Lalanne, it is not necessary today in order to consume enough high fiber foods and health drinks. Again, you just have to search the net for all natural high fiber foods and health drinks that are not sold in stores. You will find that there is an easier way to get complex carbohydrates, natural antioxidants and soluble fiber, just as you would from a glass of fresh juice, but without the expense or hassle.

Changing my diet to a more contemporary way of eating high fiber foods and increasing the benefits of drinking water with super concentrated health drinks has worked quite well for me. I lost thirty pounds in the first month of my new diet without even trying very hard, and I have easily kept that weight off for more than six years by using the same high fiber shakes and health drinks referred to in this article. I hardly ever shop at the grocery store and get more nutrition for about three dollars from a quickly made, concentrated, all natural shake than most people get in a week. When you find the keys to perfect health you will wonder how you ever lived without them, much the way we wonder how we ever lived without computers and cell phones. So, get out of the kitchen, get on the net, get your nutrition, then go out and live life to the max!

You may have seen people carrying out large heavy cooler sized jugs of water out of your local big box super store, drug store, pharmacy or health food store. A marvel attesting to the power of modern marketing. This marvel of advertising to influence consumers rivals that of big screen TVs and S.U.V.’s for city dwellers. Not only do these people pay for water, often carry these heavy, bulky, cooler sized jugs up flights of stairs. On top of that all they have to do in most cases in America to get as much clean, cool water as they would ever want in their lifetimes – only by turning on the water tap.

Demineralised water is not always good for you. Health conscious consumers should and need to be aware that while some water types are good for you – demineralised may not and indeed may be “demineralizing ” your body and bones.

First of all – what is demineralised water? Demineralised water is water that is said to be completely or almost completely free of minerals. This demineralised water is produced any of a number of way including – boiling (distillation), deionization, filtered through a thin membrane (many of the “pure” water machines that you see in retail outlets along with the large cooler type jugs) or electrodyalisis.

Health experts have also reported that the longer that you drink this “demineralised” water, the more likely are of flushing out vital minerals in your body and as well placing your body into an acid state.

It has been known almost to the beginning of time that minerals in drinking water are good for your health. The beneficial aspects and properties of the minerals and constituents of drinking water (nowadays we refer to it simply as “tap water”) were mentioned in the Vedas of ancient India. In the book Rig Veda, the properties of good drinking water were described as follows “Sheetham( told to touch) , Sushihi ( clean) , Sivam ( should have nutritive value, requisite minerals and trace elements) , Istham ( transparent) , Vimalam lahu Shadgunam ( its acid balance should be within normal limits )

Not only can demineralised body have long term health concerns for your body including leaching away the calcium in your bones, but generally the taste is poor, being described as flat. On top of that demineralised water will often not quench your thirst – especially in comparison to regular untreated water.

If you think that demineralized water can play havoc with your and your family’s health – both in the short term and long term look at what it can do to regular household pipes and plumbing. Demineralised water is harsh and very very aggressive. If put into pipes and storage tanks the demineralised water is very aggressive and will attack these metal pipes – leaching the metal and other materials from the pipes and other plumbing materials used in water plumbing. This is the reason why homes can never have plumbing for this safe product “demineralised water”.

If that is what demineralized water can do to metal pipes and plumbing imagine what it can do to your sensitive insides of your body.