We all know that we should treat our bodies better than we do sometimes. But, more often than we would like, that is easier said than done. Some of us tend to try to burn the candle at both ends, so to speak, and a little to often. Despite our good intentions we can, occasionally, fall victim to a wide variety of temptations that are not too good for us.



One of these temptations is eating in a hurry because we are starving Marvin's. In moments of weakness, our old diet habits shift into auto pilot mode and propel us into taking the path of least resistance. We succumb easily to fast and convenient foods because it's easier not to plan ahead. I am guilty of that too, from time to time. You can do yourself a huge favor by learning to shop differently for food.

How about when we feel we must work harder, more hours, and more often than we like, or had planned? When we put those extra efforts into our work life, and sometimes our recreational life too, we end up short-changing ourselves on sleep. Not getting enough rest or relaxation can be something we have a hard time making up.

As a culture, and on the average, we tend to fall into old social pressure habits. We try to make up for our lack of stamina by fighting our body's stresses with too much caffeine, using herbal supplements, energy drinks, and often combine these with almost no physical activity. We fool ourselves into thinking there is a quick fix for our lack of go-power somewhere.

So, when you hear about the two new latest buzz words called 'super foods', and how they can help make you feel better you are all ears. Unlike other diet fads that have come and gone throughout the years, eating a diet high in a wide variety of super foods really do have a lot of healthy stay power. They are not likely to fall out of grace any time soon due to lack of results, as they really do have healthy enhancing benefits.

Congratulations, if you are making a real conscious decision to include more of them in your daily diet. However, you will have to do more than just drink a cup of green tea every day, or eat a piece of fresh fruit once in a while to get the full effect of erasing, or reversing, the damage done over many years.

Eating and drinking differently with the intent to get the healthy effects you are looking for takes a certain amount of dedication on your part. You have to understand that going this route will not be a quick solution. Don't make the mistake of viewing these foods as boring, or as an unsatisfying, diet food plan. Look at it as a complete dietary lifestyle change.

Take small steps as you learn, and until you are feeling more confidant and secure in your new choices. Get comfortable with the idea that this may be a lengthy road you are taking. See it as a happy, ongoing journey of ever learning. Lower your expectations in how long you think it might actually take to reach your goal.

With that being said, technically, the term 'super food' includes most all foods in their whole, raw, and unprocessed form, with a few exceptions. Here are just a small few of the miracle health foods to incorporate into a healthy diet plan.

Fruits and vegetables: Eat them freshly harvested when possible, and raw or uncooked. Steaming or stir-fry is acceptable, and considered lightly cooked. Frozen is next best, and preferred over canned. These plant foods are are full of photolytic compounds, antioxidant vitamins, minerals, fiber, and enzymes.

Oils: Fish oils found in cold water fish are high in heart, brain, and joint healthy omega-3 fatty acid oils. Coconut oil is a saturated plant oil that is necessary for optimal health. Try to find a coconut oil that has not been treated with solvents or heated to extract the oil. Olive oil is nutritionally best, although stronger tasting, when consumed as extra virgin. Extra virgin is less refined and higher in vitamin E. A mostly monounsaturated oil.

Nuts: Are chock full of minerals, and have vitamin B-9 (folate), vitamin B-3 (niacin), vitamin E, protein, fiber, and iron. They are higher in monounsaturated oil than polyunsaturated.

Sprouts: Are rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and protein. They are one of the most nutritionally complete of all foods. They are considered a living food because, even after their harvesting, they continue to grow slowly and the vitamin content increases upon refrigeration. They can be fun to grow yourself, and there are many different types of sprouts.

Green tea: Is considered to be the most nutritionally superior of all teas, although other varieties of teas do contain healthful properties as well. Green tea is especially high in antioxidants called 'polyphenols'. This substance has recently been found to reduce the health damaging effects of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). It is best, however, to avoid the commercially distributed product varieties and brew your own.

Flax seeds: Is a good plant source of omega-3 fatty acid, a different fat chain of omega-3 than fish oil. A photolytic compound called 'lignans' found in flax seeds is also a good source of fiber. Flax seeds are nutritionally better for you than flax seed oil. Grinding the seeds is preferred, as they are very small and are better absorbed by the body. A pepper mill works great for this, and you can eat the ground seeds on cereals, salads, and more.

Tomatoes and carrots: Are a few exceptions to the raw is better than cooked way of eating fruits and vegetables. One theory explains that more of the available photolytic antioxidants like 'lycopene' in tomatoes, and 'beta carotene' in carrots are released in the cooking process by breaking down the plant cells.

When it comes to fluid intakes, eliminating processed beverages high in caffeine, sugar and artificial sugar, and alcohol is a very helpful move, that has far reaching health benefits. You will be amazed at this one technique alone!

Outside of raw milk, fermented drinks like kombucha tea and kiefer, fresh juiced juices, or home brewed teas water should be, by and large, making up the bulk of your main fluid intake. It should be around three fourths of what to be drinking each and every day.

Don't forget to add a bit of unrefined salt to your kitchen salt shaker. It is much higher in trace minerals than the cheaper, grocery store variety of refined salt. Increased water intakes calls for adequate salt ratios.

Expect some of these diet changes to taste a little differently to you for a while. It helps to ingrain in your mind a positive mental picture, in that these foods are way better for you than processed. Before long, you will begin to notice they actually do taste, and satisfy, better than refined, processed foods. You can season with fresh or died herbs if you like, to enhance the flavor of these foods even further.

Again, please don't forget to drink plenty of water with your new diet plan. Water should be considered the 'super' body fluid solvent to maximize your new super food diet results.