Three Foods That Will Change Your Life

Have you ever asked yourself questions like: Why can’t I be a morning person? How do I stop getting headaches so regularly? How can I make my heartburn go away forever? Or why do I always get cramps when I run? The answer to all of these questions is the same: Food. The food you eat has immediate and drastic effects on your body. This is why athletic trainers and professional athletes pay close attention to the food that they eat during their seasons. Food is the answer. To help you gain a perspective on food, here are three life-changing foods and the effects that they have on your body and health.

1. Turmeric

To start, what is turmeric? It’s a bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome of a plant of the ginger family—you’ve probably seen it in the grocery store alongside the other seasoning. It’s just recently gained fame for its purposes as people have started to see sudden changes in their bodies after taking it.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) have done hundreds of studies on the health benefits of turmeric. There was a study that analyzed common heartburn causes and looked into natural remedies to treat the symptoms. Tumeric was shown to alleviate the symptoms and makes it significantly less likely for a person to experience heartburn. It has also been shown to treat pain from osteoarthritis as well as ibuprofen does and reduce the number of heart attacks bypass patients had after surgery. On top of all of that, it also treats gallbladder disorders, headaches, colds, and lung infections. Try adding turmeric to your curry or your smoothies next time you have a meal.

2. Broccoli

You should already know what broccoli is, but you don’t know the health benefits that you’ve avoided every time you declined eating it at dinner. Broccoli is amazing because of what it can do for your body. We can talk about how broccoli is a great source of vitamins K and C, as well as folate, potassium, and fiber, but the main health benefit of broccoli is its cancer-fighting agents.

Clinical trials show eating steamed broccoli just a few times a week lowers rates of prostate, breast, lung, and skin cancers. The anti-cancer properties are mainly due to sulforaphane, a compound that works on a genetic level to effectively “switch off” cancer genes, leading to the targeted death of cancer cells and slowing of disease progression. However, it’s important to note that steaming broccoli can decrease some of the benefits. The main takeaway? Eat your broccoli raw.

3. Blueberries

When we say blueberries, we’re not talking about blueberry muffins and blueberry bagels. We mean fresh blueberries from the produce section of the store (or from your Farmer’s Market if there’s one in your area).

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than five million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease—a number that’s expected to nearly triple by 2050 if there are no significant medical breakthroughs. And that’s where blueberries come in. Although blueberries cannot and will not completely reverse the effects of Alzheimer's, they have been shown to help victims score higher on memory tests.

The berries protect cells from damage by changing the way neurons in the brain communicate and reducing the accumulation of protein clumps most frequently seen in Alzheimer's. If you eat blueberries regularly, they have been shown to increase your overall memory and even help to decrease your chances of getting Alzheimer’s in the future.

Conclusion

Eating food shouldn’t just be something that you do when you’re bored. Food is something that can ruin your health; you can help you to fight off common diseases that we face. If you concentrate on getting enough fruit, vegetables, and plant-based protein in your diet, you will see significant changes in your life. You will have more energy, be able to wake up early in the morning, and have less chronic pain. When you’re looking for painkillers, look at your food, and you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.