Although 100 different people might define "extreme health" in 100 different ways, most will probably agree that it includes long lifespan, abundant energy and improved immunity. A combination of the Harvard School of Public Health Food Pyramid and Dr. Steven Pratt's "Superfoods" movement fulfills all three of those requirements, provided you follow them faithfully and systematically.
Whole Grains
According to "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" by Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, a major mistake in most American's diets is that they consider refined grains to be the same as whole grains. In fact, refined grains have many of the same effects as eating sugar by the spoonful. Whole grains provide long-term, healthy energy and also contain dietary fiber -- a substance shown to contribute to dietary and circulatory health. Oats are a whole grain superfood that can reverse aging and fight many diseases. The Harvard Food Pyramid recommends eating whole grains at most meals.
Plant Oils
Willet writes that plant oils are rich in unsaturated fats, the kind that stimulate your body to produce HDL cholesterol. HDL actually improves your heart health by sweeping away harmful LDL cholesterol. Extra virgin olive oil is the only oil listed as a superfood. The Harvard Pyramid recommends getting some plant oils at every meal, usually as a recipe ingredient or cooking medium.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a prime food for extreme health because they are rich in nutrition and low in calories. The Harvard Food Pyramid recommends eating your veggies "in abundance." When choosing vegetables, color is a good guide. If you get even amounts of green, orange, yellow and red veggies you can achieve a good balance of nutrients. Unsurprisingly, vegetables are well represented among the superfoods. The list includes broccoli, pumpkin, onions, garlic and spinach.
Fruits
For extreme health, get a minimum of three to four servings of fruit every single day. Fruits are as high in nutrition as vegetables, albeit at the cost of significantly more calories. Fruits are also rich in disease-preventing antioxidants, flavonoids and other micronutrients. Fruits are the most common kind of superfood, including apples, avocados, blueberries, kiwi, oranges, pomegranates and tomatoes.
Legumes and Nuts
Willett recommends getting a significant portion of your daily protein from non-meat sources, citing the extra calories and saturated fats as reasons. According to the Harvard Pyramid, you should eat a serving of nuts and legumes one to three times per day. Foods from this category that made the superfoods list include beans and walnuts. Soy beans also make this list.
Fish and Poultry
Alternatives to less healthy red meat, these protein sources should be eaten more frequently than cow but less frequently than plant proteins. The Harvard Pyramid recommends "0 to 2" servings per day, averaging out to one a day over the course of a week. Fish and poultry provide all the protein of red meat at a fraction of the calories, and much less unhealthy saturated fat. Superfoods from this group include turkey and wild salmon.
Sometimes Foods
The Harvard Pyramid recommends eating only small amounts of red meat, butter, sweets and refined grains. These foods are actively bad for you, and should be avoided. Unsurprisingly, none of these make it on to the superfoods list. This does't mean you should never eat these foods. One advantage of extreme health is that you can occasionally indulge in a guilty pleasure.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- Super Foods Home Page
- Harvard Food Pyramid
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