Foods That Heal And Improve Health

Fruits, vegetables and legumes are rich in micronutrients, or vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Fatty fish have healthy fats that enhance your health. While macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein and fat are primarily needed for energy production, micronutrients help heal wounds, reduce inflammation and improve your health. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that does not provide energy and is not absorbed into your body; it does, however, have health benefits.

Beans, Oats, Peas, Carrots

Beans, oats, peas and carrots are rich in water-soluble fiber, which helps reduce your blood cholesterol by lowering the bad cholesterol or LDL. Fiber provides bulk in your digestive tract, hindering the absorption of cholesterol and facilitating the excretion of cholesterol from your body. It can reduce your risk of heart disease and obesity by slowing the digestion of your food, which reduces insulin production, according to William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch, authors of "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance." A ½ cup of black beans has 7 g of fiber and a ½ cup of dry oats has 4.5 g of fiber. A ½ cup of carrots has 3 g of fiber and a ½ cup of green peas has 4 g of fiber.

Salmon, Sardines and Walnuts

Salmon, sardines and walnuts have primarily omega-3 fats. This healthy, polyunsaturated fat increases your good cholesterol or HDL, lowers your triglycerides or blood fat, decreases your risk of abnormal heart rhythms and fights inflammation, according to a 2007 article by registered dietician Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., published in the "Health & Fitness Journal." A 3 oz. serving of salmon has 10.5 g of fat and the same serving of sardines in tomato sauce has 17 g of fat. A ¼ cup of unskinned, shelled walnuts has 19 g of healthy fat. If you need to increase your protein intake to build muscle, choose seafood more often than meat or poultry. One serving of salmon has 19 g of protein while sardines have 15 g of protein.

Strawberries and Kiwis

Strawberries and kiwis are rich in the antioxidant, vitamin C, which augments the healing of wounds. Vitamin C also helps keep your gums and teeth healthy. The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin for non-smoking adults over 19 is 75 mg if you are a woman and 90 mg if you are a man, according to the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University. One cup of strawberries has about 84 mg of vitamin C. A very large kiwi or 100 g of kiwi without the skin has 80 mg of vitamin C.