At
Luxe Models, we’re always striving to maintain a healthy balance of good diet,
low stress and high enjoyment of our favourite things (fashion, photography and
blogging, obviously), so anything that helps us to do this is, in our eyes,
perfectly awesome. Lately we’ve been looking into the trend for “super foods”
that’s been growing over the last few years. Victoria Beckham swears by seaweed
for a speedy metabolism and Matthew McConaughey enjoys a sprinkling of acai
berries over his breakfast granola. And recently pomegranate has been
highlighted once again for its health benefits. But do these foods really have
special properties to keep us healthy? We decided to take a look at a few in
detail, so let’s find out!
Cocoa
While
most people trying to stay on the straight and narrow path of healthy eating
might aim to avoid chocolate, some studies have revealed that it’s actually
great for lowering stress levels! During the study, people ate 40g of dark,
high-cocoa chocolate for two weeks and a slight reduction in stress hormones
was noticed. Also the Kuna Indians of Panama drank cocoa as their main
beverage, and overall had noticeably lower blood pressure. Bear in mind though,
we’re talking about the benefits of cocoa, rather than chocolate itself, so
stuffing yourself with a bar of high-sugar milk chocolate and calling it a diet
probably isn’t the best plan!
Broccoli
A
study carried out by World Cancer Research found that eating more low-starch
vegetables like broccoli can help the reduce the risk of some cancers, such as
mouth, throat and stomach cancer. While many have claimed that broccoli reduces
high blood pressure and the effects of diabetes, the studies were inconclusive.
Don’t let that put you off though! Broccoli is still packed with the nutrients
and vitamins that are essential for maintaining a healthy diet. It’s also a
very flexible food that can be used in a variety of ways; anything from stir fry
to curry!
Pomegranate
New
research suggests that pomegranate might be able to undo some of the effect of
a junk food diet! Great news if you’ve been known to indulge in one too many
cheese burgers when you’re off the diet. A new supplement, Pomanex, is currently
being tested to reveal its benefits. Experts say it helps to keep blood vessels
healthy and elastic, which is vital if you want to avoid heart attacks and
strokes – let’s be honest though, who doesn’t?? It is also thought to improve
blood flow, lower stress and slow the progress of prostate cancer in men.
Lemons and Limes
There
are a number of benefits to embracing lemons and limes, not least of all for
their sanitising and deodorising properties around the house! They contain
something called flavonoids, which are great at helping to reduce inflammation.
They’re also great for digestion and rubbing a small amount of lemon or lime
juice onto your skin can do wonders for it! It’ll keep you looking young and
healthy.
Our
research included a look at what dieticians have to say about the super food
trends and there was general agreement that more studies need to be carried out
to really learn about the benefits of so-called super foods. BUT! We reckon it
can’t be that bad to indulge in most of these foods since they’re largely
healthy anyway! Just be sure to keep a good balance of food groups and, if you’re
trying to lose weight couple your healthy eating plan with a good amount of
exercise.
