6 Foods to Include in Your Diet for a Better Life

The following 6 foods are my top recommended foods that I believe every person should include in their diet for both better health and enhanced life enjoyment.

1: Butter

It's no secret that I'm a fan of butter. Because it's a stable fat, (meaning it doesn't oxidize easily), butter should be the go-to for cooking and baking. In addition to leveraging the flavor of practically every dish, butter is quite nutritious as well. For example, lauric acid is just one of the beneficial fatty acids found in butter that has been shown to have anti-pathogenic, immune-boosting properties.

2: Red Meat

As the case against red meat continues to go uncorroborated by rigorous science, many Americans are still hesitant when it comes to eating steak with a clear conscience. Oftentimes, consciences eaters opt out of eating red meat and are misled into believing that poultry is somehow "cleaner" than red meat. While chicken and turkey aren't necessarily unhealthy, they are undoubtedly nutritionally inferior when compared to red meat. A cross comparison of chicken and steak demonstrates that steak outperforms chicken in almost all nutrients. You should not only enjoy the taste of a mouth-watering steak for its flavor, but also for its health advantages.

3: Eggs

Mineral- rich in selenium, copper, zinc, iron, eggs are nature's multivitamin. Additionally, eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin which are key antioxidants that protect cells from free-radicals molecules which cause inflammation and damage DNA. Eating two eggs a day will provide many hard-to-find nutrients that most Americans lack.

4: Sweet Potatoes

For the majority of Americans, the only time we eat sweet potatoes is in the form of a dessert served at Thanksgiving. By reserving sweet potatoes for dessert we eat once a year, we're missing out on the serendipitous health affects that sweet potatoes offer in all seasons. In addition to being loaded with vitamin A, sweet potatoes also host anthocyanins which are flavonoids that have displayed anti-cancer characteristics. Don't just save sweet potatoes for overly sweet desserts. Appreciate and include them year around.

5: Cheese

Not only is cheese eminently flavorful, it's quite nutritious as well. Depending on the cheese variety, cheese includes key nutrients such as vitamin K and A as well as health-promoting bacteria that improve the status of the gut microbiome. A richer, more diverse gut microbiome not only fortifies immunity, it can also lead to increased athleticism considering that certain bacteria are associated with greater endurance and strength. Augment strength and endurance by eating cheese? Yes, please! The most nutrient-dense and flavorful cheeses come from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows, goats, and sheep.

6: Local, Raw Honey

Too often, honey is misconstrued and thrown into the "sugar is bad for health" category. While it's true that honey contains quite a bit of sugar, it's quite clear that honey is much more than just glucose and fructose molecules. Raw honey contains nitric oxide metabolites that enhance the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is an invaluable ingredient to human health. Because it simultaneously lowers blood pressure and enhances blood flow, greater nitric oxide levels makes for a better athlete. Moreover, raw honey possesses anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce free-radical damage. When honey is exposed to heat, the beneficial nitric oxide metabolites are essentially disarmed, thus, making it vital that the honey we consume is raw and not damaged by heat or light. As Proverbs says, "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." Be gracious and eat raw honey.

Sources:

Al-Waili, Noori S. “Identification of Nitric Oxide Metabolites in Various Honeys: Effects of Intravenous Honey on Plasma and Urinary Nitric Oxide Metabolites Concentrations.” Journal of Medicinal Food, vol. 6, no. 4, 2003, pp. 359–364., doi:10.1089/109662003772519921.

Lin, Bo-Wen, et al. “Effects of Anthocyanins on the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer.” British Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 174, no. 11, 2016, pp. 1226–1243., doi:10.1111/bph.13627.

Matsue, Miki, et al. “Measuring the Antimicrobial Activity of Lauric Acid against Various Bacteria in Human Gut Microbiota Using a New Method.” Cell Transplantation, vol. 28, no. 12, 2019, pp. 1528–1541., doi:10.1177/0963689719881366.

Boettner, Benjamin. “Performance-Enhancing Bacteria Found in the Human Microbiome.” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 28 June 2019, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/06/performance-enhancing-bacteria-found-in-the-human-microbiome/.