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Summertime is a great time to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only are they delicious, but they are also packed with nutrients that can help keep you healthy during the hot summer months. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out our list of 10 super foods that are perfect for eating this summer!
1. Kiwi
Just one cup of this green fruit provides more potassium than the same amount of sliced bananas with less sugar and calories. With just 7 grams of sugar in one medium fruit they have almost three times less sugar than one apple. One cup of the fruit also contains 5 grams of fiber (the green-part has soluble fiber, while the seeds and skin offer the insoluble kind), or about 21 percent of the daily recommended intake, to help promote feelings of fullness.
2. Asparagus
Asparagus spears are a good source of vitamin K(important for strong bones and blood clotting) and antioxidants, which repair damage done by free radicals and can help reduce risk of serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
3. Lemons
This tart, sunny-colored fruit is a pretty sweet superfood. Lemons are packed with flavor, but not calories. The juice of an entire lemon has only 12 calories but a whopping third of the daily recommended value of vitamin C and other antioxidants. Those antioxidants, known as flavonoids, could make lemons a good way to decrease heart disease risk, reduce inflammation, and fight some cancers (including pancreatic and stomach).
4. Spinach
Antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and vitamins that promote vision and bone health.
5. Watermelon
Low in sugar and high in vitamins A and C, this summer treat is a great, refreshing, low-calorie snack. Studies suggest watermelon could also potentially lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Plus, the lycopene in watermelon could help protect the body from UV rays and cancer.
6. Strawberries
Vitamin C holds most of the strawberry’s delicious superpowers. Just one cup of these gorgeous berries satisfies the daily requirement for vitamin C! Studies suggest the antioxidant helps build and repair the body’s tissues, boosts immunity, and fights excess free radical damage. It could help promote healthy eye function.
7. Blueberries
Blueberries are super food all-stars, filled with fiber, vitamin C, and cancer-fighting compounds.
8. Broad Beans (aka Fava Beans)
These beans are typically in-season throughout the summer months, most beans have some superpower health benefits. Beans are loaded with fiber, folate, and magnesium, and studies have shown these legumes can actually help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of certain cancers
9. Cauliflower
While all the vitamins and minerals are a great bonus, the real star here is cauliflower’s cancer-fighting compounds, glucosinolates. These phytochemicals are responsible for cauliflower’s sometimes-bitter flavor, but they have also been shown to prevent damage to the lugs and stomach by carcinogens, potentially protecting against those cancers. Cauliflower may also help prevent hormone-driven cancers like breast, uterine, and cervical.
10. Cherries
Get ready to enjoy these juicy treats all summer long! These antioxidant-packed fruits, with anthocyanins, the flavonoids that give cherries their deep red color, give cherries (and other similarly colored fruits and veggies) some serious superpowers, including regulating immune responses and acting as an anti-inflammatory. The sour varieties of this fruit may be even more helpful as an anti-inflammatory. Some studies suggest tart cherries could even be more effective than Aspirin at relieving pain and reducing inflammation!