Digestion

Learn about gastrointestinal issues, bacteria, yeast, leaky gut and other digestive problems and how to fix them, along with understanding food allergies and food intolerances.

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Negative Effects of Non-Organic, Un-Rinsed Vegetables

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

You’ve long known that the type of food you put into your body ultimately affects your overall health. This makes it all the more crucial to choose what you eat so as to ensure optimum wellness. And in this day and age of hectic lifestyles, fixing yourself quick and easy to prepare canned vegetables or chemically preserved or dried meats daily certainly is convenient. Needless to say, eating said processed food items is not good for you. Instead, eat as much whole fresh foods as you can so as to boost your health. Of course, not all purportedly “natural” food items are good for you, like non-organic, un-rinsed vegetables, for instance.

Continue reading and discover more about the negative effects of non-organic, un-rinsed vegetables and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid them.

Continue reading →

Secrets of Superhuman Food Pyramid: Pros and Cons of Iceberg Lettuce

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Iceberg lettuce is the most popular among lettuce varieties consumed in the United States. Formerly called crisphead lettuce, this leaf vegetable purportedly earned its modern name in the 1930s when East Coast residents would excitedly wait for the shipment from California covered in ice, and would call out eagerly that the “icebergs are coming” as trains carrying the crop pulled into each stop. Most of us love it for its characteristic crunch. However, eating iceberg lettuce in reasonable amounts is still advised for a number of reasons.

Continue reading and discover more about the pros and cons of iceberg lettuce and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends moderate use of this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Pros and Cons of Zucchini

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Zucchini, otherwise called courgette, is a summer squash popularly prepared fried, grilled, baked, or cooked in soups and stews. Though we’ve come to know of squash as a solid and starchy vegetable that needs lengthy cooking, zucchini differs in that the entire vegetable, from its flesh, skin, and seeds, are all tender and therefore may all be consumed even when raw. This is because zucchini is harvested while still immature. It is one of the types of squashes that are not hardy. The vegetable was not stored for the cold months and was eaten while in season back when storage technology was absent, hence the name summer squash. Undoubtedly a nutritious vegetable, zucchini should be included in your diet, though only in reasonable amounts.

Continue reading and discover more about the pros and cons of zucchini and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends moderate use of this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Kale

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Kale is one of the leafy vegetables widely grown in the US. A descendant of the wild cabbage, kale too belongs to the Brassica oleracea species like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower though kale does not form a compact head. Its leaves are a dark, almost blue-green color and have crinkly edges. Another variety of kale, commonly called salad savoy, is becoming popular among wellness enthusiasts, too. This kale variety has purple leaves and used to only be cultivated for ornamental purposes.

You’ll want to include both green and purple kale to your regular diet. Known for its delightfully peppery and slightly bitter flavor, kale offers manifold benefits to your overall health and wellness.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of kale and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Naturally Fermented Pickles

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Naturally fermented pickles are vegetable preserves that have been cured either by marinating the chosen produce in vinegar or through the process of fermentation by lactic acid. Naturally fermented pickles have a long history. The process of pickling is believed to have started in India 4,000 years ago  as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use as well as for extended sea voyages.

Typically viewed as a mere side dish, naturally fermented pickles may actually offer tons of healthful goodness if you opt to include it in your diet.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of naturally fermented pickles and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Naturally Fermented Sauerkraut

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Naturally fermented sauerkraut is a traditional preserved food made from shredded green cabbage. It is quite unlike other pickled products as the typical heat and refrigeration treatments are not utilized anywhere along the process of preserving and storing the vegetable. Instead, the main ingredient cabbage is cured by adding salt and lactobacilli and allowing the helpful bacteria to populate so as to bring about natural fermentation.

Though considered by many as just a humble relish or side dish, naturally fermented sauerkraut in fact packs a punch nutritionally.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of naturally fermented sauerkraut and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Cabbage

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Cabbage belongs to the Brassica oleracea species just like broccoli and cauliflower. Thought to have been brought around 600 B.C. by Celtic drifters, cabbage eventually got propagated throughout Europe and was considered an important crop by the ancient Romans and Greeks. The plant was highly regarded and was even used as a medicine to treat a host of health conditions as well. While primarily used now as food, cabbage contains compounds that have been found to protect against certain illnesses.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of cabbage and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Broccoli

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable which was traced as having its roots from Italy. Brought to the New World by Italian immigrants, broccoli has since been cultivated and in fact belongs to the various crops like asparagus that are now grown locally in the United States. This easy availability of broccoli is a fortunate thing as a growing body of research points to a host of healthful goodness that this peculiar looking vegetable can provide.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of broccoli and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Asparagus

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Asparagus has a long history, dating as far back as the first century, with records confirming its culinary use in ancient Rome and Greece. In ancient Egypt, the vegetable was grown for medicinal purposes and is believed to have been offered to gods during religious rituals. Asparagus, much like olives, is grown locally in the Unites States making this cruciferous vegetable available throughout the year. This easy availability of asparagus is a fortunate thing as this vegetable offers a host of healthful goodness.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of asparagus and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Olives

Posted on by Ben Greenfield

Originating from Mediterranean Europe, olives were brought to the Northern American region by the Spanish colonists, with missionaries planting the first tree in California in the eighteenth century. Since then, the United States has cultivated the crop, and to this day, remain as one of the top twenty olive producing countries  in the world. Olives have long been hailed as a health food as it provides wholesome benefits to the body.

As you probably already know, there are two kinds of olives sold in the market, namely green and black olives. Green olives have been harvested while still unripe hence the color. Black olives, meanwhile, have been allowed to fully ripen prior to harvesting. This, along with the processing methods used, are the reasons for the dark hue of the latter type of olives.

Green olives and black olives are almost nutritionally identical except for its sodium content. As it turns out, green olives have more than twice the sodium content as compared to that of black olives. 15 grams or five medium pieces of green olives contain roughly around 215 to 360 milligrams of sodium. 15 grams or five medium black olives, on the other hand, have about 115 to 125 milligrams of sodium.

Read further and learn more about the benefits of olives and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends this vegetable.

Continue reading →