Top Five Foods to Eat for Good Health

Eating is one of my favourite pass-times. Actually scrap that, eating is my favourite pass-time. It’s fairly easy, anyone can do it, but most importantly it’s delicious (most of it anyway, not sprouts obviously, but even they have their place - all food deserves the same love and attention). Then of course there’s the whole ‘health’ thing…

Picking healthy foods however does require a bit more discrimination and some are certainly better for you than others. Some are downright bad for you, but others hit multiple buttons providing your body with a host of essential nutrients. Here are a few top picks.

Tuna

Tuna is the number one health food as far as I’m concerned - it’s high in Omega 3 fatty acids which are great for your brain and cognitive abilities. It’s also an oily fish so great for joints and highly recommended if you have arthritis or joint problems (gym goers can also benefit from oiling up the joints). Furthermore it’s a fantastic source of lean protein helping you pack on the muscle. The only slight downside however is that tuna is high in mercury which pretty much makes me a human thermometer. Mercury itself is not toxic but the compounds it makes are. Don’t worry though, you’d have to eat ridiculous amounts for it to be a problem.

Apples (and oranges)

Apples are full of vitamins, particularly vitamin C. Vitamin C is so essential that it’s developed internally by most mammals with humans being one of the few exceptions. A deficiency can cause scurvy and it’s almost important for the immune system protecting against colds and other illnesses. When we train in the gym we lose vitamins through sweating so it’s important that we replace them as soon as possible. Apples are also one of your five-a-day, which is highly important especially as five is probably an underestimate of our requirements. In the wild we’d have survived largely on nuts and fruits and we should probably really be consuming more like seven portions of fruit and veg a day.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a fantastic source of antioxidants, which can prevent cancer and increase your life span. Oxygen is actually damaging to your cells causing them almost to rust, which in turn leads to eventual death. It’s a natural process but if you want to live for longer anti-oxidants can slow it down. Unfortunately they’re highly acidic and can exacerbate skin problems such as acne.

Green Salad

Green salad is extremely low in calories and high in just about everything else your body requires - iron, calcium, fibre and vitamins. Iron is key in the body’s development of haemoglobin, which transports oxygen around the blood and myoglobin which is found only in muscle tissue. Contrary to popular belief Spinach is not massively high in iron, this myth actually came about after someone a misplaced decimal point giving it 10 times the iron!

Greens are also a portion of veg, unfortunately they’re boring as anything and you’ll feel like a rabbit munching away on them.

Bananas

Bananas are a brilliant and healthy source of carbohydrates and so energy. Again they’re one of your five a day so they make an amazing pre-workout snack. Even better they’re high in potassium which can prevent cramping and dropping barbells on your neck and decapitating yourself on the bench.

Mack LeMouse