Seniors: 4 superfoods you should be eating

Every year it seems that a new superfood is making the buzz, packed with more antioxidants, more nutrients, and more benefits than the years prior. So far, the trending foods have been kale, cauliflower, quinoa, and even pomegranate. Well, in 2016, there are four superfoods you need to keep your eyes open for. Not only can they improve your overall health, but they are well known to aid in weight loss, too.

Here is a list of four superfoods gaining momentum and popularity in 2016. Some you may have never heard of, and with others, you may not have realized how beneficial they truly are.

4 superfoods for 2016

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that can grow as large as a watermelon. You can enjoy jackfruit fresh, frozen, or even dried, but why would you eat this exotic fruit? Well, jackfruit is high in antioxidants, specifically antioxidants to help you shed pounds.

As one study discovered after giving mice the same antioxidant found in jackfruit, their bodies turned white fat into beige fat, which is essential for weight loss. The researchers suggest, consuming two to three servings of jackfruit a day will give you a proper dose of those essential antioxidants.

Pulses

Pulses may not even sound like food, but it’s a term referring to the group compiled of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and split peas. Pulses are so good for you that the United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses.

A study found consuming five servings of pulses a week was effective at reducing waist circumference, equal to reducing 500 calories from your diet. Furthermore, the group which consumed pulses also saw improvements in their HDL cholesterol levels. Not only do pulses have fiber, but they are cheap and incredibly easy to store, thus deserving to be an essential part of your diet.

Kiwi

By now you are very familiar with kiwi, but did you know that consuming kiwi at night can help you sleep, and sleep is an essential part of losing weight? It’s true. A Taiwanese study of insomniacs had patients consume two kiwis one hour before bed. The researchers found patients fell asleep quicker and for longer periods of time.

Researchers believe kiwi’s antioxidant content is what makes it such a great and effective sleep aid.

Sorghum

Move over quinoa, there’s a new gluten-free grain in town, promising great benefits to health as well. Sorghum is one of the healthiest whole grains out there, and also great for shedding pounds.

Researchers from Tufts University analyzed diets of nearly 3,000 adults and found that those participants who consumed more whole grains had a reduction in visceral fat, which poses the biggest risks to health.

So if you’re tired of quinoa, why not change it up and try sorghum instead? It can be popped like popcorn or even ground up into flour for baking and cooking purposes.

By consuming any of these four foods listed, not only will you be improving you health, but you will watch your waistline shrink as well, which only leads to further benefits.

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Sources:
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20975593,00.html