Five ways to eat yourself healthier

But the term superfood is not recognized clinically nor readily acknowledged among nutrition experts and the evidence for supplementation has now moved in favor of balanced diets over popping pills of single nutrients.

Experts maintain that the right diet can not only control weight, but also help to keep diseases at bay by fighting the stressors our bodies encounter on a regular basis, including lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of exercise and general stress at work. These stressors can reduce our physical and mental performance and even lead to chronic diseases such as heart failure or diabetes.

So rather than which foods are “super,” we asked experts which foods are useful to include as part of a balanced diet, to keep our bodies fit and healthy.

Bold berries

Be it blueberries, strawberries, cranberries or others, the berries are the most researched food group in terms of health benefits to both mind and body. Cranberries are recognized in fighting urinary tract infections and blueberries have been found to protect the brain from stress and improve cognitive factors such as memory. “Blueberries have been shown to even lower blood pressure,” says Joy Dubost, spokesperson for the U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

At the core of it all is regularity, as these nutrients are quickly cleared out of the body once consumed. But equally crucial is the variation as highlighted by all three experts.

“With superfoods, people want exotic, but many products in your back yard will be beneficial,” says Dubost. “It’s all about major food groups and a variety.”

Or as Shukett-Hale puts it, “It’s not about should I eat blueberries or mushrooms, it’s about, ‘should I eat blueberries or chips?'”

Not even a food claiming to have superpowers can compensate for a bad diet alongside it.

CNN