Diet

Best Diets for Women: 8 Must-Eat Superfoods

Incorporating these powerfully nutritious items into your diet will do wonders for your health -- and your looks

by Audrey Fine

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Why choose food over supplements? Why can't we just pick up a bottle of "SuperFood Supplements," pop a few and go about our merry, healthy way? It doesn't quite work like that -- and even the experts aren't sure as to why. In his book "The Red Wine Diet," Roger Corger says, "Although we do not fully understand the process involved, the many components of specific foods seems to work together in a way that manufactured supplements do not." Dr. Susan Evans, one of Oprah's go-to health and beauty gurus, concurs. "While many of the phytonutrients and chemicals that have been identified in superfoods have been extracted and put in to supplement form, scientists are finding that they don't always work quite the same way."

Why? She explains. "While we have identified some of the substances contained in these foods, there are literally thousands of other substances we know [that] exist inside of these foods that have yet to be identified. It is hard to say if we've identified exactly the right components, or if the various components work in a synergistic fashion." So, basically, what's inside a blueberry that makes it so good for you may be more than just its antioxidant properties -- it may be something specific to the genetic makeup of the blueberry itself.

While we wait for the white coats to make sense of it all, we can benefit from what they already know -- that so-called "superfoods" are definitely good for you -- so why not eat them?

Next: The superfoods

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Older comments

good article

by butterfly11 Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 10:26PM Report as inappropriate

great info....

by jenni84 Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 09:26AM Report as inappropriate

It's a good reminder. Skincare and makeup isn't enough if the dietary habits are poor. I, for some reason, don't need to be reminded about dark chocolate.

by bksc Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:35PM Report as inappropriate

Yes! Chocolate! and Salmon! But probably not together...

by cheerio9551 Monday, January 7, 2013 at 02:48PM Report as inappropriate

i hate sweet potatoes but eat/love everything on this :D

by rayshaviolet Monday, January 7, 2013 at 11:40AM Report as inappropriate

Hmmm, I could do the chocolate bit. ;)

by jenboleyn Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 11:12AM Report as inappropriate

I already eat most of these. No diet, even the best diet, is enough to make you healthy. It has to be paired with exercise.

by kimihavens Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 12:29PM Report as inappropriate

Yes to everything here, but light on the beans!

by EricaC123 Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 03:18PM Report as inappropriate

I loved this article thank you!

by Ladybugg9 Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at 05:34PM Report as inappropriate

ere are so much easier healthier ways to get everything this article says we need. If you don't like fish or the fresh salmon is pricey, China seeds are great substitute for that as well as blueberries. Then in place of beans, which has not that much fiber and most people don't care forthem, you could use fiber 1 cereal which is great in yogurts or smoothies. Other are other cheaper/faster ways to get your antioxidants and then some. This article is so basic and it seems most people here are educated in that. Especially when Dr. Oz has a faithful following.

by Lani702 Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 11:13PM Report as inappropriate