Take a moment to look in your kitchen cabinets and/or pantry. How many food items come in boxes or bags? While prepackaged foods are convenient, fast, and easy, they often contain all kinds of random, toxic chemicals. No matter which health specialists you speak to, most all of them will say the healthiest diet is one that is mostly plant-based. Now, look at your fridge and pantry again. How many whole fruits and vegetables are in there?
Think about what our ancestors ate. Would they recognize some of the brands or items that you regularly eat and feed to your family? Chances are, they wouldn’t. No shade at all, but it is advised that you should avoid foods that your ancestors wouldn’t recognize as food. This leaves fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet (along with nuts, grains, etc.). We have been taught since a young age that these foods are good for us, but a lot of us don’t eat enough fruits and veggies, or any at all. Or, we get fruit and veggie-flavored items such as juices, which are also overloaded with sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. There are so many reasons to eat whole fruits and vegetables, but do know what any of those benefits actually are?
We are going to take a look at 30 of the healthiest fruits and vegetables on the market, and explain exactly why you should be eating them, and often! There are so many incredible health benefits just in one fruit or veggie, that it’s hard to believe how powerful these foods really are. Once you realize that a lot of your health issues can be aided with these natural foods, and that your overall well-being will really benefit from them, you will happily reach for that apple, or that floret of broccoli. Note: some fruits and vegetables, like pomegranate and cauliflower, can interact with medicines, so check with your doctor before overloading on any new food!
Apples
Apples come in all sorts of delicious varieties, so it’s easy to find one that’s perfect for your palate. They’re also super good for you, health-wise. Apples can help balance your blood sugar levels, give you much-needed energy, improve brain function, improve your memory, boost your immune system, fight cancer, lower bad cholesterol, and they even may prevent Alzheimer’s! Who knew that one little portable and healthy snack could pack so much punch! Apples are also great because they’re super filling and loaded with fiber, which will tide you over between meals and while on the go. Pack some slices and throw them in your bag so you always have a healthy snack on hand!
Watermelon
Next up on our list of healthy fruits and vegetables is watermelon. Not only is it super moisturizing for the system, as it is made mostly of water, but watermelon also helps the liver, helps with nausea, skin spots, the heart, kidney health, and aids in preventing macular degeneration, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and more. It’s a great, tasty, hydrating snack, perfect for when it gets hot out. Added bonus? It also helps with weight loss, because it is mostly water, is low in calories, and is a natural diuretic. Vitamins you can find in watermelon include vitamin A, vitamin B6, biotin, and vitamin C.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a refreshing fruit that is perfect for the encroaching warm weather, but did you know it also has a ton of health benefits? Cantaloupe contains potassium, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, antioxidants, copper, and more. Eating it will boost your immunity, maintain eye health, protect you from UV rays, help regulate hormones, reverse aging, detoxes the entire body, and combats the growth of cancer cells. And those are just some of the many benefits! Not only are fruits delicious, but they are much healthier and beneficial for our well-being than we all probably originally thought!
Kale
Do you remember the kale craze? Everyone got on board with this leafy dark green veggie because it has so many health benefits! There is also a good variety of kale out there, so try them all until you find one (or several) that you like. Kale is loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, and also contains thiamin, iron (more than beef!), magnesium, and more. The low-calorie and low-carb vegetable is high in protein, aids in weight loss, boosts the metabolism, is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, boosts immunity, and can help lower cholesterol. Next time you make a salad, why not add in some super kale?
Lemon
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, and then reap the benefits of them! Lemons (and don’t forget to drink lemon water!) treat rheumatism and arthritis, cure throat infections, balances your pH, reduces fever and helps fight a cold, lowers your blood sugar, prevents kidney stones, stops internal bleeding, purifies the blood, and more. Add some lemon to your water to partake in these benefits while also keeping hydrated. Or use them to add a touch of tart to several dessert options. Squeeze it over your soups and salads to add a punch — there are endless ways to enjoy delicious and tart lemons!
Celery
Another food that is mostly water, but filled with health benefits, is celery. It flushes out toxins from your body, gets rid of gall and kidney stones, fights autoimmune disease, kills Epstein Barr and the shingles virus, helps lower your bad cholesterol and blood pressure, helps your liver, reduces stress, and more. Did I mention celery will help you feel less stressed out too? Who knew, right? Drink some celery juice, use celery in your soups, or go old school and make ants on a log with celery, peanut butter, and raisins. All that matters is that you have some celery so that you can enjoy their many health benefits.
Broccoli
Broccoli is another veggie loaded with health benefits. Some include containing antioxidants, preventing cancer, improving your skin, boosting your immunity, protecting against air pollution, helping to detoxify your body, reducing the risk of breast cancer, maintaining a healthy heart, protecting the eyes, and more. There are several great dishes you can make with broccoli, including broccoli salad, oven roasted broccoli, veggie broccoli stir fry, and more. Have fun finding new ways to add some nutritious broccoli into the meals you already eat regularly!
Carrot
You’ve probably heard over the years that carrots are great for your vision, but the orange root veggie also has many more healing properties. Carrots keep your heart healthy; stimulates hair growth, while also reducing the falling of hair; ease menstrual cramps; protect the arteries; are antiseptic and antibacterial, and boost your immunity. These are just some of the benefits of eating carrots!
Acai
Next, on our list of fabulous, healthy vegetables and fruits to eat on the regular is açaí. These Brazilian berries are loaded with antioxidants, contain fiber, boosts energy, regenerates damaged skin cells, stimulates hair growth, improves mental function, improves sleep, and aids in digestion, among several other wonderful benefits. An açaí bowl with granola and other fruits is a great way to start your day!
Banana
We know that bananas are a great source of potassium, but the health benefits from the fruits don’t end there. Bananas also lower the blood pressure, reduce the risk of cancer, give you energy, power the brain, reduce depression, ease constipation (when they are ripe), reduce symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, fight depression and anxiety, and more.
Cucumber
We all know how tasty and refreshing cucumbers are. But did you know they’re also loaded with health benefits?! The fruit (yes they are fruits because cucumbers have seeds) promotes joint health, flush out toxins, heal diseased gums, reduce cholesterol, helps regulate blood pressure, promote healthy skin, and aid in weight loss. Add cucumber to your salads, water, sandwiches, and any other food or beverages where you can use a healthful, hydrating crunch.
Spinach
Remember how spinach would turn scrawny Popeye into a strong hero? Turns out spinach really is as powerful as we’ve been taught. While it won’t make huge muscles instantly bulge out of your arms and give you super strength, it will improve your memory, strengthens bones and maintains bone health, relieves stress, aids in weight loss, alkalizes the body, and much more.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit may have been the star of an old-school fad diet, but it has real-life benefits that are amazing! Grapefruits help break down and burn fat, help lower cholesterol, alkalizes the body, helps reduce water retention, boosts your immunity, clears the skin, reduces cellulite, and more. All great reasons to snack on this refreshing fruit or make it part of your breakfast.
Cherry
Cherries add a sweet and/or tart flavor to ice creams, yogurts, barbecue sauce, and all kinds of food and beverages. Not only are you getting bold flavor with cherries but you’re also getting several health benefits. Cherries help improve memory, help with inflammation, helps you sleep, helps reduce muscle pain, reduces your risk of strokes, and much more.
Mango
Another fruit with both flavor and an array of health benefits is the mighty mango. Mangoes prevent cancer, clears skin, improves digestion, cleans the blood, delays aging, improves memory, lowers cholesterol, is high in copper, and has many more health benefits. Try adding mango to your healthy smoothies, or as a sweet balance to a yummy salsa!
Avocado
Avocados are just heavenly. Not only do they taste amazing, but they’re actually good for you! These power fruits are a good source of healthy fats, lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol, improve your mood, promote weight loss, help with digestion, and more. Why not make that healthy homemade guacamole you’ve been wanting to make?
Tomato
When you’re making that healthy guacamole, why not add in some tomato? Tomato is another fruit that is super healthful and full of health benefits. It lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease, is good for your hair and skin, improves your vision, helps digestion, helps to reduce migraines and much more.
Onion
Onions add flavor to so many different foods, but they also offer a variety of important health benefits. They are antibacterial, help control blood sugar, lower your cancer risk, improve lung function in those people who have asthma, help detoxify the body, lower triglycerides, protect the brain, and purifies the blood.
Bok Choy
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Bok choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is found in Chinese dishes such as won ton soup. Sometimes we set this dark green veggie aside, but we shouldn’t! Bok choy is so good for you! It improves digestion, fights skin infections, prevents chronic disease, and regulates blood pressure. And those are just some of the many benefits!
Pomegranate
You may love the taste of pomegranate. But you’ll definitely love the benefits of consuming it. The fruit is packed with antioxidants, protects against Alzheimer’s, is anti-aging, reduces the risk of several types of cancer, prevents hair loss, lowers blood pressure, helps with memory, helps with arthritis, and has many more benefits.
Bell Pepper
Bell peppers add flavor and fun pops of color to whatever dish they are a part of. They contain great things like vitamin C, vitamin B6, and beta-carotene. They’ll boost your body’s immunity, boost your metabolism, are good for eyes, are anti-inflammatory, and are said to cure anemia. These are just some of the reasons why you should include some bell pepper in your meals.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower has been used to replace a lot of foods lately, such as rice, bread, pizza crust, and mashed potatoes. One of the reasons is because it is a way to reduce your carb intake, but cauliflower also has a lot of great health benefits. It helps your brain, helps with digestion, and reduces the risk of blood clots, among several other benefits.
Orange
The orange is a fruit that has a pretty good reputation for protecting our health. We are encouraged to consume it to fight off colds, due to its high amount of vitamin C, but these citrus fruits are also good for teeth and bones, are full of fiber, help balance the body’s pH, are good for the eyes, and have a whole range of other health benefits.
Eggplant
The deep purple veggies known as eggplant are chock-full with benefits to your health. It improves your blood circulation, helps manage diabetes, prevents cancer, helps prevent anemia, is full of fiber, and is good for the brain. There are tons of delicious and flavorful dishes you can make using healthful eggplant!
Olive
Olives are a delicious way to get healthy fats into your diet. They also aid in weight loss, reduce allergies, protect against several types of cancer, are high in Vitamin E, are good for your skin and hair, good for your cardiovascular system and much, much more. Who knew that these little things could do so much to keep us healthy?
Sweet Potato
Next on our list of fruits and veggies that you’ll want to include in your diet, for their healthful, healing properties is the versatile sweet potato. You can make mashed potatoes with them, yummy French fries, and much, much more. And you will be benefiting from a food that is good for the health of your eyes, contains Vitamin C, calms the stomach, and helps those with diabetes. And those are just a few of the benefits!
Brussels Sprout
You may have been told to eat your Brussels sprouts as a kid, but you should also eat them as an adult! These small green powerhouses contain good amounts of vitamins C and K, are good for pregnancy, prevent against cancer, detoxifies the body, and much more. Maybe it’s time to give brussels sprouts another shot!
Blueberry
Not only are blueberries good to eat, but they’re also good for you! These cute little fruits pack a big punch, containing antioxidants and fiber, improving your memory, helping your heart health and your vision, aiding in weight loss, serving as a great food for pregnancy, helping your anti-aging efforts, and so much more. Throw a handful of blueberries on your morning oatmeal, Greek yogurt, or açaí bowl!
Asparagus
You may view asparagus as a typical veggie side dish, but it is so much more. Those green stalks help with pregnancy, can cure hangovers, help with menstrual cramps, regulates blood sugar, lowers your cancer risk, helps with fertility, and so much more. If we were taught about all the natural health benefits of veggies like asparagus, we would no doubt be eating more of them, and be healthier overall!
Garlic
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Garlic is so flavorful and takes so many dishes to the next level. But it is also incredible for your health. Garlic helps detoxify the body, kills a lot of different infections, has medicinal properties, prevents dementia, prevents blood clots, can aid in ending hair loss, reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack, and so much more.
