十大被遗忘的健康食品

春节到了，难免大鱼大肉一番。可是再美味的大餐吃多了也会觉得腻烦，也不利于健康。想在假期里尽情吃喝又不必担心健康问题吗？看看以下介绍的十种健康食品吧，它们能让你成为健康饮食达人哦！

阅读小提示：本文生词较多，涉及许多生化方面的专业术语，可以多看几遍加深了解，亦可将它们整理归类，但不建议花过多时间记忆生辟少用的单词。

There are many superfoods注1 that never see the

inside of a shopping cart. Some you’ve never heard of, and others you’ve simply forgotten about. That’s why we’ve

rounded up[使聚拢] the best of the bunch. Make a place for them on your table and you’ll instantly upgrade your health without a prescription[处方].

Beets

These grungy[邋遢的]-looking roots are naturally sweeter than any other vegetable, which means they pack tons of flavor underneath their rugged exterior[外表].

Why they’re healthy: Think of beets as red spinach[菠菜].

Just like Popeye’s Power Food, this crimson[深红色的]

vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate[叶酸] and betaine[甜菜碱]. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine[硫基丁氨酸], an inflammatory[引起炎症的] compound that can damage your arteries[动脉]

and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments[色素], called betacyanins[甜菜红色素], that give beets their color have been proved to be potent[有效的] cancer fighters in laboratory mice.

Cabbage

Absent from most American kitchens, this cruciferous[十字花科的] vegetable is a major player in European and Asian diets.

Why it’s healthy: One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it’s loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane[莱菔硫烷], a chemical that

increases your body’s production of enzymes[酶] that

disarm cell-damaging free radicals[自由基] and reduce your risk of cancer. In fact, Stanford University scientists determined that sulforaphane boosts your levels of these cancer-

fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical.

Guava

Guava is an obscure tropical fruit that’s subtly acidic[酸的], with sweetness that intensifies[加强] as you eat your way to the center.

Why it’s healthy:  Guava has a higher concentration of lycopene[番茄红素]

an antioxidant[抗氧化剂] that fights

prostate[前列腺的] cancer than any other plant food, including tomatoes and watermelon. In addition, 1 cup of the stuff provides 688

milligrams (mg) of potassium[钾], which is 63% more than you’ll find in a medium banana. And guava may be the

ultimate high-fiber food: There’s almost 9 grams (g) of

fiber in every cup.

Swiss Chard

Hidden in the leafy-greens cooler of your market, you’ll

find this slightly bitter, salty vegetable, which is actually native to the Mediterranean.

Why it’s healthy: A half cup of cooked Swiss chard

provides a huge amount of both lutein[叶黄素] and zeaxanthin[玉米黄质], supplying 10 mg each. These plant chemicals, known as carotenoids[类胡萝卜素], protect your retinas[视网膜]

from the damage of aging, according to Harvard

researchers. That’s because both nutrients, which are

actually pigments, appear to accumulate in your retinas, where they absorb the type of shortwave light rays that can damage your eyes. So the more lutein and zeaxanthin you eat, the better your internal eye protection will be.

Cinnamon

This old-world spice usually reaches most men’s stomachs only when it’s mixed with sugar and stuck to a roll.

Why it’s healthy: Cinnamon helps control your blood sugar, which

influences your risk of heart disease. In fact, USDA注2 researchers found that people with type-2 diabetes注3 who consumed 1g of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks (about 1/4 teaspoon each day) significantly reduced not only their blood sugar but also their trigly-

cerides[甘油三酸脂] and LDL (bad) cholesterol[低密度脂蛋白胆固醇].

Credit the spice’s active ingredients, MHCP注4, which

increase your cells’ ability to metabolize[产生代谢变化] sugar by up to 20 times.

Purslane

Although the FDA注5 classifies purslane as a broad-leaved weed, it’s a popular vegetable and herb in many other countries, including China, Mexico, and Greece.

Why it’s healthy: Purslane has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant, according

to researchers at the University of Texas at San

Antonio. The scientists also report that this herb has 10 to 20 times more melatonin[褪黑素] an antioxidant that may inhibit[抑制] cancer growth than any other fruit or vegetable tested.

Pomegranate Juice

A popular drink for decades in the Middle East, pomegranate juice has become widely available only

recently in the United States.

Why it’s healthy: Israeli scientists discovered that men who downed just 2 ounces of pomegranate juice daily for a year decreased their systolic (top

number) blood pressure[动脉收缩压] by 21% and significantly

improved blood flow to their hearts. What’s more, 4 ounces

provides 50% of your daily vitamin C needs.

Goji Berries

These raisin[葡萄干]-size fruits are chewy and taste like a cross between a cranberry[酸果蔓果时] and a cherry. More important, these potent berries have been used as a

medicinal food in Tibet for over 1,700 years.

Why they’re healthy: Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC注6 ratings a method of gauging[测量] antioxidant power of any fruit, according to Tufts University researchers. And although modern scientists began to study this ancient berry only recently, they’ve found that the sugars that make goji berries sweet, reduce insulin resistance[胰岛素抵抗] a risk factor of diabetes in rats.

Dried Plums

You may know these better by the moniker[绰号]

“prunes[西梅干],” which are indelibly[不能消灭地] linked with nursing homes and bathroom habits注7. And that

explains why, in an effort to revive this delicious fruit’s

image, producers now market them under another name.

Why they’re healthy: Prunes contain high amounts of neochlorogenic[新绿原酸] and chlorogenic acids, antioxidants that are particularly effective at combating the “superoxide anion radical[超氧阴离子自由基].” This nasty free radical causes structural damage to your cells, and such damage is thought to be one of the primary causes of cancer.

Pumpkin Seeds

These jack-o’-lantern waste products

are the most nutritious part of the

pumpkin.

Why they’re healthy: Downing pumpkin seeds is the easiest way to consume more magnesium[镁]. That’s important because French

researchers recently determined that men with the highest

levels of magnesium in their blood have a 40% lower risk of early death than those with the lowest levels. And on average, men consume 353 mg of the mineral daily, well under the 420 mg minimum recommended by the USDA.

许多超级食物都未曾出现在你的购物车中。有一些你从未听说过，有些则被你遗忘了。这就是为什么我们找来了食物堆里最好的东西――在餐桌上为它们腾出空间，你便能立即升级健康，不需要医生为你开处方。

甜菜

这些看起来邋邋遢遢的菜根天生就比其他蔬菜更加甘甜，这意味着在其丑陋外表的掩盖下，它拥有四溢的芳香。

健康加分：把甜菜想象成红菠菜吧。就像大力水手的大力菜一样，这种深红色的蔬菜是叶酸和甜菜碱含量最高的物质之一。这两种营养素共同作用时能降低血液中的巯基丁氨酸水平，而巯基丁氨酸是一种对动脉有害，还会增加患上心脏疾病危险、引发炎症的化合物。除此之外，让甜菜呈现外表颜色的天然色素――甜菜红色素能有效对抗实验小白鼠体内的癌症细胞。

卷心菜

在大多数美国人的厨房里几乎见不到这种十字花科的蔬菜，但它在欧亚饮食餐单中扮演着重要角色。

健康加分：一杯切碎的卷心菜的热量仅为22个卡路里，里头却含有多种营养成分。排在营养名单第一位的是莱菔硫烷，它是一种能增加人体内的酶生成量，消除破坏细胞的自由基，是一种能降低癌症发病率的化学物质。实际上，斯坦福大学的科学家们证实，与其他植物成分相比，莱菔硫烷更能迅速提升人体内抗癌酶的水平。

番石榴

番石榴是一种不太常见的热带水果，略带酸味。但你越吃到中心，甜味就会越来越强烈。

健康加分：与其他蔬果类食物相比，番石榴含有更高浓度的番茄红素（一种能抵抗前列腺癌的抗氧化剂），比西红柿和西瓜的含量还要高。除此之外，一杯番石榴能提供高达688毫克的钾，比一根中等大小的香蕉中的钾含量多63%。另外，番石榴也许是食物中的终极高纤维食品――每一杯番石榴的纤维含量将近9克。

唐莴苣

你会在超市的鲜蔬保鲜柜里找到这种隐藏其中的蔬菜，它略带苦涩咸味，实际上是地中海地区独有的品种。

健康加分：半杯煮好的唐莴苣能提供大量的叶黄素和玉米黄质（各约10克）。哈佛大学的研究表示，这些叫做类胡萝卜素的植物成分能防止视网膜因岁月而产生的损害。其原理是这两种实际上属于色素类的营养成分能在视网膜中积累起来，吸收太阳光中的短波光线，减少后者对眼睛造成的伤害。因此，你吃下越多叶黄素和玉米黄质，你眼睛内部就能获得更全面的

保护。

肉桂

这种旧社会的香料几乎只在与糖类混合或是被撒在肉卷上时才被人们吃进肚子。

健康加分：肉桂能帮助控制血糖值，后者会增加心脏患病危险。事实上，美国农业部的研究人员发现，2型糖尿病患者每天服用一克肉桂（约每天四分之一茶匙），坚持服用六周后，体内的血糖水平、甘油三酸脂和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（有害的胆固醇）都有大幅度下降。这一切归功于此香料中的活跃成分――羟基查尔酮聚合物，它将细胞的糖代谢能力提升了20倍之多。

马齿苋

虽然美国食品及药物管理局将马齿苋归类为阔叶类杂草，但它是一种常见蔬菜，中国、墨西哥及希腊等许多国家都将它用做药草。

健康加分：（美国）圣安东尼奥得克萨斯大学的研究人员称，马齿苋含有大量对心脏有益的Ω3脂肪，是所有可食用植物中含量最高的。科学家们还说，这种药草的褪黑素（一种可能抑制癌症扩散的抗氧化剂）含量比其他任何一种经过测试的水果或蔬菜植物高出10到20倍。

石榴汁

石榴汁已经在中东地区风行了几十年，近年才在美国广泛流行。

健康加分：以色列科学家发现，一个人每天服用2盎司（约59毫升）石榴汁，持续服用一年，其自身的动脉收缩压（上值）能降低21%，心脏的血流量也能获得极大改善。此外，4盎司（约118毫升）的石榴汁能为你提供每天所需维他命C的一半。

枸杞

这种葡萄干大小的水果很有口感，吃起来味道介于酸果蔓和樱桃之间。更重要的是，地区用这些强效的果子做食疗的历史已有1700多年。

健康加分：塔夫茨大学的研究人员表示，枸杞是其中一种拥有一项最高ORAC值的水果之一（一种检测抗氧化能力的方法）。虽然科学家直到最近才开始研究这种古老的果子，但他们发现枸杞中所含有的让其具有甜味的糖分能降低老鼠体内的胰岛素抵抗（一种导致糖尿病的危险因素）。

李子干

也许它的绰号“西梅干”你会更为熟悉。它不可避免地与疗养院和卫浴习惯联系

到一起。这也是解释了为什么，为了改善这种美味水果的形象，厂家们要以一个新的别名将其重新推出市场。

健康加分：西梅干含有大量的新绿原酸和绿原酸，它们都是专门对抗超氧阴离子自由基的有效抗氧化剂――这种丑名昭著的自由基能引发细胞的结构性损坏，而这种损坏被认为是导致癌症的主要原因之一。

南瓜子

这种因为做万圣节南瓜灯而被丢弃的的东西其实正是整个南瓜最富营养的部分。

健康加分：吃南瓜子是获取镁元素最简便的方法。其重要性在于――法国近期的一项研究结果显示，血液中镁元素水平最高的人与水平最低的人相比，前者早死的几率要低40%。平均来看，现在人们每天的镁摄取量仅为353毫克，远低于美国农业局建议的420毫克的最少摄取量。

注1：superfood常用来指含丰富植物营养的食品，人们相信这些营养能对健康有益。

注2：美国农业部（United States Department of Agriculture）的缩写。

注3：2型糖尿病，也叫成人发病型糖尿病，多在35~40岁之后发病，占糖尿病患者90%以上。如今这种叫法已被摈弃。

注4：MHCP（methyl-hydroxy-chalcone polymers），羟基查尔酮聚合物。

注5：美国食品及药物管理局（Food and Drug Administration）的缩写。

注6：ORAC是氧化自由基吸收能力（Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity）的缩写，氧化自由基吸收能力又称为抗氧化能力。

注7：因为西梅具有促进大肠蠕动，纾缓便秘的功效，常用于帮助排便，因此人们容易把其与疗养院（的老人）及卫浴联系到一起。