Weeks 2 & 3 Superfoods Are… Beans & Asparagus!

Mat, the fitness director at the Northwest CT YMCA made two good choices for the superfood of the week for the Fitness Commitment Challenge. Beans were the food of choice for Week 2 and Asparagus is for Week 3.

It's important to incorporate beans in your diet everyday. Famous nutritarian Dr. Fuhrman claims that beans prevent colon cancer and may prevent diabetes. Beans contain fiber, protein, folate, potassium and magnesium, among other nutrients.

There are so many varieties of beans you can have. Personally, my favorites are black beans and red kidney beans. There's also lima beans, string beans, cranberry beans, etc. The only bean I recommend avoiding is soybeans. Most of the soybean crops are genetically modified in America.

Asparagus is definitely a superfood you'll want to eat as well. Ten ounces of this vegetable contain 9 grams of protein, along with minerals like selenium, zinc, calcium, copper, and manganese; it's also rich in folate.

I do eat beans nearly everyday. I should eat more asparagus but I do have it once in a while. It would be impossible to eat every superfood in your diet everyday. The more super foods you incorporate into your diet daily, the healthier you'll be, as long as you eliminate the bad foods from your diet too!