3 Reasons To Eat Sardines!

Not only are sardines delicious, filling, and convenient (you can find canned sardines almost anywhere), they are also packed with nutrients! Here are three great reasons to eat sardines!

1. Sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids is linked to numerous health benefits. According to the book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and Why, "Epidemiologic studies in the United States report that a mere 1/2 gram a day of these fats can significantly decrease cardiovascular risk. Omega-3s help with mood, thinking, circulation, and glucose and insulin metabolism; they lower blood pressure; and they protect against heart disease." 

3 Good Reasons To Eat More Eat Omega-3 Fatty Acids!

2. Sardines are rich in calcium. Not only is calcium essential for strong bones and teeth, it's also important for your muscles, blood clotting, and nervous system. It also plays an important role in the release of hormones. Not getting enough calcium can lead to weakened bones and an increased risk of osteoporosis. 

3. Sardines are a good source of selenium. Selenium is an important cancer-fighting mineral. 

While sardines are a very healthy food to eat, it is worth noting that you avoid sardines that are packed in vegetable oil, which is often highly processed and terrible for you. Looked for sardines packed in their own oil, olive oil, or tomato or mustard sauce.  
We hope you found this information helpful. Don't forget to follow Eat Groovy on Twitter (@EatGroovy) for lots of great healthy eating tips!

What 100 Calories of Fruit Really Looks Like

Check out this video by POPSUGAR Fitness to see what 100-calorie portions of your favorite fruits look like! 

Eat Groovy Q&A: Are Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Better For You Than Frozen Ones?

Question: Are Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Better For You Than Frozen Ones?

Answer: No need to feel guilty about buying your veggies frozen! According to SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven Pratt, "Fresh isn't always best. Some canned or frozen vegetables often have the same nutritional content as fresh. Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually flash-frozen just after being harvested, so their nutrients are locked in. Many are available already chopped, which saves you a prep step."

5 Orange Foods To Eat More Of! (Sorry, Cheetos Didn't Make The List!)

Several fruits and vegetables get their bright orange color from a powerful nutrient called beta carotene. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that can be converted by the body into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is very important for good health, especially your vision. Because of its antioxidant properties, beta carotene is thought to have powerful anti-cancer properties. It may also help to enhance your immune system and help protect your skin from sun damage. Check out these five beta carotene rich foods and see why else they are good for you!

1) Cantaloupe

In addition to beta carotene, cantaloupe is a great source of the important nutrients vitamin C and potassium. To learn more about why these so good for you check out Why is Getting Enough Vitamin C So Important? and Why Potassium Is Important & Which Foods To Get It From!

2) Pumpkin

In addition to being a great source of both beta-carotene and alpha carotene, pumpkin is a low calorie source of fiber, potassium, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C. In SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven Pratt, M.D., pumpkin is called "one of the most nutritionally valuable foods known to man"! If you're interested in trying some delicious new pumpkin recipes, check out this Pumpkin Gingerbread Smoothie Recipe, Pumpkin Pancake Recipe, or Light Pumpkin Bread From Cooking Light!

3) Carrots

In addition to beta carotene, carrots are a good source of fiber, manganese, niacin, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. 

Fun Fact: Carrots were originally purple, red white, and yellow. The orange carrot was invented by the Dutch by crossbreeding red and yellow carrots in honor of the Dutch royal family. For a few more fun facts about carrots check out 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Carrots!

4. Sweet Potatoes

In addition to beta carotene, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, B6, manganese, potassium, and fiber. Also, sweet potatoes may enhance your memory! According to 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto, "Rats who ate purple-fleshed sweet potatoes showed significant improvement in cognitive function, which may be attributed to the anthocyanins present in the potato." More studies are needed to determine if this also applies to humans, but those results are certainly promising! 

5. Oranges

In addition to being a great source of vitamin C, oranges contain citrus flavonoids that have numerous potential health benefits. According to SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, "Citrus flavonoids have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth, strengthen capillaries, act as anti-inflammatories, and they antiallergenic and antimicrobial. Flavonoid intake is inversely associated with the incidence of heart attack and stroke as well as a host of other ailments."

Why Citrus Fruits May Be One Of The Best Cancer Fighting Food Types

Promising studies suggest that naturally occurring substances in citrus fruits may have powerful cancer fighting properties. According to 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto, "In laboratory tests, citrus limonoids have been shown to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon, and human neuroblastoma tumors, which occur most often in children. Next to cranberries, lemons exerted the highest antiproliferation activities on vitro human liver cancer cells. Because of limonoids' ability to stay in the bloodstream for an extended period of time, researchers believe that they may be better suited for suppressing cancer cell growth than other nutrients (In comparison, phenols in green tea typically stay in one's system for only four to six hours)."