If healthy living is important to you, then you’ll be happy to hear that you can actually eat your way to healthy living. Certain foods offer tremendous benefits to our health both immediate and long term, especially when related to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

1. Include legumes (peas, peanuts, beans) into your diet. They are a great source of magnesium, which your body needs to in its role of producing energy for your body.

2. Make spinach your friend. If you consider yourself the salad type, make sure you add spinach to your list of must eat foods. It is an excellent source of iron and it helps to energy filled oxygen to your cells. It is also rich in Vitamin C.

3. Replace white rice with Quinoa. White rice can cause you to have blood sugar crashes leaving you tired and without energy. Because Quinoa is a complex carb, it offers you a stream of energy that continues on. It also contains all nine essential amino acids, which is very rare.

4. Make sure you are eating tons of tomatoes. They are packed with the antioxidant lycopene, which is known to reduce inflammation in your lungs, and reduce allergies.

5. Drink milk that is fortified with Vitamin D. If you are low in Vitamin D you will be more prone to asthma or wheezing. Vitamin D has a protective ability that reduces these symptoms. Vitamin D also boosts the immune systems and builds strong bones.

6. Apples contain the flavonoid quercetin, which is an antioxidant that acts as a natural antihistamine and it can block allergy symptoms.

7. Walnuts are an excellent source of protein and the contain serotonin a chemical that helps to keep you calm and happy. There is new research that indicates that the serotonin can be directly absorbed from food.

8. Eat lots of fish, especially fatty fish like tuna or salmon that are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which can play an important role in the body reducing signs of arthritis, improving cholesterol levels, improving heart health, and improving mood, decreasing depression, and irritability.

9. Make berries your friend. Berries can help to slow the brain’s aging process and the powerful antioxidants can protect you from cancer.

10. Eggs are a great source of choline, an important nutrient needed to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps with memory. Eggs used to worry us as they were said to increase your risk of heart disease, but research has proved this wrong, so don’t worry eat your eggs and your brain will thank you.