Contributed by Nicole Cutler

Eating healthy foods fosters a healthy body. Some foods can even reverse or at least prevent illness from worsening. Seven foods revered for their support of wellness include: 

Almonds – Full of protein and Vitamin E, almonds reduce cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease.

Apples – Their fiber lowers cholesterol and glucose levels. Apples are also rich in Vitamin C which protects your body’s cells and helps maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Blueberries – Loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants, blueberries improve memory and reduce cellular damage associated with aging.

Broccoli – Besides providing calcium, potassium, folate and fiber, broccoli also helps prevent diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Garlic – Its anti-bacterial properties fight infection and garlic’s active ingredient lowers cholesterol and minimizes blood clots from forming

Oats – Commonly advised for diabetics, oats reduce cholesterol while having little effect on blood sugar levels

Wild Salmon – The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon reduce inflammation and help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing blood clots.

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1) It Helps You Learn and Remember.

Your daily cycle from sleep to wakefulness is called your circadian rhythm, and it must be functioning, scientists have learned, in order for you to remember what you’ve learned. A Stanford University study shows that learning retention appears to hinge on how much GABA, a neurochemical, is produced during sleep.

2) It’s Critical for Everything Else.

Regardless of your age, sleeping the right amount of hours and at a consistent time each night is essential. You can do everything else right–eat nutritious meals, exercise, manage stress–but your overall quality of your health will suffer without appropriate sleep. The circadian system regulates your organs, brain, and your muscles.

3) Your Body Clock Helps Regulate Your Weight.

Appetite and eating behavior is affected by the hormones leptin and ghrelin. Lack of sleep decreases leptin and increases ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.

4) A Good Night’s Sleep Helps to Fight Cancer!

Disrupting your Body Clock, inhibits the production of melatonin, a known tumor suppressor. It is also an antioxidant that helps fight free radicals. Without proper melatonin, estrogen levels grow, activating cancer.

5) Proper Sleep Rids Your Body of Stress

Without a proper night’s rest, your body will not regulate its corticosterone, a stress hormone. Elevated levels of this hormone causes muscles to be tense, alters digestive process and affects brain chemistry.

Make sure you go to bed at a predictable time so that your Body Clock can regulate and function properly.