Bacon

Bacon is the number one super food because it’s a breakfast favorite already. EVERYONE loves bacon and the only reason someone would avoid it is because they’re afraid its unhealthy.

Ironically, after years of being on the top 5 deadliest foods list the evidence is now overwhelming in its favor. The war on saturated fat is now over and we see the health benefits of fat emerging in recent studies. This article alone seals the deal with the history and the facts.

Bacon is a cured meat full of fat, protein, sodium (which is also health and NOT bad for you) and a ton of vitamins. Bacon is very filling and extremely versatile as a super food. It can be packed in a ziplock bag as a healthy snack, put over salads, made for breakfast, and as a garnish crumbled over any dish really.

A lot of people are concerned with the nitrates and nitrites used to cure bacon, but rest assured that there is nothing wrong with nitrates and nitrites. In fact, our saliva alone holds more nitrites and nitrates than a pound of bacon. Vegetables, especially leafy vegetables like spinach contain more nitrites and nitrates than bacon! I wrote an article about this explain it in details.

Liver

This is the exact opposite of bacon. This is the cut of meat everyone hates. Liver has a terrible aftertaste and doesn’t smell too good when being cooked. Liver is pretty damn bloody for a super food as well. Let me tell you something though; liver is the single healthiest super food out there.

Liver is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients provide the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins. Just look at this chart below comparing liver to other foods.

	APPLE (100 g)	CARROTS (100 g)	RED MEAT (100 g)	BEEF LIVER (100 g)
Calcium	3.0 mg	3.3 mg	11.0 mg	11.0 mg
Phosphorus	6.0 mg	31.0 mg	140.0 mg	476.0 mg
Magnesium	4.8 mg	6.2 mg	15.0 mg	18.0 mg
Potassium	139.0 mg	222.0 mg	370.0 mg	380.0 mg
Iron	.1 mg	.6 mg	3.3 mg	8.8 mg
Zinc	.05 mg	.3 mg	4.4 mg	4.0 mg
Copper	.04 mg	.08 mg	.18 mg	12.0 mg
Vitamin A	None	None	40 IU	53,400 IU
Vitamin D	None	None	Trace	19 IU
Vitamin E	.37 mg	.11 mg	1.7 mg	.63 mg
Vitamin C	7.0 mg	6.0 mg	None	27.0 mg
Thiamin	.03 mg	.05 mg	.05 mg	.26 mg
Riboflavin	.02 mg	.05 mg	.20 mg	4.19 mg
Niacin	.10 mg	.60 mg	4.0 mg	16.5 mg
Pantothenic Acid	.11 mg	.19 mg	.42 mg	8.8 mg
Vitamin B6	.03 mg	.10 mg	.07 mg	.73 mg
Folic Acid	8.0 mcg	24.0 mcg	4.0 mcg	145.0 mcg
Biotin	None	.42 mcg	2.08 mcg	96.0 mcg
Vitamin B12	None	None	1.84 mcg	111.3 mcg

Oysters

Why oysters? Just four medium sized Pacific oysters supply a power ball of B-vitamins (including over 1000% of daily B12), 1200 IU of vitamin A, a third of daily folate, almost 7 mg of vitamin E, 3 mg copper, 280% of daily selenium, and 33 mg zinc. Compare that with the chart above and you’ll see that it’s on par with the red meat and liver!

Don’t forget that four medium oysters also come with 18 g protein, 4 g fat, 1.5 g omega-3, 0.1 g omega-6, and 9 grams of carbohydrates (natural glycogen stores).

Oysters are an acquired taste though. Some people find a fresh oyster with a little lemon irresistible, while others gag at the texture. If you’re one of the lucky ones who like oysters, then by all means shuck away!

Red Meat

Ah, red meat. Who doesn’t love a well marbled steak? Now that we took out the trash (saturated fat myth), lets focus on the good stuff. Scrolling back up to the liver nutrient density log, you can see that red meat is actually in second place to liver, triumphing over the rest.

Now B vitamins, vitamin D, and most of the trace minerals are just as high in white meat as in red. However, red meat does have significantly more b12, iron, and zinc than white meat, and those things alone are enough to set it apart. Where red meat really shines, though, is in its fatty acid profile.

The fat of ruminants comprises approximately equal parts of saturated and monounsaturated fat, with only a small amount of polyunsaturated fat. The unique ruminant digestive system ensures that these proportions stay relatively constant, regardless of what the animal eats. This makes red meat a better choice than pork or poultry for those that cannot afford pasture-raised meat, because you will still be getting mostly saturated and monounsaturated fats.

Kefir

kefir is one of my favorite super foods (bacon is my number one favorite of course!). Kefir is a powerhouse of many vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids that promote healing and repair, as well as general health maintenance. Kefir contains high levels of thiamin, B12, calcium, folates and Vitamin K2. It is a good source of biotin, a B vitamin that helps the body absorb other B vitamins.

The complete proteins in kefir are already partially digested, and are therefore more easily utilized by the body. Like many other dairy products, kefir is a great source of minerals like calcium and magnesium, as well as phosphorus, which helps the body metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy.

Kefir’s best known health benefit however, is that it is a potent probiotic. It consists of both bacterial and yeast species of beneficial flora, and may help protect against gastrointestinal diseases. It has also been shown to improve lactose digestion in adults with lactose intolerance. Probiotics help in regulating, strengthening and repairing the immune system as well as our digestive system.

In addition to providing the gut with healthy symbiotic microflora, many studies have also demonstrated the anti-fungal and antibacterial properties of kefir. Certain bacteria strains from the kefir culture have been shown to help in treating colitis by regulating the inflammatory response of the intestinal cells.

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