By Andrew Merle
Dr. Rhonda Patrick is one of the world’s leading experts on health, nutrition, and longevity.
Dr. Patrick’s career has included aging research at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. She also trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, where she investigated the effects of micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) inadequacies on metabolism, inflammation, DNA damage, and aging, and whether supplementation can reverse the damage. She did her graduate research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she studied the link between mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis, and cancer.
Dr. Patrick now runs the popular site FoundMyFitness.com, where she is a leading authority on all things health, including exercise, nutrition, fasting, genetics, heat and cold stress, sleep, stress reduction, and more. She has a great podcast of her own, but recently joined Lewis Howes on his School of Greatness podcast. During their interview, Dr. Patrick shared the top 4 foods people should consume every day.
Dr. Patrick recommends an overall diverse diet filled with lots of fermentable fiber (foods such as blueberries, nuts, mushrooms, dark leafy greens, onion, garlic, etc.). But, she says if people simply eat these 4 foods every day, they would be setting themselves up for very good health:
Wild Alaskan Salmon. Wild salmon is very high in EPA and DHA, the Omega-3 fatty acids strongly linked with improved brain functioning, cardiovascular health, and reduced inflammation in the body. If you are going to eat animal products, fish and in particular wild salmon should be at the top of your food list.
Dark Leafy Greens. Dark leafy greens are the next superfood Dr. Patrick recommends because they are loaded with vitamins and minerals that are hard to get from other foods. Dark leafy greens are rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, and contain an abundance of antioxidants, fiber, iron, magnesium, folate, potassium, and calcium. If Dr. Patrick had to choose just one dark leafy green to eat, she’d recommend sautéed kale. Bonus: Eating a large salad every day is associated with the brain being 11 years younger!
Avocado. Avocado is the third food on Dr. Patrick’s daily list. Avocados are abundant with healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, they even have more potassium than bananas.
Blueberries. Blueberries round out Dr. Patrick’s Top 4 list. Another brain food, blueberries have numerous proven health benefits and are the king of all antioxidant foods. They contain high amounts of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and many other nutrients.
Dr. Patrick combines avocado and blueberries in her daily smoothie, which is a great way to check off multiple foods on her list. If she could add a 5th food, it would be broccoli sprouts.
Andrew Merle writes about fitness and health for Medium Magazine. Read more at andrewmerle.com or contact him at andrew.merle@gmail.com.
