We all strive to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. In a perfect world, healthy eating habits would be enough to ensure that we are taking in the required levels of the various vitamins, minerals and other nutrients our bodies need.

However, today's world is far from perfect. Our land is made up of depleted soils that result in substandard crops of fruits and vegetables. The increasing use of additives can be seen by looking at the labels of most every item you see on a grocery shelf. And most every food prepared in restaurants or prepackaged for our convenience utilizes unhealthy combinations of refined sugar and stale vegetable oils.

It's almost impossible to maintain a healthy diet without supplementing your "normal" eating habits. Superfoods offer a quick and easy way to fill in the gaps in our diet.

Superfoods are substances that naturally contain high concentrations of valuable nutrients. In today's fast food world, they are essential to ensure that we take in even the minimum of what our bodies need to operate efficiently.

Superfoods include foods that are high in fat soluble vitamins such as unprocessed eggs, fish, and organ meat. They also include whole grains, which are even more nutritionally enhanced after being soaked in warm water. And of course, there are many herbs that fall into the superfood category. They typically work to strengthen the body's immune system and regulate chemical levels.

There are superfoods powerful enough to lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, and, as an added extra, put you in a better mood. All with absolutely no side effects. Sound too good to be true? Guess what? These life-altering superfoods are available right now in your local supermarket or health food shop.

Unlike drugs, you don't have to worry about focusing on specific foods for specific ailments. A healthy diet that includes a variety of the following superfoods will help you fight disease, maintain a healthy weight, and live longer.

One thing they do all have in common? They are all "real" unprocessed food. You won't find "fortified" breakfast cereal in the superfood category.

Some popular superfoods offering powerful health boosts and immune system protection:

* Blueberries
* Beans
* Oats (raw)
* Oranges
* Pumpkin
* Salmon (wild)
* Soy
* Spinach
* Turkey
* Walnuts
* Yogurt
* Tea (green or black)

In addition, you can find many supplements that provide many of the benefits found in the natural superfoods. Many, packaged in pill, powder, or liquid form, focus on combining the essential nutrients found in the green plant family. Others focus on the nutrients found in fruits and berries.

Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting many of the lesser known superfoods that offer even higher concentrations of vital vitamins and nutrients than the foods listed above. These include substances such as bee pollen, wheat grass, noni juice, and blue-green algae. There are a wide range of sources for these superfoods, both in natural form, as well as in packaged supplements.