TEA

Just when you thought your morning cup of coffee couldn’t get better…THIS. (

Past research has shown coffee is packed with antioxidants and their subsequent benefits, potentially preventing conditions like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Now, a new study suggests a chemical compound found in coffee might protect against a host of obesity-related diseases, as well.

So, what’s this buzzy nutrient in your cup of joe?

It’s a potent antioxidant called chlorogenic acid (CGA), which scientists focused on in a new study published in Pharmaceutical Research. For 15 weeks, the researchers fed mice a high-fat diet while also injecting them with a chlorogenic acid solution twice a week. Not only did the CGA prevent the mice from gaining weight during the test period, but the effects against obesity were also promising.

“We found that CGA significantly blocked the development of high fat diet-induced obesity, and in the meantime, CGA treatment curbed obesity-related metabolic syndrome, such as fatty liver and insulin resistance,” lead study author Yongjie Ma, a postdoctoral research associate in University of Georgia’s College of Pharmacy, told Yahoo Health.

Since 60 percent of adults in the U.S. are now obese or overweight, and the condition is ever-expanding, there is an increased demand for safe and effective strategies to curb the problem and its associated diseases.

“Coffee is one of the most widely-consumed beverages, and has shown benefits to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer,” he said. “We tried to find the component in coffee which exerts these effects.”

Zeroing in on CGA to counter the negative effects of obesity-related conditions makes sense, as scientists have suspected CGA helps reduce inflammation, and obesity-related illnesses often result in chronic inflammation. Ma hopes the research is a first step in developing better treatments for a growing problem. However, there are a couple caveats to the study. First off, the researchers worked with mice. Secondly, they injected the mice with a high dose of CGA, a lot more than you’d get in a standard cup of java.

Ma explained that the research is preliminary, and he’s not suggesting people load up on excess coffee. That said, CGA is a powerful antioxidant for reducing inflammation, as well as improving glucose and lipid metabolism. Getting a modest amount of the compound into your diet — a typical coffee drinker consumes roughly a half a gram to one gram per day — can’t hurt. Enjoy your morning roast with that in mind. And even if you’re not a coffee drinker, CGA is also found in fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, tomatoes and blueberries.

Beyond this new research, considering coffee’s nutrient profile and supposed-benefit list as a whole, there’s more and more reason to get your daily dose (if you’re a fan).

Good food

The first step to eating healthier is making sure your kitchen is stocked with good-for-you foods. There are plenty of healthy pantry staples that don’t spoil quickly, so you can buy them periodically and always have them at the ready. Here are 10 great foods—from hummus to chocolate bars—to keep around for a healthy lifestyle.

A Light Salad Dressing
I use Litehouse OPA dressing—it’s made with Greek yogurt for a lighter take on blue cheese and ranch flavors. It’s also gluten-free, made with no artificial ingredients, and has less than 1 gram of sugar. Drizzle lightly on top of your favorite salads, or use as a creamy dip for dunking raw veggies. It works well on tacos too.

Flax Oil
Organic flax oil is a vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO food that is packed with nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids. Add it to dressings, yogurt, oatmeal, and smoothies for a boost of nutrients in every spoonful.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Bars
For a healthier sweet, try Enjoy Life dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free chocolate bars. In both dark and rice-milk flavors, these bars are a tasty guilt-free dessert. Enjoy alone, or try the crunchy chocolate bar crumbled on top of Greek yogurt for dessert!

Hemp HeartsHemp hearts are super seeds that have 10 grams of protein and 10 grams of omegas per serving—even more than chia seeds or flaxseeds. You can add hemp hearts to cereal, smoothies, salads, or yogurt for a boost of nutrition.

Hummus
Hummus is a tasty, creamy dip that can be paired with almost anything. I like Sabra’s Olive Tapenade Hummus along with chopped veggies or using it as a spread on pizzas or on sandwiches in place of mayo.

Avocado
Avocados are a great go-to food because they come ready to eat. Slice a ripe avocado in half, remove the pit, and sprinkle with lime juice, salt, and pepper for a snack you can make in under a minute. You can also add avocados to salads, sandwiches, omelets, toast, or tacos for delicious flavor and a serving of heart-healthy fats.

Chickpea Miso Paste
Chickpea miso paste is an alternative to soy-based miso that can be used in many of the same recipes. Whether you have soy allergies or just want something healthier—chickpeas are one of the most easily digested beans—add this flavorful paste to soups, dressings, and marinades for a salty boost.

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
Stock vinegars such as balsamic and apple cider for dressings and marinades. Both contain probiotics that help with digestion as well as antioxidants to counter the effects of free radicals. Drizzle them on your salad or fruit bowl, or make your own dressing with fresh herbs.

Freshly Squeezed Citrus Juice
Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits—citrus fruits add flavor to everything from meat to water. Whether you’re adding zesty lemon flavor to a salmon filet or adding a boost of lime flavor to your water, citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C, folate, and potassium.

Almond Butter
Almond butter stores well (in the pantry or fridge) and is the ideal protein boost when you’re on the go. Add almond butter to toast, cereal, and apple slices.

Breast reduction surgery

Marks shows off her new look after her breast reduction, a procedure she says improved her quality of life “by 100 percent.” (Debbie Porter Photography)

A few weeks ago, Kerisha Marks walked a charity 5K in 49 minutes — a personal best that prompted her to quip on Facebook, “These breasts are made for walking.” In the past, the same distance would have taken her over an hour and a half to complete. What changed? She had a breast reduction. 

Before the October procedure, Marks, 40, wore a size 36NNN bra. “I’ve always had really large breasts,” she told Yahoo Health. “I was an H cup in high school.”

But in 2007, after Marks had a stillborn baby, her breasts began to grow at an increasingly rapid rate, until she reached her current size. “I wondered if it was something medical, but everybody just said it was genetic,” Marks said. “My cousin had very large breasts. So did my aunt. They opted to have surgery years ago, but I was not mentally prepared for surgery.”

For seven years, Kerisha Marks struggled to find size 36NNN bras. Now, after surgery, she feels “normal” for the first time. (Debbie Porter Photography) 

However, the weight of her breasts was taking an undeniable toll on her both physically and emotionally. There were the hurtful — often inappropriate — comments from strangers, usually men. And, of course, back spasms and migraines from the pain. Once, when Marks took off her bra, the strain of her unsupported breasts caused her to pull a muscle. “I thought I was having a heart attack,” she said.

Not surprisingly, her breasts restricted her ability to exercise. “There was never a sports bra big enough to fit me,” Marks recalled. “I had 15 pounds removed — that’s like an eight-pound baby on one side and seven-pound baby on the other. That slows you down.”

Related: Want to Banish Bra Fat? We Have Your Back

It was an incident this past summer that finally prompted Marks to contact Dr. Franklin Rose, a renowned plastic surgeon in Houston, Texas. She noticed a lump in her armpit, and afraid that it was cancerous, she scheduled a mammogram. “It turned out the lump was breast tissue,” Marks said. “The breast tissue didn’t have anywhere else to go, so it started to go underneath my armpit.” That’s when she knew it was time to take the leap and schedule a surgery. “I was turning 40, and I just started to think about regret,” she said. “I didn’t want to get in my 60s and my breasts be sitting in my lap, and say, ‘I wish I’d done something when I was younger.’”

Kerisha Marks, before surgery (Courtesy of Dr. Franklin Rose)

Marks had long assumed that she just had large breasts, but Rose diagnosed her with “gigantomastia,” a condition that can occur in women or men, in which there is massive overgrowth of the breasts. “[Marks’s] breasts were literally about the size of three basketballs,” Rose told Yahoo Health. “I’ve done about 8,000 breast procedures — augmentations, lifts, reductions — and hers were really the largest breasts I’ve ever come across in clinical practice in over 30 years.”

The medical community hasn’t agreed on a threshold at which large breasts cross over to gigantomastia, which Rose estimates occurs in about 8 percent of women. Some consider anything beyond an EEE bra size to be gigantomastia. One study defined the condition by weight: If a woman’s breasts exceed 3 percent of her body weight, she should be diagnosed with gigantomastia, the researchers said. “Some plastic surgeons say that if you can anticipate removing 1,500 grams per breast, which is a little over three pounds, that’s gigantomastia,” said Dr. Kendall Roehl, a board-certified plastic surgeon. “Others would say it has to be more than 2,000 grams. So there is no true way to definitively diagnose it.”

The cause of the condition is equally unclear, although doctors speculate that both genetics and hormones play a role. “It’s not really well understood,” said Rose. What is painfully obvious is the physical harm that the condition can cause. “Patients get back pain, neck pain,” he said. “[Marks] would have developed severe spinal curvature, known as kyphosis, which means ‘hunchback.’ She would have literally been stooped at her waist, because nobody can support all of that extra weight for an extended period of time.”

Related: Sculpt Curves Like Kate Upton’s: Insider Tips From Her Trainer

Perhaps because the condition is so ill-defined — and also because breast reduction is sometimes deemed a cosmetic procedure — health insurance providers often refuse to cover surgery for women with gigantomastia. In fact, Marks was denied coverage for a breast reduction in the past, which is why Rose offered to perform the procedure for free. “The insurance carriers have ever-changing targets,” Rose said. “When I started practicing, a 350-, 400-gram reduction per breast would be considered medically necessary.” That number keeps growing, he said. 

Several weeks after the surgery, how does Marks feel? “When I first got home, I did cry. I mourned them,” she admitted, comparing the loss she felt to a bad divorce or even a death. “They were with me my entire adult life, so looking in the mirror and not seeing them was a bit shocking.” But now she knows with 100 percent certainty that she made the right decision. “It’s like my light was dimmed, and now it’s shining bright, because I feel normal,” she told Yahoo Health. “I want to go out to Victoria’s Secret, somewhere I can get a nice, beautiful bra. I’m waiting for that ultimate moment.”

science reveals

Clearing the air: New science reveals that toking up may be more addictive than previously thought. 

Although there’s a lot of buzz about marijuana being nonaddictive, the evidence is stacking up that people can — and do — become dependent on the drug. A study released earlier this year, for example, found that 40 percent of marijuana users in an outpatient treatment program showed signs of withdrawal, a classic indicator of addiction. Now, new research in the journal PNAS sheds light on how lighting up changes the brain — and potentially primes people for withdrawal. 

It’s long been known that exposure to THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in pot, can lead to changes in the brain. Problem is, different studies have shown different structural alterations, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly how the stuff affects people mentally. That’s why a group of researchers decided to use three different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to examine the brains of 48 chronic marijuana users and 62 nonusers, while also assessing IQ and negative life consequences of pot smoking.

The most obvious difference: The people who regularly toked up had less volume in the orbitofrontal gyri. This brain region is part of the orbitofrontal cortex, “one of the primary areas within the reward system, which is basically a network of brain regions implicated in the addiction process,” said study author Francesca Filbey, an addiction researcher at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. “More specifically, the orbitofrontal cortex is important for decision-making. This is the area of the brain that would learn something is good for us or bad for us.”

So why does pot cause shrinkage in this area? Simple: The orbitofrontal cortex is highly concentrated with cannabinoid receptors, the places in your brain where THC binds. As a result, it’s much more vulnerable to the effects of a chronic flood of the substance. In animal studies, “the number of those receptors decreased as a result of THC exposure as a way to regain balance in that system,” Filbey told Yahoo Health. “So too much THC basically leads to lower numbers of those receptors in the brain.”

It’s this effect that gives credence to the “pot is addictive” camp. As Filbey explained, the fewer cannabinoid receptors a marijuana user has, the more THC he requires to achieve the desired high. “This really describes tolerance,” she said. “Around 10 percent of users, on average, report changes in tolerance and also increased craving and withdrawal.” The marijuana users in this study weren’t just casual smokers — they used the drug at least four times per week.

Although this study may help illuminate the addiction process, the findings are a little hazier when it comes to how these brain changes affect people’s behavior and intelligence, if at all. The researchers did find that marijuana users scored lower on an IQ test than non-users did. But as tempting as it is to link this to the changes in their brains, the researchers weren’t able to firmly establish that connection, suggesting there’s another factor behind the users’ lower IQs. One possibility: “If these individuals were using during their adolescent years, then they may have missed a lot of the verbal knowledge that IQ is testing for,” Filbey said. 

And, incredibly, the brain seems capable of compensating for the volume loss associated with consistent marijuana use: The pot smokers showed increased connectivity in the orbitofrontal cortex. What does that mean, exactly? “Structural connectivity refers to the actual white matter tracks that connect the gray areas in our brain,” said Filbey. “Functional connectivity is how well brain regions coactivate — if they respond synchronously. This basically suggests there’s greater communication within the network.” The positive effects on connectivity were greatest in people who’d started using marijuana at a young age.

If this sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is — at least if you’ve been toking up for years. After about six years of chronic pot smoking, these compensatory increases in connectivity began to reverse. “[Connectivity] actually started to decline,” Filbey said. “[The brain] isn’t able to sustain itself past continued use of about six years.”

not to eat after exercise

You must have sweated off hundreds of calories during that Spin class, so it’s totally okay to indulge in a bowl of ice cream when you get home—right? Not so fast. Research shows that people tend to reward themselves with rich foods and large portions after exercising, and that they often eat back all of (if not more than) the calories they just burned. There’s nothing wrong with small snack or a filling dinner after exercising, says Emily Brown, RD, a wellness dietitian at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. and former professional runner. But before you dig in, you have to understand your body’s true nutrition needs so you don’t end up gaining weight despite all your hard work. Read on for the smartest ways to refuel—and silence that rumbling belly.

Work out right before a meal
If you’re always hungry after you exercise—regardless of whether you ate beforehand or how many calories you burned—try to schedule your workouts before one of your main meals, says Brown. That way, you can refuel with calories you would have consumed anyway, without having to add extra snacks into your day.

RELATED: Get a Flat Belly in 4 Weeks

This strategy can work regardless of whether you’re a morning, noon, or nighttime exerciser. Have a small snack when you wake up and eat a larger breakfast after your a.m. run; hit the gym at lunchtime and pick up a sandwich on the way back to the office; or prep your dinner ahead of time so you can just heat it up when you get home from an evening barre class.

Make your workout fun
Thinking about exercise less as a chore and more as something you do because you enjoy it can help you eat less afterward, according to a 2014 Cornell University study. Researchers led volunteers on a 1.4—mile walk, telling half of them that it was for exercise and half that it was a scenic stroll. The “exercise” group ate 35% more chocolate pudding for dessert than the “scenic” group. In another experiment, volunteers were given post-walk snacks, and the “exercisers” ate 124% more calories than those who were told it was just for fun.

RELATED: 20 Ways to Make Exercise a Habit That Lasts 

Pair protein and carbs
When you do need a snack to recover from a tough sweat session, Brown recommends a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. “This will allow you to begin to replenish your energy levels and repair muscle damage resulting from the workout,” she says. For workouts less than an hour, keep your snack to 150 to 200 calories total—an open-faced peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a slice of turkey and cheese on crackers, or a handful of trail mix, for example. If you worked out for longer than an hour and aren’t eating a full meal soon, aim for half a gram of carbohydrates for every pound of body weight. A 140-pound person, for example, should refuel with 70 grams of carbs and about 18 grams of protein. (An energy bar or protein shake, plus one of the healthy snacks above, should fit the bill.)

Get milk
Low-fat dairy is another great recovery food with plenty of protein to help tide you over until your next mea., says Jim White, RD, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach. Plus, studies have shown that refueling with dairy—low-fat chocolate milk, specifically—helps improve subsequent athletic performances better than traditional sports drinks.

Stop eating out of habit
Sometimes, overeating after exercise is more a consequence of routine than anything else. “When you consistently consume a 500-calorie smoothie after you finish up at the gym, you start to get into that habit of consuming a smoothie no matter how long or intense your exercise was,” says Brown. Her solution? Choose different snacks for different workouts—the shorter the duration, the fewer calories you need to replenish— and always pay attention to your hunger cues. “It’s important for weight loss and weight maintenance to get in tune with your body and learn to eat in response to hunger, versus eating in response to boredom, stress, or the idea of rewarding yourself for exercising.”

RELATED: 14 Ways to Cut Portions Without Feeling Hungry 

Don’t trust your tracker
Activity trackers like the Fitbit and Jawbone have become a trendy way to estimate physical activity expenditure throughout the day. But a 2014 Iowa State University study found that not all devices are accurate in estimating calorie burn during workouts. The least accurate device, the Basis Band, had an error rate of 23.5%. Even the most accurate trackers can still only provide an estimate of true calorie burn, says Brown, and it’s not smart to base your refueling strategy entirely on their calculations. “You also want to get in the habit of eating in response to hunger and stopping in response to comfortable fullness. This is dictated less by numbers and more by listening to your body.”

Snack throughout the day
It may seem counterintuitive, but eating more throughout the day may be your ticket to consuming fewer calories overall, especially if you tend to pig out post-workout. “Incorporating two to three healthy snacks throughout the day will help regulate hunger between meals, increase energy, and keep metabolism bumped up,” says White.

Health.com: 20 Snacks That Burn Fat 

Don’t overestimate
You may feel like you burned a million calories during your Spin class, but research shows that we tend to overestimate our energy expenditure during exercise—by as much as four-fold, according to a study from the University of Ottawa. When volunteers were then asked to eat back all the calories they’d just burned, they tended to consume two to three times more than what they’d actually expended. One high-tech way to prevent overestimating your calorie burn: wear a heart-rate monitor. Most of these include a sensor worn around your chest and a wristwatch, which sync together wirelessly. Still, if your heart-rate monitor says you burned 600 calories, that’s not automatically an excuse to scarf down a 600-calorie sundae. “If you are trying to lose weight, you will need to consume fewer calories than you expend,” Brown says.

Drink water as soon as you’re done
Replacing the fluids you lost during a workout should be priority number one, Matt Fitzgerald, a certified sports nutritionist and author of Diet Cults and The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition. “Having a lot of water in the belly also reduces appetite—not a lot, but a little,” he says. “Guzzle water as soon as you walk in the door to quench your thirst and take up space in your tummy.” Just don’t consume massive quantities. Taking in too much water (or any fluid) can cause water intoxication due to excessively low levels of salt in the body.

RELATED: 14 Surprising Reasons You’re Dehydrated 

Ask yourself if you really need to eat
You’ve probably heard that it’s important to eat something immediately after your workout to help your muscles recover. But the truth is, you might not need to, says Brown. Say you’ve just finished up a tough run and you know you’d like to hit the gym for weight training in the morning. In that case, yes you should have something to eat. “But if you’re taking a few days off before your next hard workout, you probably don’t need to worry about refueling quickly,” Brown explains. If you’re not hungry, then don’t force yourself to eat, she says. “You’re going to eat those calories eventually, so why not save them for your next meal when you’re actually hungry?”

Refuel along the way
For workouts lasting longer than two hours—like a long bike ride or a marathon training run—sucking down a gel or sipping a sports drink will keep you from feeling ravenous afterward. “Research has shown that people eat fewer calories after exercise when they take in carbs during exercise,” says Fitzgerald. “In fact, their total calorie intake for the 24-hour period that includes the workout comes out to be slightly lower if they fuel up during it.” (Also important: You won’t run out of steam halfway through your training session.) Try to consume 30 to 60 grams of carbs—that’s 120 to 240 calories—every hour after your first hour. Avoid anything with protein, since it takes longer to for the stomach to digest.

Energy Drinks

Thousands of kids have faced serious — and potentially deadly — side effects after consuming energy drinks, new research shows. 

More than 5,000 cases of people who got sick from energy drinks were reported to U.S. poison control centers between 2010 and 2013, and almost half of those cases were in children who did not realize what they were drinking, according to research that will be presented Monday (Nov. 17) at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

Many of these cases involved serious side effects, such as seizures, irregular heart rhythms or dangerously high blood pressure, the researchers found. And it was children under age 6 who often consumed the beverages without knowing what they were drinking.

"They didn’t go to a store and buy it; they found it in the refrigerator, or left by a parent or an older sibling," said study co-author Dr. Steven Lipshultz, the pediatrician in chief at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Dangerous drinks?

Energy drinks typically contain high levels of sugar and at least as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. But the drinks also often tout the energy-boosting effects of a mix of other ingredients, ranging from taurine and l-carnitine, naturally occurring amino acisd, to ginseng (a Chinese herb typically used in alternative medicine). But despite this “special blend” of ingredients, studies suggest energy drinks don’t boost attention any better than a cup of coffee does.

Energy drinks can have nasty side effects, too. In 2007, Lipshultz began noticing that children and adults who had consumed energy drinks were coming into the emergency room sick. He began to wonder if a troubling new trend was occurring. So he and his colleagues began tracking data from poison control centers around the world.

In 2011, he and his colleagues reported that cases of illness associated with energy-drink consumption had skyrocketed, with side effects such as heart problems, liver damage, seizures and even death. In a separate study, the U.S. government found that emergency-room visits related to energy-drink consumption grew exponentially between 2005 and 2011, Lipshultz said.

Now, to see whether the trend has changed more recently, Lipshultz and his colleagues analyzed case reports from all U.S. poison control centers between October 2010 and September 2013.

They found that 5,156 cases had been reported to the centers, with about 40 percent involving kids younger than age 6.

In addition, the drinks that included certain additives, such as amino acids and plant extracts, tended to cause more severe problems than those that only included the powdered form of caffeine. The extracts may contain additional caffeine that isn’t tallied on the beverage’s label. Moreover, the extracts may contain compounds that haven’t been studied well and that could be causing additional, unknown effects, especially when consumed in combination with many other additives and caffeine, Lipshultz said.

"You can’t really dissect out what is the effect of ginseng, what is the effect of taurine, what is the effect of guarana, what is the effect of caffeine,” Lipshultz said.

Better labeling?

Most people aren’t aware of energy drinks’ potential to have serious side effects. As a result, parents and siblings may leave the beverages accessible, unknowingly putting young children at risk.

"If you ask most people, they’d say teenagers and young adults drink it, but children may be more susceptible," Lipshultz told Live Science.

Labeling energy drinks with something similar to the Surgeon General’s warning that appears on cigarettes or alcohol could help reduce some of these unintentional exposures, Lipshultz said.

Children and adults with underlying risk factors (such as a seizure disorder, arrhythmia or a predisposition to high blood pressure), as well as caregivers of those children, should also know the risks and be advised not to consume energy drinks, Lipshultz said.

best healthier food

In the world of marketing, image is everything. If you’re James Franco or Roger Federer or Taylor Swift, your name and face can be used to sell anything from phones to watches to perfume—even if you’re not necessarily famous for the your tech-savvy, your promptness, or the way you smell.  

In the food world, the biggest celebrity of all might be kale—the Shakira of salads, the Lady Gaga of leafy greens. It’s universally recognized that kale anything—kale chips, kale pesto, kale face cream—instantly imparts a health halo. Even 7-Eleven is making over its image by offering kale cold-pressed juices. And yes, kale has plenty of benefits—including high levels of folate and more calcium, gram for gram, than a cup of milk. (It’s head and shoulders above these items found in our Eat This, Not That! Special Report: “Health” Foods Worse for You Than a Donut.)

Still, kale’s actually not the healthiest green on the block. In fact, in a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47 “powerhouse fruits and vegetables,” kale placed only 15th (with 49.07 points out of 100 for nutrient density)! Here’s a roundup of the 10 leafy green cousins that researchers say pack a greater nutritional wallop. Read ’em, eat ’em, and reap the benefits.  

 SUPERFOOD #10 Collard Greens

Nutrition Score: 62.49

A staple vegetable of Southern U.S. cuisine, collard greens also boast incredible cholesterol-lowering benefits — especially when steamed. A recent study published in the journal Nutrition Research compared the effectiveness of the prescription drug Cholestyramine to steamed collards. Incredibly, the collards improved the body’s cholesterol-blocking process by 13 percent more than the drug! Of course, that won’t do you any good if you insist on serving them with ham hocks.

SUPERFOOD #9 Romaine Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 63.48

Even more so than its cousin kale, the humble Romaine lettuce packs high levels of folic acid, a water-soluble form of Vitamin B that’s proven to boost male fertility. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found supplemental folic acid to significantly increase sperm counts. Get the man in your life to start craving Caesar salads, and you may soon have a baby Julius on board. (Ladies, this green packs health benefits for you, too! Folate also plays a role in battling depression, so change out your kale for Romaine and, while you’re at it, stock up on these other 8 Foods That Boost Your Mood.)

SUPERFOOD #8 Parsley

Nutrition Score: 65.59

Yes, that leafy garnish that sits on the side of your plate—the one they throw away after you eat the rest of your meal—is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K. Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley may help control your appetite. A study in the journal Flavour found participants ate significantly less of a dish that smelled strongly of spice than a mildly scented version of the same food. Adding herbs, like parsley, creates the sensory illusion that you’re indulging in something rich—without adding any fat or calories to your plate.

SUPERFOOD #7 Leaf Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 70.73

The nutritional Clark Kent of the salad bar, this common and unsuspecting leafy green is ready to take its place among the superfoods. Two generous cups of lettuce provides 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement for strong, healthy bones. A report from the Nurses’ Health Study suggests that women who eat a serving of lettuce every day cut the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent than when compared with eating just one serving a week. (What other foods might you be underestimating? Find out which are in your kitchen now in our 6 Surprising Superfoods.)

SUPERFOOD #6 Chicory

Nutrition Score: 73.36

Chicory is a family of bitter greens, but its most well-known member is radicchio, the small red or purple leaf that comes in a head about the size of a softball. It’s one of the best dietary sources of polyphenols—powerful micronutrients that serve a role in preventing disease. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red into your leafy greens.

SUPERFOOD #5 Spinach

Nutrition Score: 86.43

Spinach is to kale what Michael Jordan is to LeBron James—the once unrivaled king now overshadowed by the hot new thing. But like MJ, spinach has a few more championship rings than its more current rival—primarily its position as a top source of biceps-building iron. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of the muscle mineral—that’s more than a 6 oz hamburger patty! Recent research also suggest compounds in the leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant. A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of three months. (It’s easy to see why spinach tops our list of the essential 8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day—click here to reveal the other 7.)

SUPERFOOD #4 Beet Greens

Nutrition Score: 87.08

Yes, the stuff they cut off and throw in the garbage before charging you an arm and a leg for “beet salad.” A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed. Try them in stir frys and eat to your heart’s content!

SUPERFOOD #3 Chard

Nutrition Score: 89.27

Chard. Sounds like “burnt.” It’s not as fun a name to drop as, say, “broccolini,” but it might be your best defense against diabetes. Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation.

 Related: 5 Daily Habits That Blast Belly Fat

 SUPERFOOD #2 Chinese Cabbage

Nutrition Score: 91.99

Taking the silver medal in the powerfood Olympics is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage. Rich sources of highly available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the cabbage have the powerful ability to “turn off” inflammation markers thought to promote heart disease. In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent less inflammation than those who ate the fewest.

SUPERFOOD #1 Watercress

Nutrition Score: 100

The top dog, the unrivaled champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams — two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which research suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest daily supplementation of 85 grams of raw watercress (that’s about two cups) could reduce DMA damage linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat may inactivate PEITC, so it’s best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches.