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Yes it's a new year, and we all want to be thinner, more fit, and
healthier. One concrete step we can take is to eat foods that offer us the most
overall benefit to accomplish our goals (notice, we're talking about what we
can add to our diet, not take away!). So, this week's tip is a list of "Our
Top Ten" favorite foods that is, which are healthy, contribute to
disease prevention, aid our weight management efforts, and are delicious
especially if we use some creativity! So, when I say our top ten, I am
referring to the foods that "I" recommend eating regularly (with a
few not-as healthy foods eaten in-between). I hope you'll choose to make them
your top ten too.
Here goes
just a quick look at our top ten:
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Yogurt:
As close to a #1 food as it gets, my motto is "
A Yogurt a Day". Loaded with nutrients such as high quality
bone building calcium, high quality protein, vital B vitamins with
healthy immune boosting bacteria (the kind that line our gastrointestinal
tract). A great food, snack or snack topping, it's portable and easy to
find. Now studies indicate that those of us who have diets high in low fat
dairy products, have an easier time staying trim!
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Oatmeal:
Yes, oatmeal! And not just in cold snowy weather. It is a great source of
a long lasting stick- to -the ribs energy food all year long, full
of good energy carbs, vitamins, minerals and fiber with heart health
benefits (not just a slogan, but scientifically proven).
-
Salmon:
Higher in fat than our other fishes, but the Omega-3 fatty acids that are
essential to our skin, brain, heart and arteries to name a few. What more can
we ask for in a tasty fatty food?
-
Legumes:
I Label these beans as a "Powerhouse
Food" in one of my tips. Legumes are a powerful energy
food with vitamins, minerals, iron, B vitamins, and fiber along with an
almost equal proportion of quality protein included in the list of meat
alternatives. Legumes also contain a high proportion of soluble and insoluble
fiber, disease fighting phytochemicals and just like oatmeal, they
stick to our ribs leaving us fuller longer.
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Cabbage:
Okay, I can hear it now, ugh cabbage? Cabbage is a cruciferous veggie just as
is Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. I chose cabbage because of its
versatility. Cruciferous vegetables contain several cancer fighting
phytochemicals
as well as loads of other nutrients. Cabbage can be eaten whole
or shredded, raw or cooked, and it can be added to soups, salads, and
sandwiches. I add raw red cabbage every day to my dinner salads, and not
only am I getting full, but I'm chewing my way to lean-ness.
-
Tomato:
The tomato's recent claim to fame is its high content of Lycopene, a
disease fighting phytochemical known especially to be helpful in the fight
against prostate cancer. And since the tomato is so popular, versatile,
widely available, tasty raw or cooked, I rate it a "Superstar
Food". Feeding your prostate? Drink tomato juice (a
great natural appetite suppressant when arriving at a restaurant) and eat
lot's of tomato sauce.
-
Spinach:
While spinach has made the top ten list, it's not for its iron content which is not
fully absorbed into our body (sorry Popeye). However, when it comes to
"Feeding our Eyes", spinach contains all the right
phytochemicals. In fact, the retina in our eyes has the highest concentration
of phytochemical pigments that need replenishing especially as we age. Spinach
also contains loads of B vitamins so it's healthy for our heart, our nerves and
vital for new cell growth (hear about folate recently for prevention of
neurological disease in newborns?).
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Sweet
Potatoes:
Sweet, starchy and loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C and our valuable
B's, this potato is only about 120 calories for an average 5 incher. If we
get creative, we can have one as a mini meal (great stuffed), snack, or make
them baked as fries, or even chips. Don't we just love potatoes?
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Popcorn:
Popcorn, you ask? Yes, snack foods are important, so popcorn heads the list.
Crunchy, low calorie, very low fat (if hot air popped!), and it takes a longer
time to eat than other snack foods (valuable for us overeaters) . Popcorn has
the highest amount of fiber for a snack food too. So, popcorn is not
just for movies!
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Banana:
The banana made my list since almost everyone loves bananas, but most of us
think that they are fattening! Well, at about 120 calories for a medium
one, loaded with potassium, vitamin C, sweet and starchy, they make my list.
Bananas are also versatile. Satisfy the starch urge by adding them to a fruit
salad or cereal; thicken up a smoothie; stuff one in a bag to go; eat one on
the run and even buy one at those fruit stands (we're less likely to get food
poisoning from a banana because of the peel).
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Cottage
Cheese: Okay, this makes 11 foods, but I couldn't resist. For
those of us who can get past the "diet category" of cottage cheese, it
makes a great substitute for many cheeses. I love cheese and for me, low-fat
cottage cheese can substitute for goat cheese in a salad, or ricotta in a pasta
dish, American cheese in an egg omelet, and of course I even add it to my
oatmeal. Let's not forget that I make my low fat egg salad recipe with it.
Cottage cheese is high in protein, calcium and when we choose the low fat kind
( I love Friendship because it's creamy), we've got a great source of a dairy
food. Can we give cottage cheese a chance?
So there it is, just some of the foods that make "Our
Top Ten" list to eat more often, which might be easier to do than
what many of us focus on, not eating all those "bad" tasty foods. Here's
to our Health!
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