Another book I read recently was called “Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with the 38 healthiest ingredients.”
I wasn’t too sure I wanted to use the recipes—they were a bit too exotic for my family’s taste to a large degree. (Sorry, can’t remember any specific examples.) But what I really wanted was to know what 38 foods were considered the healthiest—what foods I should focus on increasing in our diet. Here’s what I learned:
Vegetables –-Once again, veggies reign supreme. Everyone who is anyone in nutrition is advising to eat a wide variety, and to eat them often. Here are their top recommendations:
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Beets
- Bell Peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Carrots
- Kale
- Mushrooms
- Sweet Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
- Tomatoes
- Winter Squash (Winter Squash and not Zucchini or Yellow Squash? So sad!)
Fruit—I was pleased to see that a nice number of fruits are considered very nutritious, although obviously they’re not thinking that an apple a day will keep the doctor away. Perhaps I need to figure out how to eat Papayas!
- Apricots
- Berries
- Citrus
- Kiwifruit
- Papayas
- Pears
Grains, Dried Beans, Legumes, and Nuts—How’s that for a broad catagory?
- Brown Rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Dried Beans
- Green Peas
- Edamame
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Flaxseed
- Pumpkin Seeds
Dairy & Fish—(yeah, you know this category thrilled me.)
- Eggs (this bodes well for me, since I currently eat two eggs every morning, whether I want to or not!)
- Yogurt (not the super sweet stuff, darn it, but greek yogurt gets high marks.)
- Sablefish (I somehow think not…)
- Rainbow Trout (If I can get it I actually like this.)
- Wild Alaskan Salmon (Also do-able…)
So there you have it—a listing of foods to think about adding to or increasing in your diet. I don’t know about you, but it helps me to know what we’re aiming for.
PS—Lindsay wanted to know why I don’t trust fish. The advice you hear is just so conflicting. Wild fish is overfished. Farmed fish are polluted. Some wild fish aren’t so overfished. Avoid fish with mercury. Some wild fish aren’t polluted with mercury. Just eat the sardines…
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I see some of my favorites on there, and a few that we definitely don't do very often, more because of cost than anything. I made beets one time because Brigham learned about them at preschool and came home with a drawing he'd done. He inexplicably referred to them as "turds" (I don't think he knew about the other meaning of that word and have no idea how he came to confuse it with beets!), so I always think of that when I see something about beets:).
ReplyDeleteSo I noticed that Swedish Fish wasn't on the list, which is ridiculous because I've only just discovered that Swedish Fish are gluten free. Also, they stretch... I don't know that this is a nutritional factor as much as it is an awesome factor. And if I have to choose between awesome and nutritious, you know I will choose awesome all the way!
ReplyDeleteInteresting list. I do eat some things off of each. I do need to eat more vegetables, but they just aren't that tasty to me. I try to squeeze them into pastas and soups often. As for papaya, you can try it, but I think it is one of the most disgusting fruits on the planet. You'll have to let me know what you think. And about yogurt, I've decided I don't like Yoplait and others because I can taste the fake sugars in them and heaven knows the non-light versions are just too sugar-loaded so now I buy low fat plain yogurt and load it with berries and granola. Yum! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteDried papaya is delicious. Fresh is not so much, but maybe it would work in a smoothie.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering about chicken skin???
pumpkin seeds, many mexican dishes have this as an ingredient, I'm willing to try some if you are!
ReplyDelete