Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores.
- Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters. Beets are one of the best sources of folate, a nutrient which lowers your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory amino acid produced by the body. One cup of beets provides only 60 calories, no fat, about 40 percent of your daily value for folic acid and four grams of fiber.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad by tossing them with olive oil and a splash of lemon. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
- Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes. Part of the cruciferous vegetable family, one cup of chopped cabbage contains 20 calories, two grams fiber and is loaded with sulforaphane, a cancer fighting chemical that’s been shown to decrease cellular damage throughout the body. Add cabbage to your salads, order steamed ‘moo shoo vegetables’ at your local Chinese restaurant (request sauce on the side and go easy!), or prepare low-calorie coleslaw.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
- Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes. This vegetable’s greatest health benefit comes in the form of lutein and zeaxanthin - a matched pair of antioxidants - found in high concentrations in the tissue of the macula. Because they absorb 40 to 90 percent of blue light intensity, these nutrients act like sunscreen for your eyes. Studies have shown that eating foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can increase the pigment density in the macula-and greater pigment density means better retina protection, and a lower risk of macula degeneration. One cup steamed Swiss chard provides only 35 calories.How to eat it: Over high heat, warm two tablespoons olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add two cloves garlic and cook one to two minutes, stirring constantly. Add two pounds Swiss chard and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook four to five minutes until the Swiss chard is soft and reduces half in volume. Serve immediately.
- Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
- Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
- Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
- Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
- Sardines: “Health food in a can.’’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
- Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,’’ it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
- Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
- Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In my own house, I only have four of these items — Cabbage, Cinnamon, Pomegrante Juice, Turmeric. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?
This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 9:16 pm and is filed under Food.
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