What You Should Be Eating Everyday

I try hard to keep all of us up to date on the foods we should be eating more of, the foods we should be eating less of, and the foods we should touch about as often as I touch USA Today’s Money section - as in never (Unless, of course, it’s lying on top of the Entertainment/Life section, in which case I have to touch it long enough to fling it.  And yes, I do have my fluffy little priorities in order.)

The thing that’s kind of tricky about nutritional news is that it’s forever changing.  New studies seem to come out every week trumpeting a new super food.  But there are certain foods that make the cut again and again.  They’re like the Patriots - others may occasionally steal the spotlight, and others may certainly be flashier but they’re winners and you can bet on them just about every time.

Below is a list of just such winners, along with what wonders they can work for you.  They’re “Super Foods” that culinary expert Sara Moulton and BabyBoomers.com recommend for those who are interested in achieving the best health possible - should be all of us, right?

Moulton sums it up by saying, “The most basic health fact one can remember about any food is, the darker or richer the color, the better it is for you.  In addition, less processed foods are always better than those that are highly processed.”

THE SUPER FOODS

Blueberries

One of the best-tasting super foods, blueberries provide excellent benefits for the brain.  One cup a day (fresh or frozen) lessens the effects of both Alzheimer’s disease and damage from a stroke.  If they provide that much in the way of help for existing problems, you have to figure they’ll go a long way in preventing problems.  Ways to sneak blueberries into your diet:

• Toss them in your corn flakes.  The money you save from buying a cheaper cereal will off set the cost of the blueberries.  Throw in another super food, like walnuts, and you’ve dealt a one-two punch.
• Put some granola into a bowl, spoon some vanilla-flavored yogurt on top, then add your blueberries.  It’s so delicious you’ll think of it as dessert. If you’re trying to get the young people in your life to eat a healthier diet, this will do the trick.  If they’re persnikety, forget to tell them that it’s yogurt…until they fall in love with it.
• A healthier alternative to the corn flake suggestion is to toss them into your oatmeal.  Remember, any time you can combine two super foods at one sitting is pure brilliance.

Tomatoes

It seems that most of the time, experts tell us that to get the most from a food, we need to eat it as raw as possible.  Tomatoes, however, are a big exception.  To get the most out of tomatoes cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene, cooked tomatoes are best. Canned tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste and tomato sauce are all good sources of lycopene.  Fortunately, unlike some super foods, these are all inexpensive and easy to work with.  Tomato sauce, paste, and canned tomatoes work wth any kind of pasta you can imagine.  One of my favorite things to do with canned tomatoes is to combine them with okra.  Fast, easy, healthy, and so delicious! 

Spaghetti squash is also good with drained canned tomatoes.  Sprinkle a little oregano, thyme, basil, or rosemary on top and you’re set. 

Whole Grains

Whole grains aren’t just a dieter’s salvation, they’re very important to our health.  They provide phytonutrients that help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Good sources of whole grains are:

• Barley
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Millet
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• Whole-wheat bread, pasta or crackers
• Wild rice

Walnuts

The Omega-3 fats in walnuts is a good fat.  How good?  Omega3 fatty acids reduce the risk of heart disease AND hypertension.  All nuts, in fact, provide healthy benefits and should be included in our daily diet.  A few ways to work them into our days:

• Throw them into/onto cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, tossed salads, chicken salad, steamed green beans (slivered almonds)
• Toast them in a 360 degree oven for 10 minutes and eat them as a snack.  Toasted nuts are also freaking amazing when incorporated into baked goodies or thrown into popcorn (a yes-yes from the whole grain family) 

Wild Salmon

Salmon is another great source of omega-3 fatty acids.  It heps reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and prevent heart disease.  When fresh, wild salmon isn’t in season, canned salmon is an excellent choice (canned salmon is almost always wild).  I make really mean salmon cakes (using crackers instead of bread crumbs gives them more confidence).  The husband likes putting freshly-squeezed lemon juice on them, and since he has fallen so in love with horseradish (another super food, actually!), I have a feeling he’ll slather a little layer on the next time I serve salmon cakes - or as we call them in Kentucky, Salmon Patties.

Cabbage

What does cabbage have to offer?  It’s full of sulphoraphane glucosinolate, an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer, more specifically breast cancer.  Cabbage is pretty versatile and can be worked into a lot of dishes:

• Shredded and used in coleslaw is the most obvious way of serving cabbage.  Experiment with different coleslaw recipes until you find one you love.  Personally, I prefer the recipes that call for apple cider vinegar and sugar instead of the old standby mayo.
• Shredded and added to vegetable or vegetable beef soup is another way of working it into your day.
• Asian dishes are

Beans

Beans (canned or dried) are an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, and protein.  They can reduce your cholesterol and even slow the sugar level in diabetics, preventing the level from spiking too quickly after meals.

Yogurt

Did you know that yogurt is actually a better source of protein and calcium than milk?  Caught me off guard, too.  You have to make sure that the yogurt contains live and active cultures, including probiotics that help boost the immune system in defending against disease and illness.  A few creative ideas for yogurt:

• I’ve all ready named my favorite way to eat yogurt - with fruit and granola. You can also stir chocolate chips into yogurt, if you’re feeling kind of decadent.
• Make a smoothie with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries or raspberries. Yum.
• Use yogurt as a base for dip.  Add a little dill (or a lot of dill, for that matter, it’s your dip after all), and maybe some garlic.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate not only owns my heart, it is rich in antioxidants.  It lowers bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol and is even thought to have a positive mood altering effect.  I can attest to that last claim.  Sometimes if my day has been unkind, I head for the candy dish and unwrap a smile or two.

Okay, okay - sometimes I unwrap a few when all’s well, too.  In fact….