10 Foods Parents Shouldn’t Skip
By: Keith
If I had just 10 foods to pick from to make my diet, these would be them. I’d also love to add things like Avocados, Olive Oil and Blueberries because of their own sheer awesomeness. But, I tried to keep it to ten with a few extra mentions along the way. These 10 things are my super foods. And they’re all foods that promote physical healthfulness cognitive brilliance (yes, I’m calling myself brilliant). I’m sure you have some wonderful additions of your own. What foods would you add to this list? Why? And which ones of mine would you remove?
Tea: I’ve written about the health benefits of tea a bazillion times. There should be no argument that tea or water should replace every other drink (with the exception of milk) in your house. No calories, loaded with anti-oxidants (black, green, white; it doesn’t matter). If you do a cost analysis with juice or soda you’ll also find it’s quite a bit cheaper (unless you drink matcha which is a different story). Anyway, peruse the facts about tea and you’ll agree.
Blackberries: You need fiber? Blackberries have you covered. No need to buy all that fiber cereal and Metamucil. One cup of blackberries has 7.6g of fiber while having 61 calories and being very low in fat. They’re also pretty cheap when you buy them frozen, and they taste great. In my opinion they’re an excellent weight loss food. They’re filling and nutritious; what else do you want?
Cinnamon (Spices and Herbs): I wrote a whole article about cinnamon a few months ago. I was surprised to find out that the stuff is higher in antioxidants than blueberries, that acai stuff, goji berries and everything else. Oregano, thyme, rosemary, curry powder – they’re all high anti-oxidant spices which too many people neglect. Just sprinkle them on all your food and you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Tumeric (or the curcumin it contains): Did you know that turmeric is being studied for its ability to interfere with cognitive decline from Alzheimer’s disease? It also interferes with the herpes virus and blocks signaling pathways that lead to inflammation and arthritis.
Assorted Frozen Veggies: I know, it’s not a specific food. But seriously, there should be no excuse for not eating your veggies these days. You can get everything frozen these days and they’re much easier than produce isle veggies and they’re actually healthier. You know veggies are at the bottom of the food pyramid, right?
Nuts: Especially Almonds and Walnuts. Walnuts help prevent breast cancer. The omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts along with phytosterols have been found to reduce breast cancer tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumor and tumor size in mice. It just takes two ounces a day according to a study listed in The British Journal of Nutrition. Also, a report in The American Journal of Nutrition states that one serving of walnuts a day is enough to significantly reduce cholesterol levels. Almonds: Almonds are the perfect snack. High in vitamin E, magnesium, protein, fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron, they are also known to help regulate insulin levels. Despite their high calories they also promote weight loss. Why? Because they make you feel full. In other words, a little bit goes a long way.
Yogurt: The cultures in yogurt more efficiently absorbs calcium and B vitamins than do other dairy foods. Those same cultures boost a person’s immunity by stimulating white blood cells. Add that to other commonly known benefits like intestinal health (yogurt helps replace the good bacteria in your intestines), controlling yeast infections and promoting colon health. Yogurt is an everyday super food.
Beans: Pinto, navy, kidney, lima and black beans are all common and they’re all awesome. They’re loaded with fiber and protein which all already knew. But, did you also know they’re a good source of antioxidants, folate manganese, vitamin B1, Phosphorous, iron, magnesium, potassium and copper. Navy beans got their name because they were such a huge part of the diet of the US Navy back in the day. Beans are one of those rare foods that are described as being complete in and of themselves.
Garlic: Allicin, the antioxidant in garlic, has a laundry list of benefits. The catch is that allicin is only produced when garlic is finely chopped or crushed; swallowing a clove whole is not as good as chopping it up first. Allicin is an anti-biotic and anti-fungal. Much like tea, garlic has an ancient reputation for being able to cure everything under the sun (heart disease, cancer, colds, hypertension, infection, impotence, etc…). One scientifically confirmed benefit is its ability to lower blood pressure.
Wild Salmon: Great source of protein along with all the good fats you could want. 0.01 parts per million of mercury compared to 0.12 for canned tuna and 0.38 for fresh Tuna. It also has 1.1g of omega-3 fats per 3oz serving compared to 0.21g per serving for Fresh Tuna. It has more of everything you want and less of what you don’t. If I had only one fish to choose from, I’d choose wild salmon.
Oats: Notice that I didn’t put any wheat related items on this list. That’s because oats do the job without any of wheat’s problems. Oats have more soluble fiber than any other grain which leads to slower digestion and greater feeling of fullness. I wrote an article about the awesomeness of oats a few weeks ago. Read it here and you’ll learn about cool stuff like beta-glucans that oats have and other grains don’t. Yup, they’re awesome – and cheap.
Those are my super-foods. My fridge is full of them and I eat them regularly. Along with rice these are the foods that make up the bulk of my diet.
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Great article!
My top ten would be: yoghourt, bananas, beans, canned tuna fish, whole grain bread, ground beef, tomatoes, cheese, and apples, and chocolat! Not perfect in the sense that it gets every need taken care of but very convenient and delicious.
Of course, wild salmon is much better than canned tuna fish for several reasons but it is much more expensive.
Laurie: You’re in Mexico now, right? Yeah, Salmon is probably really expensive there. It’s almost ubiquitous here so we find it pretty cheap. Oh, you can never go wrong with good chocolate! I agree with that one
Mely loves beans, and we eat them because they’re so healthy and she loves them. I just don’t really like them so much even though I eat them for health reasons. hmmm
I can’t believe that i forgot to put eggs in there! Ok, get rid of the apples!
Laurie: Oh, and eggs are also a super food in my opinion. good addition!
I eat just about everything on your list, but I can not do salmon. Maybe I need to figure out a better way to prepare it, or drown it in sake, but I just don’t like it.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..My kid has expensive taste =-.
PJ: You don’t like Salmon!? The horror!
Drowning anything is sake makes it better, right. LOL
Because of my high blood pressure, I have to cut back on tea and coffee. In their place, I’ve been loading up on juice. I also eat food rich in potassium like potatoes and bananas.
.-= Daddy Forever´s last blog ..How to See Attractions for Free =-.
Ken: Juice is ok I guess, but it has too much sugar for me. Have you tried herbal herbals like roobios? Those are really great too. Oh yeah, and I read a thing recently that said russett potatoes actually have a fairly high concentration of anti-oxidants. The humble potato — go figure
A yummy list! It had to be hard to limit it to 10. I’m with PJ on the salmon though. Let the poor thing live and eat honey instead.
What a great list. I didn’t know that about black berries! I will be adding them to my diet, that is so awesome. I wish I could eat walnuts, but I’m allergic. To almonds as well, but not as bad. I eat them anyway, in moderation. I love them. And I agree with Laurie. Can’t forget chocolate! It’s an anti-oxidant right????
Terrific list. And cinnamon! Who would’ve thought?
.-= BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Oscar Awards: Does winning matter? =-.
Keith, yes, I am in Mexico!
I try to eat everything on this list on a weekly basis.
.-= Mocha Dad´s last blog ..Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers: A Concert Review From a Dad’s Perspective =-.
I really liked this old post. The anti oxidants in things like curry powder to help with arthritis and other issues. I really had overlooked this and appreciate you bringing it back to light. Thanks