The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

jason_els

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Saw this on the NY Times site and thought it very interesting. Of the foods on this list, right now I'm only regularly eating one: cinnamon. I do eat herring, which is identical to sardines in health benefits (and without mercury as well). My issue with sardines is eating the bones. They skeeve me as I've nearly choked to death on fish bones. I love beets, I just wish they weren't so time consuming to cook. Pomegranate juice is wonderful but terribly expensive where I live and Swiss chard just makes me ill. I can't stand that (or spinach). Nor can I stomach prunes. I do like cabbage despite its :fart: properties and pumpkin seeds are very nice when they're available. I'm not big on the frozen blueberries and fresh also cost a great deal. Turmeric is wonderful but I can't think what I can use it in unless I make more curries. Canned pumpkin: just... :yuck:.



Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren&#8217;t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren&#8217;t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of &#8220;The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,&#8221; to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don&#8217;t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here&#8217;s his advice.

  1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
    How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
  2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
    How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
  3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
    How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
  4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
    How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
  5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
    How to eat: Just drink it.
  6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
    How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
  7. 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.
  8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them &#8220;health food in a can.&#8221; They are high in omega-3&#8217;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.
  9. Turmeric: The &#8220;superstar of spices,&#8221; it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
    How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
  10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don&#8217;t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
  11. 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.
- The New York Times
 

vince

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  1. Beets: Three or four times a week. Grated in a salad is standard fare around here. I like beets.
  2. Cabbage: Ditto with beets
  3. Swiss chard: Never. I eat raw spinach in season. It's great in salads.
  4. Cinnamon: I'd LOVE to eat Cinnamon. :tongue: :wink:
  5. Pomegranate juice: Pommegranates are in season right now. We get these huge big ones and they are really cheap. The seeds are so good on vanilla ice cream. I buy the juice too.
  6. Dried plums: Nope. I eat a lot of fresh plums in the summer.
  7. Pumpkin seeds: Yes. They are available everywhere in every coner store. I always have a bag of them around.
  8. Sardines: Nope. I do have a tablespoon of fish oil every day.
  9. Turmeric: no. I should get some. It IS good with eggs.
  10. Frozen blueberries: I love these guys. I buy them frozen and use them in my breakfast protein shake with frozen strawberries and/or blackberries.
  11. Canned pumpkin: Only in pies, so not very often. There is a desert here called Tatilsi Kabak I eat once in a while. I think they steam the pumpkin, then it's soaked in corn syrup and served with crushed walnuts on top. It's very sweet.
So I'm eating 5 or 6 regularly.. not bad. I should eat more fish.
 

ManlyBanisters

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Interesting! I'm not doing too badly on that list.


  1. Beets: :yup: I do better on these in the summer than in the winter.
  2. Cabbage: :yup::yup: I fucking love cabbage - I eat a little bit raw most days when I'm preparing the guinea pigs' supper - mostly I have it steamed and still crunchy - though I have to take care with cabbage as too much vitamin K is bad for me :frown:
  3. Swiss chard: :yup: I have this from time to time in salad - again, more of a summer thing.
  4. Cinnamon: :yup::yup: Mmmm - love it - never knew it was potentially beneficial.
  5. Pomegranate juice: :no: Not seen it here - Doesn't mean I couldn't find it, though. France isn't that backward. :rolleyes:
  6. Dried plums: :yup::yup: Love prunes - I eat em like potato chips. yum!
  7. Pumpkin seeds: :yup: I occassionally get these in my supermarket but they seem to be out of stock a lot. I get them when I can.
  8. Sardines: :yup::yup: I love all oily fish - canned or fresh (or frozen). Sardines are a special favourite - I have canned sardines at least once a week and herring or mackerel another day. Fresh not so often, the last time I got fresh sardines I lightly fried them in butter - deee-fuckin-licious!
  9. Turmeric: :no: Well - not strictly true - I have a little every now and then in curries of course, but I don't eat it apart from that.
  10. Frozen blueberries: :no: I don't eat blueberries often - only when staying with my folks, my dad has a thing for them and they're are always blueberries (fresh) in the fridge. I do love them though.
  11. Canned pumpkin: :no: I can't get this here - I can get fresh pumpkin around Hallowe'en but otherwise not. I know, I looked - not just for pumpkin pie but because HickBoy recommends it as a good way of settling the tum of a squitty dog, believe it or not.
 

jason_els

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Canned pumpkin will bunge-up your dog right quick.

I hadn't considered it, but Ireland might be a good place for growing blueberries. Do they need a harsh winter?

I'd forgotten about turmeric with eggs. It, and tarragon, are fantastic on fried eggs.

Cinnamon is a big surprise for many people because the study showing a potential benefit wasn't well publicized. Here in the diabetes-prone US, it can offer a major benefit.

I may consider adding the blueberries to my daily cholesterol-buster supper of oatmeal with walnuts (6 halves) and cinnamon (2 tsps). I hope I don't forget.
 
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Steve26

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I think you can feel good about your diet if you are eating these foods at all. Clearly the title's presumption is that the average person isn't consuming any of these things.

So ... I feel good going 2 for 11 (I eat beets and blueberries regularly). On the flip side, I have never eaten sardines and only had pomegranate (either in seed or juice form) for the first time a few weeks ago. Most of the rest of those things are ones I'll eat occasionally.

Steve
 

D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse

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I have seen a ton of these lists, and they constantly vary.

Some lists have walnuts and green tea and carrots and salmon....


Just eat fresh whenever possible (frozen when not), eat from nature! Just about all fresh fruits and veggies are healthy.

The problem is, most posters will read these lists, say "Yeah! I eat blueberries!", then go off to have a Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger "value meal" at Carl's Jr.
 

alpinepaul

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There is also some risk in cinnamon (cumarin) i've heard/read (at least EU Commission was debating some levels of too much and overdose), it's not good for your liver. but i guess you have to eat pounds of the delicious spice.

On the other side: cinnamon supposed to be aphrodiastic (and at least for me after all the xmas-cookies i was horny as hell ;-))

Resumme: there are so many good and healthy things one cannot eat them all without eating all day and night. so i guess it's the mix, and also the when, where, with whom ...
 

MickeyLee

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i eat everything on this list if ya delete the sardines *flax seed oil is the love for veggie-heads*

i skip processed foods. avoid any foods with excess packaging. most of what i devour doesn't require an ingredients label.

ML

tip to the healthy minded - don't eat anything you can't get at a decent farmer's market. ya will stay in the pink.
 

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I have seen a ton of these lists, and they constantly vary.

Too true! As something of a foodie and also a health nut, I'm always amused by how certain foods will fall into and out of favor.

Pomegranates were largely unknown until a few years ago, and now you're nobody if you aren't eating (or drinking) them. Blueberries and cinnamon have been all the rage for a few years now. Maybe this new ranking will prove to be the breakout for turmeric, pumpkin seeds, and sardines.

Over the weekend I noticed that one of my older cookbooks from around 2000 had a similar list of the "top 10 healthy foods" ... except this list said it's all about broccoli, milk, beans, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sweet potatoes, garlic, soy, carrots, and strawberries.

My question: Has nutrition science really changed THAT dramatically in the past eight years? Or is it more a need to keep reinventing these lists to sell magazines, newspapers, cookbooks, etc.? :rolleyes:

Steve
 

ManlyBanisters

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But this isn't "The healthiest foods you MUST eat" - it clearly says "healthful foods people should be eating but aren&#8217;t" and then "foods that are easy to find but don&#8217;t always find their way into our shopping carts".

No one is claiming these are the best or even must haves - they are healthy and easy to find (in the US) that are often overlooked.
 

midlifebear

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I, too, eat everything on that list. One thing that is common in Buenos Aires is pureé de calabaza (pumpkin). And they are literally queer for butternut squash prepared the same way, just as North Americans gulp down tons of mashed potatoes. Down here it's more often mashed yam or sweet potato.
 

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Well I'm good to go with all of this except pumpkin and pumpkin seed once a year! However I need to buy some Turmeric. If anyone wants a great recipe for Sardine salad I have that at least once a week.
 

whatireallywant

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The only one I really eat ever is (pickled) beets. I actually like everything on the list, but I have an atrocious "Avoidance of cooking" diet. :biggrin1: If I could find someone to cook for me, I'd eat much more healthful foods.