Eat These 8 Foods For Your Health

My friend from work let me borrow this great book called, Eat This, Not That. It was jam packed with easy to understand information about food. As the title suggests, it gives you information on what to eat vs. what not to eat. Like when you go into a restaurant or fast food place…it gives information (calories, fat etc…) on the food choices you have, so you can make a better choice based on grams of fat, sodium etc. For the size of this book (small), I couldn’t believe how many restaurants, fast food places, coffee shops etc this book included.

What really blew me away was this fact: One chicken marsala dish at The Olive Garden contained 86 grams of fat. Ok, so I thought it would be a high number, but 86?! Wow…then you have to include everything else you’ve eaten during the day, so your fat intake is probably what you should have for an entire week.

According to this book, eating healthy shouldn’t be so difficult. Along with making smart food choices, if you include these 8 foods everyday, it will boost your eating ‘health’.

Ø Spinach: is a rich source of plant based omega-3’s, folate, lutein and a noted muscle builder. Spinach helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis. Folate increases blood flow to protect you against age related sexual issues and lutein fights macular degeneration. Aim for 1 cup fresh or ½ cup cooked spinach each day. You could also substitute kale, bok choy or romaine lettuce for spinach

Ø Yogurt: contains millions of probiotic organisms that reinforce beneficial bacteria in your body. This helps to boost your immune system and protects you against cancer. Make sure the yogurt you’re eating states on the label: live & active cultures. Aim for 1 cup each day

Ø Tomatoes: Red are best because they contain more antioxidant lycopene, which decreases your risk of bladder, lung, prostate, skin and stomach cancers, as well as reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. Aim for about 8 red cherry tomatoes or a glass of tomato juice a day. You can substitute red watermelon, pink grapefruit, Japanese persimmon, papaya or guva for tomatoes.

Ø Carrots: they are associated with reducing a wide range of cancers, as well as risk an/or severity of inflammatory conditions (asthma, arthritis). Aim for ½ cup each day. You can substitute sweet potato, pumkin, butternut squash, yellow bell pepper or mango.

Ø Blueberries: they help prevent cancer, diabetes and age related memory changes. They are rich in vitamin c, which boosts cardiovascular health. Aim for 1 cup a day or ½ cup frozen or dried.

Ø Black Beans: All beans are good for your heart, but black beans boost your brain power, which is due to the anthocyanins and antioxidant compounds it contains. Aim for ½ cup per day. You can substitute peas, lentils, pinto, kidney, fava, or lima beans.

Ø Walnuts: Contains more heart healthy omega 3’s than salmon and has more anti-inflammortary polyphenols than red wine and packs half as much muscle building protein as chicken. Just 7 nuts per day. You can substitute almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia or hazelnuts.

Ø Oats: Contains soluble fiber which lowers the risk of heart disease, but do contain a lot of carbs. These carbs release those sugars slowly due to the fiber, but also because oats contain grams of protein. Aim for ½ cup per day. Can substitute quinoa, flaxseed or wild rice.

Here’s a power nutrient rich smoothie recipe:

Blend 1 cup low fat yogurt, 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 cup carrot juice and 1 cup fresh baby spinach…That's it! enjoy...

If you want more nutritional information, tips, food cures and a section dedicated to children's dangers regarding food etc… check out Eat This, Not That

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More!