Yesterday my mom told me about a list in Real Simple magazine of the 30 healthiest foods. I was intrigued and decided to check it out for myself.
Look over the list below… how many of these ‘healthiest foods’ do you include in your daily eats?
Here is my analysis:
- skim milk I’ve been more of a 1% or 2% girl lately, but always organic
- mushrooms Mushrooms need new PR. People think they’re void of nutrition, but they are low calorie and can help regulate estrogen levels. I should include more of them in my eats.
- barley oh yum, barley! Love barley… especially in this recipe
- walnuts I keep chopped walnuts in the freezer and even made muffins with them the other day!
- whole grain pasta It’s all I use
- peanut and almond butters Love these! Especially when paired with an apple.
- oatmeal I’m not very good at this one… I am almost out of my instant packets, then maybe I’ll learn to cook it stove top. I could include certainly include more oatmeal.
- quinoa I’m actually making a recipe with this high protein psuedo-grain later today
- lentils I’ve heard lots of buzz about lentils lately… I’m on the lookout for a good lentil soup. Any recipe suggestions?
- bulgur Reminds me, I’ve been meaning to make THIS again soon!
- almonds I snack on raw almonds almost daily. Such a portable snack.
- eggs Although I’ve fallen a little off the band wagon, I did use my favorite free-range omega 3 eggs in yesterday’s French toast 🙂
- nonfat Greek yogurt don’t let my lack of posting about it fool you- my Chobani obsession is alive and well- love the protein!
- chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) I actually have not been eating much chicken lately…
- wild salmon I always make sure to buy wild caught when I make salmon- even if it is a little extra $
- sardines hm… no… I have a tin of sardines that have been sitting in my pantry forever… I just can’t do it.
- kale I don’t eat it as often as I should, but I liked it a lot in THIS
- kiwi Love ‘em in summer time!
- blueberries Ate some yesterday actually… they were plump and delicious on the salad bar
- broccoli It’s pretty much a staple… until lately. I need to bring back the broc.
- avocados Love those healthy fats… in fact, I’ have 1/2 a ‘cado left in the fridge right now. Lunch perhaps?
- black beans I include these in any mexican meal, and they make a delicious soup!
- sweet potatoes Yes, although I don’t discriminate against any type of potato.
- extra-virgin olive oil of course
- edamame with a side of sushi? Sign me up!
- chard oh… got me on this one. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked chard… in fact… what is chard?
- kidney beans with the amount of chili we eat, I get plenty of kidney beans!
- oranges not as often as I should, but I do love the citrus-y fruit!
- spinach of course… in salads, in smoothies, in anything!
- pumpkin usually only in October… and in pie.
I’m pretty pleased with the frequency that I include most of these foods in my diet, and am intrigued to look into chard… you know, what it is and how to eat it 🙂
How do your daily eats measure up? And what’s your favorite food on the list?
My favorites are barley, greek yogurt and blueberries.
And kiwi.
And peanut butter.
😉
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
great post! i really need to get on some of those grains…especially the barley and bulgar
Samantha @ Health, Happiness & Skinny Jeans says
I eat blueberries and spinach daily. Everything else is incorporated in my diet on a regular basis except chard (don’t really know what it is either!), sardines, salmon and barley. Great list..it will come in handy when I hit the grocery store.
Carly says
I went kinda crazy a few weeks ago and made all the recipes that were featured in that section of the magazine – they were all really good!
I think I do a fairly good job of eating everything on that list. I don’t care how healthy they are for you – I will be avoiding sardines!
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
I’m a skim milk enthusiast, I love eggs, whole wheat pasta, and mushrooms, oatmeal is a breakfast staple, blueberries and broccoli are fantastic, and I’m a huuuge fan of sweet taters. I’m a fan of this list! 🙂
Lisa @ I'm an Okie says
I’m a 1-2% milk girl myself. Skim, while ok, is just too watery for me!
christina says
love this list…just not sardines. ew.
Melissa @ Be Not Simply Good says
I like all of these but sardines. Well, I guess I’ve never eaten sardines, but they don’t appeal to me. I think I have to say two favorites, because I love them both so much: blueberries and broccoli!
Coincidentally, I just shared a salmon recipe this morning on my blog. How nice that it was one of the top 30 healthy foods. 🙂
Corey @ the runner's cookie says
I love so many of these foods, and eat a lot of them regularly. I love pumpkin year round – in oatmeal, yogurt, baked goods! Nuts/nut butters are a huge staple in my diet. Avocado, kale, and salmon are things I’d love to eat more often!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston says
Love this.. can I steal your idea for a post? You’re the second person I’ve seen do something similar and I officially just wanna write about it! 😛
Christina @ Food.Fun.Fabulous. says
haha I love that you said mushrooms need new PR – it’s so true! Although I can’t bring myself to eat them raw. I prefer them cooked up with some onion and green beans
Sarah for Real says
I liked reading your take on each of those foods! I eat plenty of them, but not all. I do full fat dairy and can argue the health benefits over non-fat any day. I also haven’t tried sardines but I do eat plenty of fish. As for all the produce, I try to eat them when they are in season (or from frozen/canned), since that’s when they have the most nutrients, are the cheapest and the tastiest!
Shannon says
Chard is a green, like kale. It’s very tasty and really pretty, to boot! The “spine” of the leaves is bright pink (or orange or yellow). You cook down the leaves, and I think you can also braise the stalks in certain instances. LOVE the Chobani! I’m eating the blueberry kind as I type!
Jenn@slim-shoppin says
I am happy to say I eat a lot of that stuff too!
Great list, it’s always a good reminder of how many great things there are out there.
My favorite thing to do for lentils, is cook up a batch on Sunday. I’ll use them to bulk up my tacos with taco meat, add them to soups and stews. And they are so cheap! .69 cents a bag in my grocery store.
Nicole, RD says
I saw that list recently, too. I need to use a more diverse group of grains — i.e. not all whole wheat rice/pasta. I want to use more bulgar and quinoa. I don’t like kale or chard, but I LOVE and regularily eat all of the others. I think that’s pretty good 🙂
Caree says
I definitely incorporate a lot of these into my diet…but some like quina I just started to. U love Greek yogurt, avocados and blueberries for sure!
TheHealthyapron says
Oh Ive read this list and I eat more foods pretty diligently! yay!
Angela (the diet book junkie) says
spinach really is a super food. i usually eat 2 cups/day, most days of the week, but while i was traveling over december i couldn’t maintain my usual diet and i DEFINITELY noticed. i was exhausted and dizzy to boot. so glad to be home and eating healthy again. 🙂
Leslie says
Cool list! Glad you pointed this out.
Chard is my FAVE–I think it even tastes better with spinach. You can steam it, sautee it, or just strip it off the spine and eat it raw. Basically, you can sub it in for anything you would use spinach for.
Rachel (Olalliberry) says
This is a pretty good list. I’m starting to question whether nonfat everything is really better for us though, especially for foods that naturally contain fat, like dairy. I much prefer 2% Greek yogurt to nonfat, for example. And fat is really important for feeling satisfied/satiated. My skin has also been really dry lately and I wonder whether eating more dietary fat might help.
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
How fun! I’m going to have to do a similar analysis….
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish says
I eat and love everything on this list except wheat-containing products and sardines! Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever tried sardines…Do people eat them plain?
I need more kiwi in my life! It’s one of my favorite fruits, yet I rarely buy it. And I’m SO glad peanut butter made the list, because I think I get about half my calories from it. 😉
Tina says
I eat most of those things too…except sardines will never happen for me either.
Carrie (Moves 'N Munchies) says
great great foods in there! ihave recently come to love avocados!
Martha Jane says
If you wanna try two of your “not so oftens” in one – Oatmeal is yummy with some pumpkin puree (I use canned) and cinnamon stirred in!