Famous Death Row Last Meals
Debunking Beer Can Chicken: A Waste Of Good Beer, And Dangerous
You can't go wrong when you make room for more healthy foods in your diet. Unlike the worst foods you can eat, these are foods that have a great taste and are good for you. Adding them to your daily routine is a great idea, whether you want to get in shape for the summer swimsuit season, to lose weight or just get a little bit healthier. Of course, these aren't all of the best foods you can eat (that list would be too long), but it's a great place to start.
Almonds -- While walnuts contain up to 90% of the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, almonds are very high in monounsaturated fats, which have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. They are high in calcium and fiber, low in saturated fats and are very satisfying. A great way to incorporate more almonds into your diet is by using a natural almond butter on your toast or in sandwiches, instead of a processed peanut butter, which may have sugars, stabilizers and hydrogenated fats added to it.
Oatmeal -- Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, protein, vitamins B1, B12 and E and is low in fat. It has been shown to lower cholesterol when eaten regularly, and has been associated with the reduced risk of many cancers, including colon cancer. Steel cut oats, which are made by cutting a whole oat groat (the most nutritious form) into a few pieces, are the best way to get the maximum benefit from your oatmeal, but regular rolled oats are a good choice, too. Avoid instant oatmeals and, if plain is too boring, top a bowl with any kind of fruit or some of your own spices.
Yogurt -- Yogurt is high in calcium, potassium, and many vitamins. Yogurt forms when bacteria transforms lactose into lactic acid, meaning that yogurt products are much better suited for people with lactose intolerance than other types of dairy - but it is definitely best to choose yogurts with live active cultures as opposed to super-processed ones. Buy plain yogurt and add your own sweeteners. Plain low fat yogurt can be used as a substitute for higher fat cream or sour cream in dips and dressings and topped with fruit and honey for breakfast or dessert.
Dark chocolate -- Every time you turn around someone is saying something else about the health benefits of dark chocolate. It has antioxidant flavinoids which come from cocoa, not the fat, in the bar. This means that the darker the bar, the better. There have been indicators that milk may interfere with the absorption of these antioxidants, which is what makes dark chocolate a better choice than milk chocolate.
Berries -- All fruits are good for you, but since only one type can make the list, berries are it. Berries include anything that ends with "berries," as well as bananas and avocados. They are high in fiber and excellent sources of vitamin C, zinc, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium. Since they taste so good, they're easy to incorporate into your diet. Add avocados to salads, blueberries to yogurt and bananas to cereal. Even if you're having something decadent, like ice cream, toss in a handful of berries, too!
Chard (or swiss chard) -- This vegetable was a tough choice because so many have so many nutritional benefits. Second place goes to sweet potatoes, but chard takes the nutritional cake. It is low in calories and packed with: Thiamin, Folate, Phosphorus, Zinc , Dietary Fiber, Vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, Riboflavin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. The easiest way to prepare chard is by sauteing it until just tender with a bit of garlic.
Eggs -- Eggs may have a fair amount of cholesterol in the yolks, but each large egg has only 70 calories (on average) and approximately 4.5 grams of fat. They have approximately 10% the recommended daily amount of protein, mostly coming from the egg white, and a nearly perfect balance of amino acids. Eggs also have a nutrient called choline, which it thought to improve brain function and memory. If you're watching your cholesterol, instead of using two eggs, use one egg and two whites in your next scramble or omelet. To make it really good for you, go easy on the cheese and top your eggs with a healthy helping of salsa!
Salsa -- Salsas are basically sauces comprised of chopped fresh vegetables, often including tomatoes, peppers and onions, but almost anything can go into them. Picking salsa is, admittedly, a sneaky way to add more than one vegetable to an 8-item list, too. Salsas are flavorful, low in fat and calories and very satisfying - a much better choice for topping tortilla chips, meats and other dishes than cheese (or "cheese sauce")! If you add avocado, you'll be adding some natural fats, but also a whole lot of potassium, fiber and vitamin C.
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
12 Common Workout Myths Debunked
Forbidden America: Cold War-Era Map Shows No-Go Zones For Soviet Tourists
Powerball Jackpot Winning Ticket Purchased In Florida
Tenants: Stench of Death Makes St. Louis Complex 'Unlivable'
Chili's Waitress Fired Over Facebook Post Insulting 'Stupid Cops'
Courtney Stodden Has A Sex Tape
Man Takes Dump In Background Of Instructional Workout Video
Ricardo Cerezo, Facing Eviction, Finds $4.85 Million Lottery Ticket
River Lost 150 Pounds: 'There Is Hope. Grab Onto It'
2013 Billboard Music Awards: Arrivals Photos From the Blue Carpet!
MIT's cheetah robot runs faster, more efficiently, can carry its own power supply (video)
LOOK: Dolphins Make Rare Underwater Find
2013 Billboard Music Awards: All the Winners!
Forever 21 Worker Fired After She Tells Her Traumatic Story
How Kidnapping Suspect Passes Time Behind Bars
Taylor Swift Q and A: What Does She Splurge on in Las Vegas?
Police Investigate Student Shooting Death
PHOTOS:Eva Longoria's Almost Wardrobe Malfunction At Cannes
Radio Host Makes Shocking Claim About Shooting Hillary Clinton
Obama Approval Rating Not Hurt By Scandals
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
Marine Reunited With Four-Legged Friend
PREGNANT!
Former OJ Attorney Gives Shocking Testimony
PHOTO: Looking Good! Chaz Bono Loses 65 Pounds
Teen Who Died During Her First Solo Drive May Have Been Texting
Student Shot Dead During Botched Home Invasion
Guess Which State Boasts The Most Million-Dollar Homes?
McDonald's Store Owners Fear Fast Food Chain Becoming Too Slow
New Leads In Case Of Missing British Girl
5-08-2006 @9:27AM Tanya said... Glad to see salsa on the list. It goes well with almost everything, and it's low calories too (about 10 calories in 2 tbsp). Of course everything else on the list is great too.
Reply
5-08-2006 @11:33AM Myron said... Boy how I wish cream cheese was on that list.
Reply
5-08-2006 @12:32PM Healthbetold said... I like this list. I also personally like to favor foods that are rich in antioxidants, like the berries on this list. Here's a list of the top 20 antioxidant-packed foods if you're interested: http://www.healthbetold.com/2006/05/08/the-top-20-antioxidant-packed-foods/
Reply
5-08-2006 @1:51PM rich said... Ok, I'll bite: Why avoid instant oatmeal? It's just dehydrated (not powdered) rolled oats. The difference might be worth the trouble for a quiet Sunday morning, but who wants a 20-minute weekday breakfast?
Reply
5-08-2006 @2:29PM Bob said... Great list. I don't eat a lot of chocolate but the others I try to include. One thing NOT on the list is cabbage and brocolli (and other Cruciferous...is Chard Cruciferous?).
Reply
5-08-2006 @2:41PM liz said... i think instant oatmeal is parcooked and then dried into flakes, which reduces its nutritional value. also, it's so refined that it's got almost no dietary fiber.
Reply
5-08-2006 @2:47PM nissu said... "Ok, I'll bite: Why avoid instant oatmeal? It's just dehydrated (not powdered) rolled oats. The difference might be worth the trouble for a quiet Sunday morning, but who wants a 20-minute weekday breakfast?"
I don't know if there's much of a difference when it comes to health benefits, but regular oatmeal is just better. I don't like the instant stuff at all. I'll admit that I don't use the slowest cooking oatmeals myself, the oatmeal I use takes 8-10 minutes to cook, but it's still way better than the instant stuff.
You can speed the cooking process by boiling the water first in a water boiler and then pour it into a kettle - it'll start boiling again very quickly. If you want to use the longest cooking ones, take a morning shower or something after you've tossed in the oatmeal.
I like oatmeal with a good jam (lingonberry for example) or/and with ripe banana slices. Strawberries are also good.
Reply
5-08-2006 @3:05PM Nicole Weston said... Non-instant oatmeal definitely has an advantage in being much better tasting with a much better texture. Also, most instant oatmeals are flavored, so they have lots of extra sugar. Even the "regular flavor" of instant oatmeal lists these ingredients: "WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS (WITH OAT BRAN), CALCIUM CARBONATE (A SOURCE OF CALCIUM), SALT, GUAR GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, REDUCED IRON, NIACINAMIDE*, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*"
Compared to non-instant, which only list "100% NATURAL ROLLED OATS."
(ingredients from Quaker Oats website)
Reply
5-08-2006 @5:16PM rich said... Nicole: Most of those ingredients are to fortify it like the rest of the breakfast aisle's cereals -- no different than taking a multivitamin. But there's instant oatmeal out there that's not fortified; Nature's Path contains oats and sea salt, and even their flavoured instants are flavoured with the same sort of thing you'd add yourself (currants, berries, cinnamon, flaxseed, etc.)
It's sort of not liking any boxed mac and cheese just because Kraft Dinner is disturbingly orange.
Reply
5-08-2006 @5:51PM Nicole Weston said... If I'm going to add it, I'd rather add it myself. I don't see any need for my oatmeal to have caramel coloring and guar gum (a stabilizer/thickener) in it. The point here is that oatmeal is plenty healthy on its own. Whole oats don't need fortifications to make them healthy.
Reply
5-08-2006 @7:16PM rich said... Er, yes. My point is "Don't buy that brand, then". Picking the most adulterated brand off the shelf is disingenuous. Quaker instant oatmeal is competing with Frosted Flakes, not homemade oatmeal. Fortified foods are certainly personal preference, but I'd be surprised to see you dissuading people from buying eggs with extra omega-3s and yogurt with added probiotics given your recommendations.
In any case it's apples and oranges: if the original post read "Avoid sugary instant oatmeal" or "Avoid Quaker instant oatmeal" you'd find little argument from me, but that's not what it said. Telling your readers that if they're going to eat oatmeal they need to do it the hard way or not at all isn't doing them any favors when there's healthy *and* convenient alternatives on the shelves at Whole Foods.
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:08PM david said... smartest around! get all your answers...
only deals with facts...
WWW.GARYNULL.COM
log on learn a real lot!
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:25PM Rosemary said... Steel cut oats are easy to microwave. Just put 1/4 cup of steel cut oats in 1.5 cups of water in a large serving bowl (so it won't boil over the top). Microwave 10 minutes while you get dressed. Very easy, very healthy.
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:32PM charlotte schwartz said... what about egg beaters my doc. said to eat them they are low in colestrol
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:42PM shafqat mir said... two egg whites and one small muffin
has kept my weight down at age 60 this is my
breakfast for many years also a multivitamin
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:45PM kelly said... does other greens stack up against swiss chard i take care of my mom but she doesnt like swiss chard but loves mustard greens..... well???
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:46PM ophelia said... Oatmeal is good as a cereal, but is just as good prepared as a meat substitute. I make meatless patties from oatmeal and they are delicious. here is the recipe.
2 cups water
2 cups instant oatmeal
1 Tbs olive oil
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:48PM DEBBIE HIBBARD said... I AM STARTING TO LEARN TO EAT HEALTHIER, I ENJOYED YOUR COMMENTS EXPECILLY ABOUT OATS, THIS I DIDNT KNOW THANKS
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:48PM ruth adams said... I can't eat berries because of the seeds (diverticuloxis). Do you know of the next best thing?
Reply
5-11-2006 @8:48PM Ray McCrary said... As to the question about Chard - Chard is NOT cruciferous!
It is a member of the same family as beets. In fact, chard is sometimes called a "rootless" beet.
Ol' Ray, the "Ignorant RedNeck" Author of "The Ignorant RedNeck Cooks..." series of cookbooks.
Reply