three bowls

There are a gajillion lists and articles and studies published every nanosecond (for serious! That’s an actual statistic!) about the new great ingredient we should be eating.  Acai berries!  Goji berries! Dingle berries!  (Sorry I watched South Park tonight.)

I can’t keep track and some of that stuff can get pricey. So I decided to cross reference a few lists I’ve run across in recent months and come up with a master list that I can put on the fridge and then ignore completely and just eat string cheese and veggie Buffalo Wings.

No, I really do want to eat better (that should be the drinking game of this blog: take one shot every time I proclaim that), so maybe cutting through the chatter will help my addled brain focus on the right things better.

So here’s what I’ve come up with as the top recommended foods to incorporate into one’s diet…

I compiled this list from a few different places.  Eating Well recently had a list of “7 Foods to Keep You Young.”  Men’s Health listed “The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating.” (Okay, I KNOW Men’s Health. Jesus.  I don’t need to be scolded by your title.)  Dr. Nicholas Perricone (The Wrinkle Cure guy) has a list of “Superfoods” in his book The Perricone Promise.  

And Dr. Andrew Weil just has a lot of info on his website and his particular take on nutrition just seems to make the most sense to me, personally.  I like his combo of alternative health and conventional medicine, and the fact that he doesn’t always jump willy-nilly into every latest “OMG this berry is produced by the belches of this special carnivorous seaweed and it’s like TOTALLY CURING CANCER IN MEXICO!” hypefest.

Both he and Dr. Perricone are big on the Anti-Inflammation thing, which, again, just seems to make some sense when you read about it.  Dr. Weil actually has, I think, perhaps the most concise, best eating guide out there, the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Tips, which is another great thing to print, stick on your fridge, and promptly ignore despite your best intentions.  (It also has links to a list of relevant recipes.)

So this first list is some foods that have been cross-referenced and recommended by at least two different sources, one of whom is an MD.  If something got panned or at least questioned by another MD, I left it off for now.

1. Allium Family (Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Scallion, Shallots) – Too many good things to name them all.  Cholesterol-related benefits, blood-clot-related benefits, immune system benefits, some members of the family (namely onions and leeks) might have some helpful effect on blood sugar levels.   
2. Beans & Lentils – Beans are just the best food in the world.  At least that's my opinion.  If you need science or sumthin', how about that in Dr. Perricone's book, The Perricone Promise, he notes that “in a study of almost 10K men and women, those who ate beans four or more times a week cut their risk of coronary disease by about 20% compared with those that ate them less than once a week"  Also have anti-oxidant properities.  And are tasty!  And inexpensive! And satisfying!   
3. Beets (Oh god.) – Per Men’s Health, they “contain folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments -- called betacyanins -- that give beets their color have been proved to be potent cancer fighters in laboratory mice.”  My mom will be happy to read this, but sorry, Mom, they go on to say to eat them not pickled, but “Fresh and raw…Heating beets actually decreases their antioxidant power.”  DrWeil does have a recipe for a beet salad that is supposed to be reminiscent of pickled beets.  (Suppressing shuddering.)  Mom, try it and report back to us!
4. Blueberries – Eating Well sez: “Compounds in blueberries (and other berries) mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which are associated with age-related deficits in memory and motor function.”
5. Cabbage – Men’s Health notes they contain “sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer.  Dr. Weil adds that “Red cabbage is just like green cabbage in taste and texture, but with the added benefit of powerful antioxidants.”
6. Cinnamon – May help you better regulate your blood-glucose levels, Men's Health sez, “Credit the spice's active ingredients, methylhydroxychalcone polymers, which increase your cells' ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times.” But Eating Well cautions, “Don’t go overboard. Animal studies suggest that a compound in cinnamon called coumarin may be toxic in high doses (although humans may not be as susceptible).”
7. Green leafies like Kale, Collard Greens, Spinach, Cress Leaf, Swiss Chard, Chicory Leaf – all have high amounts of lutein and/or zeaxanthin, which, per Men’s Health, “protect your retinas from the damage of aging.” Another article references a study that a dietary intake of only six milligrams of lutein per day decreases your chances of developing age-related macular degeneration by 43 percent.  This might run in my family, so that’s some good motivation for me to try them more often.
8. Matcha Tea – Dr. Weil highly recommends this tea, saying it’s “rich in catechin polyphenols - compounds with high antioxidant activity.”
9. Nuts – As Eating Well notes, they are “rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer benefits similar to those associated with olive oil. They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, including antioxidants.”  Some people with digestive issues or tendency towards cold sores might need to watch intake, though.
10. Purslane – Men’s Health notes this has the “highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant.”
11. Salmon – Wild Salmon is the best option for this fish.  Dr Weil says, “Salmon, like other oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation, protect against heart attacks, and possibly reduce one's chances of developing cancer.”
12. Sardines – Dr. Weil likes this fish too.  “The safest and best fish for omega-3 fatty acids is probably the sardine. I love fresh sardines, grilled with nothing but salt and lemon juice…I also buy water-packed canned sardines and mash them up with mustard and onion as a spread.”
13. Tomatoes – Have beta-carotene and lycopene, are tasty. Lycopene is more readily available from tomatoes if they are cooked with some kind of fat.  
14. Yogurt & Kefir – Eating Well recommends them because they "help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.”  Just make sure you know what you’re getting.  Dr. Weil says to get live active cultures, avoid those that are "heat-treated after culturing." He continues, “To determine whether the yogurt you buy contains living bacteria check the labels for the words ‘active yogurt cultures,’ ‘living yogurt cultures,’ or ‘contains active cultures.’ Don't be fooled by the words ‘made with active cultures.’ All yogurts are made with live cultures, but no live cultures survive heat-treatment.”

So that’s a start!   More to come as I do more research.