If you open any food magazine or read current articles on food, you will find several lists of food that we should be eating regularly. These foods are good for our health in so many ways. And, a lot of these lists overlap. Well, here is a list of superfoods from http://www.everydayhealth.com. I especially like these superfoods because they are all wheat and dairy free!
Here is the list and how you can incorporate these superfoods into your diet:
1. Avocados have tons of “good” fat to help the heart, skin, and eyes, as well as stabilize blood sugar. Guacamole is always a crowd pleaser… chop up some avocados and add chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, lime juice, and crushed red pepper. I also like to add avocados to salads, mix avocados with tofu in the morning, or have a simple tomato and avocado salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar at night with dinner.
2. Apples have those powerful antioxidants and lots of fiber… but you have to keep the skin on. The saying still holds that eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away. The best way to keep the fiber and antioxidants is to eat an apple raw… just pop one in your lunch, or slather some peanut butter on apple slices for an afternoon snack. For breakfast, I like to eat chicken sausages with sliced apple already in them.
3. Blueberries are good for our brains and are full of antioxidants. I usually buy bags of frozen berries and put them in the blender with a half of a banana and my favorite juice for an afternoon smoothie. I have a smoothie almost everyday; they are refreshing and filling.
4. Cabbage can prevent cancer and helps the immune system. Unless you like eating cooked cabbage, it can be hard to find ways to eat it. Try making cole slaw, like my Thai Cole Slaw, or chopping it up and adding it to salads. You won’t even know its there, but it will add a nice crunch to salad greens.
5. Fish is a great alternative to red and white meat and has great fatty acids. My favorite fish recipe is Thai Salmon. My mother likes making fish with a simple mustard, mayo, and bread crumb topping.
6. Garlic is great for your breath heart. It helps lower cholesterol and prevents heart attacks. What doesn’t garlic go on? To make it easy, I like the garlic that comes already chopped up in a squeeze tube.
7. Mushrooms are good for the immune system and help blood pressure. Mushrooms are a great addition to any meal… in an omelette, on salad, stuffed in chicken, folded into tomato sauce, or steamed as a veggie side.
8. Almonds are high in fiber and “good” fat. But, be careful because they are high in calories if not eaten in moderation. Because I can’t eat regular bread crumbs anymore, I like to grind up almonds (or any nut) and coat chicken/ turkey cutlets or breasts, as if they were bread crumbs. See my Raspberry Almond Turkey Cutlets. Almonds make a great crust, and add some fiber to the meat.
9. Eggs are great for protein and amino acids. I can’t eat whole eggs anymore, but used to eat one everyday for breakfast. It helped lower my cholesterol and held my hunger over until lunchtime. Now, I will occasionally eat egg whites in moderation for their protein value.
10. Flaxseed has wonderful vitamins and fiber. It is a true superfood. I love grinding flaxseed into a powder, and sprinkling it on anything that needs extra nutritional value… salads, cereal, smoothies, or even breading on chicken.
11. Pomegranates have antioxidants to help with aging and protect against cancer. They seem to becoming increasingly popular. You can eat the fruit itself, or I usually buy 100% cranberry and pomegranate juice to put in my smoothies. For a Friday night, you can’t go wrong with a pomegranate martini… at least it has some health benefits!
12. Red wine has been the topic of many articles on cardiovascular health. In moderation, it seems to help heart health. I like to marinate read meat in red wine… or just drink a glass with dinner after a long day! Just what the doctor ordered.
13. Dark Chocolate also has antioxidants and less calories than milk chocolate. I recently found pure dark chocolate pieces at Starbucks… a perfect treat for someone who has been missing out on traditional desserts! I actually couldn’t eat the whole bar because I wasn’t used to it, but it hit my sweet tooth perfectly.
Happy Allergy Free Eating!
previous bad rap of being “too” fatty. Yes, coconuts have a high fat content. But no, this isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, coconut oil is coming back into health food stores, right next to healthy olive oil.
Balanced Fork, Healthy Life 
