11 healthiest foods you probably aren't eating

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Jul 8th 2008 9:00AM

I'm not a big fan of "superfoods." I think there are a lot of foods that are super, and I think that most of them are easily accessible to the vast majority of people. Focusing on one funny-sounding food as a nutritional miracle does a disservice to the more common fruits and veggies we eat every day.

So I'm thrilled that the NYT Well Blog made a list of 11 healthy (but not uncommon) foods that we aren't eating, and that, for the most part, everyone will recognize the foods on the list.

Not only will you recognize them, but you'll probably even be able to get them at your local grocer. The idea behind lists like this is that we all should be eating a wide variety of foods, to ensure that we're getting the proper vitamins and minerals. So every time you add a new food to your palate, you're also adding a new source of good nutrition.

So here's the list:

beets
cabbage
Swiss chard
cinnamon
pomegranate juice
prunes
pumpkin seeds
sardines
turmeric
frozen blueberries
canned pumpkin

What about you? Is there a healthy food you aren't eating? Check out the gallery below for 25 you ought to embrace.

Color your diet with these fruits and veggies(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Source

Comments (16)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Yummy 7-10-2008 @ 9:59AM

Wrong ! I do eat these things, however, why eat frozen or canned when I can get fresh ? Those of us fortunate enough to have weekly access to a locally grown, organic farmer's market are eating optimally. Those of you trapped in "superwarehouses" should start a revolution..............

SuwaneeBarb 7-10-2008 @ 10:02AM

Some of the foods mentioned are counter-intuitive if you take blood-thinning meds; check with your doctor first.

Ellen 7-10-2008 @ 1:45PM

None of these food items should be contraindicated for those on blood-thinners. The only greens mentioned in the article are the swiss chard and the cabbage, which can still be eaten, provided a daily consistency is maintained with the volume of green vegetables consumed.

ALEXANDRA 7-10-2008 @ 1:05PM

Its always better to eat these foods rather than avoid them. You should be checking your inr/protime regularly and adjusting blood thiners according to a healthy diet. Wrong info if your doctor tells you to avoid healthy foods!!!

Linda 7-10-2008 @ 10:45AM

You are so wrong.. I or we (my family) love most of these delicious veggies and fruits and eat them all the time all except the sardines which we not to fond of we eat them all.. Coming from and Italian backround we make delicious meals with the above things and you could to.. just ask an old Italian women and you*ll be surprised at the taste you will create when she tells you how.. ENJOY...

Frankie 7-10-2008 @ 12:57PM

You are so right, Linda.
I'm also Italian and we eat a lot of vegies and fruit.
I want to also mention herbs. We mostly use sweet basil and parsley. People forget about the vitamins and minerals in herbs.

-Frankie

Cindy B 7-10-2008 @ 11:25AM

canned pumpkin?? do I eat it with a spoon out of the can? or in a pie?

Tina 7-10-2008 @ 2:17PM

Try making a casserole with canned pumpkin like a sweet potato casserole. It is very good.

Bryce Thompson 7-10-2008 @ 11:43AM

You forgot a couple of foods fish, tuna,which supplys Iodine should be eaten two,or more times a week,iodine deficiency causes hyperthyroidism causeing all the mental illnesses,your glands need iodine to function that is why salt has iodine. Then theres garlic,which works a 1,000 times better than vitimin C at keeping the colds and flues from you,the best immune system builder that there is.

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Sy 7-10-2008 @ 1:11PM

Hey Yummy,

Actually, sometime frozen foods are better because the freezing process locks in nutrients that that will other wise dimminish the longer they are left... if fresh foods aren't harvested that day and have the potential to lose nutrients. Foods are generally frozen the day they are harvested. So again frozen sometimes > fresh.

kay 7-10-2008 @ 1:35PM

Cindy... Canned pumpkin is very healthy and GREAT for... thickening, and as a "base" for curries, stews, caseroles, gravy/ sauces. I also used it in cookie/muffin/bread recipies. For a healthier (much lower carb, & lower glycemic starch), combine it with both mashed & sweet potatoes! It's a great "filler" & comfort food substitute. I always put it in the kids macaroni & cheese (and sprinkle a some cheetos on top so the more orange color isn't so obvious).

Oh, use the plain pumpkin, don't use the "spiced" version or it will taste like pumpkin pie! Pumpkin is rather bland on its own; but extremely healthy, especially for arthritis/rhemetism & eye disorders!!!

B 7-10-2008 @ 5:16PM

People should take all of this advice very cautiously. Some people, for example could be allergic to seeds and other items without knowing it yet. These articles are not written by doctors either. Just by journalists who take what information they know and gather it.

As for people starting a revolution? Some places just don't have the time/ resources or are to far away for fresh produce to be on every street corner. In large cities its possible and Europe has some of the best. Fresh frozen organic or not is good because its flash frozen on the spot and not cooked.

Also they most likely omit tuna and fish because those are not something everyone eats.

renee 7-10-2008 @ 5:51PM

Oh what a yummy list

blueberries are so good for you, thanks for the ideas for canned pumpkin we have never tried those before

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MtnCircle 7-10-2008 @ 10:16PM

It is so hard today to get all the different ingredients that we need because they way food is processed takes out so much. AHealthyFeast.com has products that addresses these needs.