nutritional powerhouses

i found the following list in an old issue of women's day and thought it was worth posting. these superfoods are GREAT additions to your diet:

1. cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and lake may have potent anticancer properties.
2. carrots, mangoes, and winter squash are rich in beta carotene, which can play an important role in cancer prevention—particularly of the lung, cervix, and stomach.
3. pink grapefruit, blueberries, and red grapes are good sources of flavonoids, which may help fight cancer and heart disease.
4. garlic, onions, leeks, chives, and scallions may help lower high blood pressure and protect against certain cancers.
5. tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce, pink grapefruit, and bell peppers show promise in fighting lung and prostate cancers.
6. red grapes, blueberries, and strawberries may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer and help ward off heart disease.
7. spinach, corn, pumpkin, and avocado appear to reduce the risk of stroke, some cancers, and heart disease. spinach may also guard against age-related macular degeneration.
8. olive oil, canola oil, and polyunsaturated fats (including salmon, flax seeds, walnuts, and soybean oil) can help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
9. lowfat dairy products and calcium-fortified foods help keep bones strong and may help prevent osteoporosis.
10. fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are all high in fiber, which aids digestion and may protect against certain cancers.
11. soy and soy products may protect against breast cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
12. tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, and lake trout (as well as flax seeds and tofu) may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

a lot of things on this list won't be news to most people; however, it's a good idea to keep them at the forefront of your mind while grocery shopping so you can easily and tastily add disease-fighting, health-improving foods to your weekly meals.

i try to sneak in extra fiber and nutrients at every meal. this includes adding chopped nuts and fresh or dried fruits to my salads, using whole wheat breadcrumbs or oats in my meatloaf, trading out higher fat, lower fiber tortillas for high-fiber, low-fat/low-calorie ones, eating an orange instead of drinking a glass of juice, swapping out quinoa or bulgur wheat as a side dish instead of rice or pasta, and throwing extra veggies into EVERYTHING i can. i wind up feeling fuller quicker and the health benefits are countless.

healthy and happy eating!