Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Lots of good for you plant foods....

Today's Post: Tuesday, 10-26-2010


A few days ago one of my health emails that I get had a list of many high fiber plant foods many of which have other health benefits.

And writer on foods that are good or bad for your health, Michael Pollan’s summary rule is “Eat Food. Mostly plants. Not too much.”

And our posts often stress what NOT to eat, so I thought I’d do a post on good for you plant foods.

The ones that are high fiber help you feel full without eating too many calories. And virtually all of them have multiple health benefits, particularly if you get organic ones. Some of them have so many or such powerful health benefits they are considered superfoods. (I put a ! after those on this list.) By eating a variety of these every day and every week, you can get healthier and stay healthy.

In fact, eating MORE such foods is a key to losing excess fat or not gaining it and keeping it off once you lose it. You don’t get hungry and have less room for foods that have more calories. Once you eat these foods, much of your not eating more of other foods is on automatic pilot. To some extent you don’t even have to work at it to eat less of the more calorie dense foods.

That really helps with the “Not too much” part of things!

Here’s a partial list of good for you plant foods:

Almonds*

Apples (Best if organic and eaten with the skins.)

Applesauce with no sugar added

Artichokes

Asparagus

Avocados! (Health OK fat plus multiple vitamins plus fiber plus good taste.
Eaten as guacamole, they are very tasty!)

Bananas

Barley +

Beans!& Lentils!
(Very inexpensive sources of plant proteins and high in fiber.)

Blackberries

Blueberries! (Brain protective and even may restore some lost brain function.)

Broccoli! (Raw florets are the best at preventing cancers.) Also good cooked for a filling green vegetable that will help keep you trim or help you lose fat.

Brussels sprouts!

Cabbage!

Carrots!

Cauliflower! (Raw florets are the best at preventing cancers.)

Celery

Cherries!

Cocoa, unsweetened with no fats added either

Garlic!

Ginger!

Green Beans

Kale!

Kiwifruit!

Oatmeal – rolled or steel cut oats – NOT quick or instant +

Onions!

Nectarines (Only organic is best.)

Oranges

Papaya

Peaches Only organic is best.)

Pecans*

Peas

Plums

Pumpkins!

Raisins (Best if eaten with less sugary foods at the same time but high in fiber.)

Raspberries!

Squashes! (Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti are all good.)

Strawberries!

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes! (Good for you and your heart eaten raw. Even more nutritious and cancer preventing when eaten cooked with some extra virgin olive oil.)

Walnuts*

Wheat Germ!+

Wild Rice +

Yams

Zucchinis

*Some people are allergic to tree nuts. But for everyone else, they are a superfood.

Also note, only raw or dry roasted nuts with no oils or salt added are health supporting and good for you. When nuts are salted it’s too easy to eat too many nuts and too much salt. And, most of the time the oils added are NOT good for you. Some are even partially hydrogenated omega 6 oils!)

+ Barley, Oats, Wheat Germ, and Wild Rice are grains. For best fat loss results eat them in moderate amounts only and not every day. They are a bit high glycemic. (Applesauce with no sugar, Bananas, Raisins, Sweet potatoes, and Yams on this list are not grains but are similarly a bit on the high glycemic side and should also be eaten in moderation only.)

If most of what you eat is from this list or the many similar foods I didn’t remember or get to, virtually every study I’ve ever seen says you will be far healthier in every way.

The many ways of eating that are known to produce good health results otherwise differ but all have in common that they virtually ALL include these foods.

Nuts are so filling unless you eat them until you are a bit overfull they have been found NOT to cause weight gain. (They have nutrients, good taste, crunch, protein, health OK fats or oils, AND fiber.)

And, with the exception of the foods listed to eat moderately, eating MORE of these foods is often better for you than eating less. Most of them are low glycemic foods. Eating MORE of them will make you LESS fat.

Many of them help prevent cancer. Eating berries and nuts increase your heart protective HDL levels. Virtually all of them are high in fiber, vitamin C, and
potassium. Garlic, Onions, and Ginger, well used help add massive amounts of flavor and each of the three has health benefits when you eat them.

Keep trying new ones and develop a list of foods from this list that you find you like and eat those often.

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