The 29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet.

[seedspreader]

http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/29foods.shtml

The 29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet

The following is a "healthy food hot list" consisting of the 29 food that will give you the biggest nutritional bang for you caloric buck, as well as decrease your risk for deadly illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Along with each description is a suggestion as to how to incorporate these power-foods into your diet.

FRUITS

01. Apricots
The Power: Beta-carotene, which helps prevent free-radical damage and protect the eyes. The body also turns beta-carotene into vitamin A, which may help ward off some cancers, especially of the skin. One apricot has 17 calories, 0 fat, 1 gram of fiber. Snacks on them dried, or if you prefer fresh, buy when still firm; once they soften, they lose nutrients.

02. Avocados
The Power: Oleic acid, an unsaturated fat that helps lower overall cholesterol and raise levels of HDL, plus a good dose of fiber. One slice has 81 calories, 8 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber. Try a few slices instead of mayonnaise to dress up your next burger.

03. Raspberries
The Power: Ellagic acid, which helps stall cancer-cell growth. These berries are also packed with vitamin C and are high in fiber, which helps prevent high cholesterol and heart disease. A cup has only 60 calories, 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of fiber. Top plain low-fat yogurt or oatmeal (another high fiber food) with fresh berries.

04. Mango
The Power: A medium mango packs 57mg of vitamin C, almost your whole-recommended daily dose. This antioxidant helps prevent arthritis and boosts wound healing and your immune system. Mangoes also boast more than 8,000 IU of vitamin A (as beta-carotene). One mango has 135 calories, 1 gram of fat and 4 grams of fiber. Cut on up and serve it over leafy greens. Bonus: Your salad will taste like dessert!

05. Cantaloupe
The Power: Vitamin C (117mg in half a melon, almost twice the recommended daily dose) and beta-carotene - both powerful antioxidants that help protect cells from free-radical damage. Plus, half a melon has 853mg of potassium - almost twice as much as a banana, which helps lower blood pressure. Half a melon has 97 calories, 1 gram of fat and 2 grams of fiber. Cut into cubes and freeze, then blend into an icy smoothie.

Click the top link to read all 29. Many can be grown right at home.

[BellsBunnies]

Great list! and I even like most of the 29.

[Mountaineer]

Wow, no red meat, who'd have thought?

[BellsBunnies]

Joe we'll just trade one of 29 we don't like for red meat. LoL

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Farmer Joe

Wow, no red meat, who'd have thought?

Yep, most definitly a politically or philosophically motivated list.

[Chas in Me]

They forgot Snickers.

[Paranoid]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Yep, most definitly a politically or philosophically motivated list.

oh yeah, because red meat is soooo good for you this list must be fake since it doesnt include it!

don't get me wrong, i love a nice rare steak, but i know it aint good for me, at least not in the portions i eat it in. fyi, a serving of steak is like 2 ounces, not the 1/2-1 lb we have in the US

[free-2-b-me]

Thanks for the list Bob - I have modifies my eating habbits the last few months and this list is a helpful addition to what I am already eating !

[jnap31]

Seems like that list is heavilly weighted toawrds more common items some greens and fruits from tropical places have those listed beaten as far as nutrient punch. Including but not limited to morininga (drumstick tree leaves) Chaya leaves and more

[LagoVistaFarm]

Thanks for the list. We had 17 of them in dinner last night. We're at 26 on the list for the week. There favorite dish this week had eight.

[moonwolf]

Originally Posted by Farmer Joe

Wow, no red meat, who'd have thought?

I would put a couple of red meats on that list, or at least one.
I think wild lean game is healthy. I'm thinking lean red meat like moose or any vension like that, caribou, deer, elk, etc. Even lean black bear which is a red meat. Those meats have little fat, high in protein, and in the moderate amounts one would eat should be very good with the other items on that list, including seafoods high in omega and I would also includ bison (buffalo) as a good red meat that is lean and healthful. IMHO

[seedspreader]

I've never had Quinoa... anyone here have it? What are it's uses?

[suburbanite]

Quinoa is a seed slightly larger than millet. It is not a true grain but a seed, since it comes from a non-grass plant. But in the kitchen it is essentially a grain.

It makes a great morning breakfast cereal--1 part grain, 2 parts liquid, boil until done. When done, the germ of the grain springs out a bit from the grain itself, giving a little curly 'tail' to the grain. I generally cook mine with milk, cardomon, and a touch of honey.

One interesting feature of quinoa is its saponins. These are mildly toxic (diarrhea inducing) soaplike oils that the plant produces to protect itself from animals. If you grow millet, it will be swarmed with songbirds; if you grow quinoa, it won't be, because the seeds on the plant are very bitter.

For this reason you need to wash the seeds thoroughly before cooking them. Store bought quinoa is usually pre-washed (I rinse it additionally before using it), but home-grown requires somewhat more effort to wash. I find it takes at least three water rinses to clean it up; some recommend putting it in a blender with water at low speed to get a good washing. The water from washing the quinoa can be used to wash clothes.

Because it contains oils, quinoa has a shelf life of 3-6 months. It also won't set seed if the temperature is over--80F? I think? The best quinoa is claimed to be that grown in the high andes--this is a plant that likes cool weather.

I've grown quinoa in a small patch but my dozen plants really yielded only about a serving of grain. Don't know if that was a function of the variety I planted, the temperatures here, or some other defect in husbandry. It is probably competitive with other grain plants in terms of yield per acre, but isn't really something that a home gardener can grow enough to enjoy as a seed food instead of a plant or flower-arrangement item. (Young leaves are also edible)

If you want to try growing it on acreage, be warned that it is much lighter than other grain crops and so you cannot use normal winnowing equipment without modification or your crop will blow away.

It is a relative of goosefoot and can cross-pollenate with the weed, which has no effect on the seed quality for eating but can degrade it for seed saving if you're not careful. Because it is so closely related to weeds it grows like a weed and can tolerate worse soils than a lot of other crops.

[sullen]

Great. I HATE apricots. Guess I am doomed.

[Mountaineer]

Quinoa is great. I eat it like porrage. With jam or raisins in it. It actually has more calcium in it than milk. Very good food which nobody eats much.
It cooks faster than porrage too. right in the micro.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Paranoid

oh yeah, because red meat is soooo good for you this list must be fake since it doesnt include it!

don't get me wrong, i love a nice rare steak, but i know it aint good for me, at least not in the portions i eat it in. fyi, a serving of steak is like 2 ounces, not the 1/2-1 lb we have in the US

OK, I was wrong. The site is economically motivated. It sells diet plans...............lol

[Country Doc]

Soy should be on the list. I love red meat but it doesn't belong on the list of healthiest foods.
I think any list such as this is subject to politics, etc. Sort of like the best songs of all time or the best presidents.

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by Country Doc

Soy should be on the list. I love red meat but it doesn't belong on the list of healthiest foods.
I think any list such as this is subject to politics, etc. Sort of like the best songs of all time or the best presidents.

And even soy has come under fire recently.

[cindyc]

Originally Posted by ZealYouthGuy

I've never had Quinoa... anyone here have it? What are it's uses?

I don't like quinoa as a breakfast thing... too bitter to me. BUT I love it as a substitute for rice in things since it is a complete protein... I have made stuffed bell peppers with it, and chicken and "rice" with it (the old fashioned southern way). I also like it in a "pasta salad" type thing, with olive oil, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice... sort of like tabulie (spelled phonetically because I don't know how to spell it...). My kids LOVE it. It is a bit hard to get around here. I have to get it from a bulk foods co-op or a natural foods store.
Give it a try...
Cindyc.

P.S. It is good WITH red meat, or chicken, too...

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by cindyc

I don't like quinoa as a breakfast thing... too bitter to me. BUT I love it as a substitute for rice in things since it is a complete protein... I have made stuffed bell peppers with it, and chicken and "rice" with it (the old fashioned southern way). I also like it in a "pasta salad" type thing, with olive oil, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice... sort of like tabulie (spelled phonetically because I don't know how to spell it...). My kids LOVE it. It is a bit hard to get around here. I have to get it from a bulk foods co-op or a natural foods store.
Give it a try...
Cindyc.

P.S. It is good WITH red meat, or chicken, too...

Oh, I am all into meat, when I posted this it wasn't to suggest not to eat meat, just found it and thought many here would like it.