Good Eats

I’ve had a horrible diet most of my life [think Diet Coke and Doritos], until the past few years since I switched to organic, whole foods. No wonder my health went down the toilet — um, pardon the metaphor. But I really had no idea how delicious healthy eating could be. Still working on eating more vegetables because I get tired standing in the kitchen preparing them, but I’m getting there.

Below is an excellent article from the NY Times. Obviously, not all of us can tolerate all of these foods, so start slow if you haven’t tried something before. Or even if not–I just realized a few days ago that I’m allergic to cinnamon, for instance. Gah. I LOVE cinnamon and had been putting it daily in my breakfast quinoa, herbal tea, and canned pumpkin [on the list and a real treat, btw].

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

• Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
  How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
• Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.

I understand cabbage can be hard on the digestive system, so I don’t eat it as often as I’d like, but my favorite way to fix it is to saute it in some olive oil with salt and pepper until soft and slightly caramelized. Yum! Of course, I can’t do anything food-related moderately: I fix up a whole plate of it when I want to pig out, and feel hardly any guilt at all.

How do you like to fix your favorite healthy foods?