Author: Joshua Zelesnick

Here are some ways to add instant health to your daily diet.  Try some or all of these super foods to start your day off and end your day off great.  You may already have some of these foods in your diet, and good for you, but try some of the others too, and while you’re at it give some of what may be your least favorite foods another chance.  Your health is worth it.

1. Sweet potatoes:  If only Thanksgiving could be once a week.  The sweet potato is a nutritional all-star and one o the best vegetables you can eat.  Sweet potatoes are loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

2. Grape tomatoes:  Okay, so we all had a scare with tomatoes a little while ago, but as it turns out it was not the tomatoes that had the salmonella.  So go out and buy them!  They’re packed with vitamin C and vitamin A, and you also get fiber, phytochemicals, and a lot of flavor.

3. Fat free or 1 percent milk and yogurt:  Ditch whole milk and whole milk yogurt and turn to fat-free alternatives.  If you can’t make the giant leap, start off with two percent milk, then move on to one percent, then try fat-free.  These low-fat dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, vitamins, and protein with little or no artery-clogging fat or cholesterol.

4. Broccoli:  It’s so good for us!  True it’s really green and it may not be the most appealing vegetable, especially for kids, but give it another try.  Steam it, add it to a stir fry, and melt a little cheese on it.  Broccoli has lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid.

5. Wild Salmon:  The omega-3 fats in fatty fish like salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks.  Salmon that is caught in the wild has less PCB contamination than farm-raised salmon.

6. Crisp breads:  Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Rye Krisp, and Ryvita, are loaded with fiber and are often fat-free.

7. Microwaveable or ten minute brown rice:  If you can’t decide on a side dish, why not choose brown rice?  Brown rice contains fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B-6, copper, zinc and phytochemicals.

8. Citrus fruit:  Yum!  Yum!  Citrus fruits taste great and are rich in vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber.

9. Butternut squash:  Doesn’t it just sound good?  Every half-cup has five grams of fiber and loads of vitamins A and C.

10. Spinach and kale:  Both are packed with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, iron, lutein, and phytochemicals. 

Add these foods to your diet and see if you feel and look better in a month.  Your taste buds will be happy too.  Cheers to happy and healthy eating.