The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

NY Times ^ | June 30, 2008 | Tara Parker-Pope

[neverdem]

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. How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes. How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol. How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants. How to eat: Just drink it.

Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants. How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.

Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death. How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.'’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as...

[Onelifetogive]

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

So the flippin' NYTimes is spying on me???

[JustaDumbBlonde]

We eat all of the eleven listed foods, except only the hubby eats beets ... I can’t stand those.

[devere]

A pretty good list.

I’ve never thought of trying raw beets in my salads. That’s an interesting idea.

[Doogle]

Cabbage and Sardines....well there goes the deep knee squats at the gym

[wendy1946]

Basic rule #1 of nutritional science: If the kid or the cat can’t or won’t eat it, the sum total nutritional value is ZERO.

[tbw2]

Spinach, beets, sardines, chard ... it would end up on my kids’ clothes, my clothes, the floor, in the trash, in the roomba robot ... you’re right. Those foods might make it in the mouth once before being violently expelled. The image of my son trying a lemon piece before spitting it out and wildly waiving both arms in all directions to make sure it was absolutely, positively GONE come to mind when I read this list.

The pumpkin pie with low sugar, the pumpkin seeds, maybe the plums, those are maybes.

Haven’t tried pomegranate juice.

[Vigilanteman]

I’ve got to show this to Mrs. Vigilanteman. She runs me out of the house if she catches me eating sardines. I have to eat them when she’s not at home, wrap the empty can in a plastic bag and make sure it is outside before she gets home. I also have to brush my teeth well or she smells it on my breath. Especially my favorite kind— sardines packed in chili sauce.

[DrewsDad]

When I tell my wife to just pick anything for dinner, she jokingly suggests beets because I avoid them like the plague. I’ve even tried them smothered in ketchup on bread when forced to eat them by my parents. It didn’t help.

[advance_copy]

Yuk..

Here’s my top 11:

1. Steak w/baked potato
2. Tacos
3. Cajun Fish w/Kale & Rice
4. Chile
5. Red beans and Rice
6. Pizza
7. Pork chops & steamed broccoli
8. Spaghetti
9. Beef stew
10. Ham & scalloped potatoes
11. Vegetable soupe with cornbread

Daggone, I’m hungry now. BTW, one can live a long healthy life using this list I’ve posted.

[Mr. Mojo]

Pumpkins seeds.... How to eat: Roasted as a snack

I eat 'em raw.

[djf]

Totally agree with the list EXCEPT

I would add spinach and walnuts to ANY list dealing with nutrition.

[madison10]

Didn’t think beets were that healthy. The tops are, but didn’t think the red portion had much in the way of vitamins.

[bannie]

Cheese enchaladas—with extra cheese

Lasagna—with extra cheese

Cheesecake

[Maelstorm]

No beets for me. I have tried. I’ve been adventurous and even developed a taste for sushi but hold the beets and kimchi please.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Pumpkin seeds -- we roast them. Pour them into a pan, add enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat, stir in a little garlic powder and Emeril's, cook at about 350 until the color changes a bit, maybe 10 minutes. Great on salad.

Beets, though - I don't think I've ever gotten close enough to one to taste it.

[Maelstorm]

Yeah and it doesn’t help with cold just out of the can spam either. That had to be the most horrible dish my country grandma ever tried to feed me. Geesh I can still remember the greasy taste of the stuff and ketchup did not help at all.

[buck jarret]

I hate cinnamon

[Yardstick]

Never ate a sardine in my life until a couple weeks ago when I got curious and bought a tin. They are surprisingly good. I still don’t understand how they can be good — there they are, little fish with the skin still on them, at room temperature, reeking to high heaven — and yet I ate the whole tin.

[peggybac]

Beets - no way. Sardines mixed with Mayo on crackers tastes great.