Powerhouse Foods: Tasty and Terrific for Your Body!

If you’re woeful about the winter and worried about weight gain, Ive got great news for you. Some of the worlds tastiest foods blissful chocolate, soothing oatmeal, and yummy yogurt are among the healthiest!

I like to refer to these foods as powerhouse foods, because they are nutritional powerhouses, offering extra benefits due to their high levels of antioxidants, fiber, etc. Researchers have discovered that foods that are high in antioxidants, for example, may help your immune system, assist in preventing heart disease and diabetes, and even improve the quality and duration of your life.

So how do you know which foods are the winners? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a lot of the work for us. They conducted studies to determine which foods are highest in antioxidants. They took the results and created a database showing what they call the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, abbreviated as ORAC. This complex phrase is a way of determining the antioxidants in specific foods.You can view their report at the U.S.D.A. Web site: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866

Here are some of the delicious foods that rate high on the scientists list: red delicious apples, dark chocolate, artichokes, blueberries, walnuts, strawberries, pecans, asparagus, beans, and numerous spices. If you want to get healthier AND battle that holiday weight gain, focusing on these powerhouse foods is a wonderful solution.

Just remember to look at the calorie, protein, and fiber in foods before you choose portion sizes. For example, although dark chocolate, walnuts, and pecans are all healthy, they also are high in calories and fat. For that reason, select small servings of these foods. In contrast, fresh fruits and non-starchy vegetables, such as apples and artichokes, are lower in calories and high in fiber. You can fill up on large servings of these foods, saving your calories for those powerhouse treats like chocolate.

And now, here’s to a healthy holiday season for us all!

(photo credit: ciroboro-cdd)

April 14th, 2009 by Joanne Eglash | Posted in Low Fat Cooking | (0)