Released January 23, 2009
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. -- During these stressful economic times, healthy eating is more important than ever, especially for the growing numbers of unemployed and medically uninsured, who have an added incentive to stay healthy.
Fortunately for them, nutritionists are identifying a growing number of the foods known to optimize health and reduce the risk of chronic, often life-threatening diseases.
One list, compiled by nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden, first appeared in the New York Times last June. Bowden identified 11 foods readily available at most grocery stores.
- Beets, a rich source of folate and a presumed cancer fighter.
- Cabbage, abundant in sulforaphane, believed to enhance cancer-fighting enzymes.
- Swiss chard, a green, leafy vegetable chock-full of eye-protecting carotenoids.
- Cinnamon, possibly effective in controlling blood pressure.
- Pomegranate juice, also potentially effective in controlling blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
- Dried plums — prunes by any other name — another treasure trove of antioxidants.
- Pumpkin seeds, loaded with magnesium, which is presumed to safeguard against early death.
- Sardines, rich in omega-3s, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and several other minerals.
- Turmeric, which Bowden describes as the superstar of spices and that contains anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.
- Frozen blueberries, another antioxidant treasure trove, also believed to enhance memory.
- Canned pumpkin, rich in fiber and immune-boosting vitamin A.
At Auburn University, Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutrition and health specialist and professor of nutrition and food science, says the list is worth heeding, especially because it conveys one of the basic messages nutritionists having been trying to drive home for decades — variety.
"The idea is that the more varied your diet is, the more likely you are to get a lot of the nutrients you need as well as many phytochemicals," Keith says.
And there is an added benefit: Eating a wider variety of these kinds of foods tends to crowd out less healthy foods that, in some cases, may even be harmful, he says.
Keith also offers a few additions of his own. For starters, he offers additional praise for cabbage family, which encompasses a group of vegetables representing an especially rich trove of nutrients. He places broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and especially kale high on his personal list.
"It's one of those vegetables groups that should be high on any list and that is readily available in grocery stores," Keith says.
"Kale, along with broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, are all excellent foods and we simply don't eat enough of them," he says.
He also urges people to add wheat germ to the list.
Any whole wheat product is a good source of wheat germ. But it can also be purchased as a concentrate and added to cereals, casseroles and other foods.
Another excellent source: green, leafy vegetables. Keith advises less emphasis on nutritionally puny iceberg lettuce and more consumption of spinach and romaine lettuce.
Bell peppers, whether red, yellow or green, are also good bets and are widely available at the grocery store, Keith says.
He also adds nuts and onions to this expanding list, although he advises going easing on nuts, which, in addition to being rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, are also high in calories.
And don't overlook the handful of healthy, traditionally southern foods, such as sweet potatoes, watermelon and collard greens.
Moreover, don't think that being thrifty means you're shortchanging yourself nutritionally.
"There's not one variety of food that you have to buy week after week," Keith says.
As a rule of thumb, he advises buying as many of these foods as you can afford, keeping careful track of discounts and other incentives.
"If they've got a good deal on kale, buy kale," Keith says, adding that prices will vary according to when these foods are in and out of season.
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