What is the perfect food?
Cooking Light magazine published the answer to that question which they had posed to several people who give nutrition advice. Here were the expert’s individual answers: whole grain cereal with fat-free milk and fruit; tofu; tuna; fresh greens with cheese, fruit and olive oil; dark chocolate; fruit salad; blueberries; vegetable soup; and raspberries!
Cynthia Sass, Prevention Magazine’s Nutrition Director, wrote in the February issue about Nature’s Perfect Food which she believed to be beans; black, garbanzo, kidney and pinto.
Woman’s Day recently listed the 10 Perfect Foods: almonds, avocadoes, broccoli, eggs, kale, quinoa, raspberries, teff, sweet potato and plain fat-free yogurt.
A search on Google yielded several lists of super and power foods. The 10 foods chosen for better health by registered dietitian, Cheryl Forberg, at http://www.foodnetwork.com, were berries, citrus, vegetables, whole grains, salmon, legumes, nuts and seeds, lean proteins, tea, and olive oil.
The respected website, http://www.webMD.com lists the following as super foods: beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea (green or black), tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt because of their ability to lower the risk for heart disease and cancer.
All of the foods mentioned above were selected because they make a large contribution to the diet. They are loaded with one or more of the following: vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, plant sterols, prebiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and complex carbohydrate.
While taking my first nutrition course in college, the instructor described milk as being the nearly perfect food. It missed the mark because it is a poor source of iron. That pretty much sums it up—many foods are excellent sources of nutrients and disease fighting compounds but need the support of other foods to provide a total package.
So, the moral then is to aim to eat a healthy diet. Try to make all of the foods listed above a part of your menu repertoire. To help ensure that you are getting all of the nutrients you need, follow the daily recommendations of myPyramid.gov:
- Include 3 ounces of whole grains
- Eat a minimum of 2.5 cups of bright- or deep-colored fruits and vegetables
- Have 2-3 cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy products
- Select lean meat and poultry, fish and dry beans, nuts and seeds to equal 5 ounces
Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.
~Harriet Braiker.
May you continue to work on having an excellent diet.
