BlogHer - For Good Health: Are You Eating Enough SuperFoods? - Comments

Power Foods

Red Icculus — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:32:17 -0600

I did an article on Power Foods at: http://red-icculus.com/?p=29

I don't think that many people realize the additional health benefits beyond just the food's nutritional value.

Thank You

Susan Wolfe Bittle — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:13:22 -0600

The one Superfood I routinely neglect is soy, but I know I haven't been fair to it.

Thanks for the salmon recipe mention, Kalyn. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but I have only been occasionally able to find wild smoked salmon since I first posted that dish, and rarely now, wild fresh salmon.

Thanks, too, for some interesting ideas to get some soy in my diet.

Susan
The Well-Seasoned Cook

Thanks, Kalyn

Maria Niles — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:44:49 -0600

Thanks for looking that info up!

Kleenex® Let It Out™ Blog
Beyond Help

Here's what the book says about turkey

Kalyn Denny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:46:51 -0600

I had to look it up, but here's what the book says are the nutrients in turkey:
--low fat protein
--niacin
--vitamin B6
--vitamin B12
--Iron
--selenium
--zinc

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Turkey?

Maria Niles — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:08:12 -0600

Fabulous list and recipes but I'm curious about turkey. I've heard the arguments for all the other foods but am wondering what nutritional benefits turkey offers beyond being a much lower fat alternative to other meats?

And, I do eat most of these foods (or alternatives) regularly though I could do better with soy and oats. I can't stand oatmeal so it's a bit tougher but I do eat brown rice often. And I'm allergic to salmon so although I eat fish/seafood regularly it isn't always the high Omega-3 kinds so I supplement.

Kleenex® Let It Out™ Blog
Beyond Help

Thanks!

Kalyn Denny — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:04:03 -0600

I'm happy you're enjoying the series of recipes for nutritious cooking. I'm not surprised though, your blog always has recipes that are so nutritionally sound. (Not to mention just plain delicious looking!)

Hmm, savory recipes for oats. I'll have to think about that. Oats is something I have on my list for a future topic, although I have so many ideas, I'm sure I won't get to all of them.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Yummy

Nupur — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:41:55 -0600

What a delicious list. Kalyn, I am enjoying your series immensely!
I regularly eat everything on this list (except for the salmon and turkey). Oats is something I would love to have more savory recipes for.
Nupur @ One Hot Stove

Yes, but

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:24:30 -0600

After I wrote this piece I found myself thinking of a number of things I eat regularly that aren't on the list:

eggs
cheese
olives
cucumbers
mushrooms

Those were the first ones I thought of. Whole foods, yes, but not nutritious enough to be classified as SuperFoods.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Super Foods

laurenbpgh — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:12:30 -0600

I think it's really sad that we have gotten so far away from where our food comes from that we need a list of every whole food to know what to eat. Our grandparents didn't need lists of which foods to eat - all of their food choices were whole foods!

Michael Pollan wrote a great description of why "nutrition science" is a totally bizarre way to decide on which foods for the New York Times.

Pollan's best advice for choosing foods is, "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." And that pretty much keeps you to this list!

Yes, it will be interesting

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:31:09 -0600

Hi Suebob,
I didn't get into the four principles in the book, but one of them is "Superfoods are whole foods." I agree, we are just starting to learn about what foods are most healthful and why.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Thanks Catherine!

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:29:21 -0600

It was really interesting to notice how much this book has influenced my food choices.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Yeah yeah yeah

suebob — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:55:46 -0600

The foods on the list sound great if they are fresh, in season and not unaltered (fresh blueberries on oatmeal vs a blueberry breakfast bar, for instance). I just have a sneaking suspicion that our theories about food and nutrition and especially weight will change radically over the next few years. I will love to see how this list develops.

Great List

Catherine Morgan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:43:58 -0600

Great list Kalyn!!!

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at CatherineBlogs.com and The Political Voices of Women

For Good Health: Are You Eating Enough SuperFoods?

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:02:38 -0600

In 2004 Stephen Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews published a book called SuperFoods RX. Inside the front cover, they introduce the idea behind their book, saying:

SuperFoods RX is based on a simple but profound premise: some foods are dramatically better than others for our health and longevity.

In the book Pratt and Matthews identified 14 of the most nutrient-dense SuperFoods, things that everyone should be eating. If you don't like some of the foods, you can choose foods called "sidekicks" which have similar nutrients. Since we're talking about Good Health this month, and I've been sharing ideas for cooking health-promoting foods (like sweet potatoes, dried beans, cabbage, and greens) I thought it might be a good time to check and see how Bloghers are doing on eating their SuperFoods. I bought the book in about 2005, and writing this I discovered it has influenced my food choices more than I realized. However, if some of these foods never make an appearance on your table, I'll give a couple of recipe ideas for each food.

Beans
Includes: all dried beans especially pinto beans, navy beans, Great Northern beans, lima beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and lentils.
Sidekicks: green beans, sugar snap peas, and green peas.
Try to eat: at least four 1/2 cup servings per week
Ideas for cooking beans:
I shared a lot of bean recipes in my post about Beans are a Great Choice for Good Health.
Sugar Snap Peas Saute from Tasty Palettes

Blueberries
Sidekicks: Purple grapes, cranberries, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries, cherries
Try to eat: 1 to 2 cups daily
Ideas for cooking Blueberries:
Blueberries recipe collection from Simply Recipes and other blogs (including the great photo of the blueberries by Elise shown above)
Vegan Blueberry Cobbler from Karina's Kitchen

Broccoli
Sidekicks: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, turnips, cauliflower, collards, bok choy, mustard greens, swiss chard
Try to eat: 1/2 to 1 cup daily
Ideas for cooking broccoli:
Oven Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Chili-Garlic Oil, and Parmesan from Pinch My Salt
Artichoke and Broccoli Frittata from Gluten-Free Bay

Oats
Sidekicks: Wheat germ, ground blaxseed, brown rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, miller, bulgur wheat, amaranth, quinoa, triticale, kamut, yellow corn, wild rice, spelt, couscous
Try to eat: 5 to 7 servings a day
Ideas for cooking oats:
Oatmeal Toasting Bread from Farmgirl Fare
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Albion Cooks

Oranges
Sidekicks: Lemons, white and pink grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, limes
Try to eat: 1 serving daily
Ideas for using oranges:
Poached Halibut with Cilantro Cream and Oranges from Beyond Salmon
Moroccan Style Chicken with Oranges, Black Olives, and Fennel from Tigers and Strawberries

Pumpkin
Sidekicks: Carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers
Try to eat: 1/2 cup most days
Ideas for cooking pumpkin and butternut squash:
I shared Lots of Unique Pumpkin Recipes on Blogher.
I proclaimed Butternut Squash is a Beautiful Thing on Blogher.

Wild Salmon
Sidekicks: Alaskan halibut, canned albacore tuna, sardines, herring, trout, sea bass, oysters, and clams
Try to eat: eat fish two to four times per week
Ideas for cooking wild salmon:
Pasta with Smoked Salmon from The Well Seasoned Cook
Cilantro Chile Salmon from Daily Unadventures in Cooking

Soy
Sidekicks (forms of soy): Tofu, soymilk, soy nuts, edamame, tempeh, miso
Try to eat: at least 15 grams of soy protein per day and divide daily soy intake into two separate meals or snacks
Ideas for cooking with soy:
Tofu Stuffed with Brown Rice and Mushroom Dressing from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Edamame Saute from Christine Cooks

Spinach
Sidekicks: Kale, collards, swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, romaine lettuce, orange bells peppers
Try to eat: 1 cup steamed or 2 cups raw most days
Ideas for cooking spinach and greens:
I share lots of recipes for Greens of all kinds on Blogher.
Spinach and Artichoke Gratin from A Veggie Venture

Tea
Sidekicks: None
Try to drink: 1 or more cups daily
Ideas for using tea:
Jamaica Flower Iced Tea from 101 Cookbooks
Tea-Tinged Truffles from One Hot Stove

Tomatoes
Sidekicks: Red watermelon, pink grapefruit, japanese persimmons, red-fleshed papaya, strawberry guava
Try to eat: One serving of processed tomatoes or sidekicks per day and multiple servings per week of fresh tomatoes
Ideas for using tomatoes:
How to Use Garden Tomatoes Week from Kalyn's Kitchen
Ten Delicious Ways to Eat Tomatoes from Mighty Foods

Turkey (skinless breast)
Sidekicks: Skinless chicken breast
Try to eat: 3 to 4 servings per week each 3-4 ounces
Ideas for cooking turkey:
Simple Turkey Chili from Tiny Morsels
Turkey Breasts with Pan Sauce from Culinary Infatuations

Walnuts
Sidekicks: Almonds, pistachios, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews
Try to eat: 1 ounce 5 times a week
Ideas for using walnuts:
Banana Walnut Cake from Mahanandi
Mocha Cupcakes with Walnuts from Batter-Splattered

Yogurt
Sidekicks: Kefir
Try to eat: 2 cups daily
Ideas for using yogurt:
Yogurt Dessert from Yogurtland
Yogurt Soup from Almost Turkish Recipes

How are you doing?
So there are the fourteen foods you should be eating regularly. How are you doing at eating your SuperFoods? The two categories where I know I'm really lacking are Tea and Soy. If anyone has a good recipe using any of the SuperFoods, be sure to share it with us in the comments.

Sources:
SuperFoods RX
SuperFoods to the Rescue by Web M.D.

Blogher Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen where she finds it pretty easy to eat SuperFoods when they're in dishes like Spinach Salad with Warm Ginger Vinaigrette or Greek Yogurt with Agave Nectar and Pecans.