Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren't
Improving your health can be as simple as eating these items.
Eaten many coconuts lately? How about cherries or blueberries or grass-fed beef?
You should, because these are all foods with powerful health properties. However, few people pack their grocery carts full of these items.
Take kiwifruit. It's chock full of vitamin C--a whopping 115% of what you need to eat in a day. It's also low in calories--just 45 per fruit, sans skin.
"In America, most people don't eat three servings of fruit and vegetables a day," says nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of seven books including, most recently, The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy. According to him, there are 10 very healthy foods we don't eat enough of.
In Pictures: 10 Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren't
Ignore the Food Pyramid
Bowden says many Americans are misled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, which is a graphic, pyramid-shaped depiction of nutrition guidelines, updated every five years, that tells Americans what to eat according to food groups. Bowden dismisses it as the product of interest group politics.
"It demonizes fat," notes Bowden. "Fat is an essential building block for many important compounds in the body." This is why Bowden puts grass-fed beef, wild salmon and, yes, coconuts, on his top 10 list.
Salmon, in particular, is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with heart and brain health as well as bringing down blood pressure and triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease. Omega-3s have also been found to improve mood and reduce inflammation, says Bowden.
Another food packed with nutritional value that's present--but not necessarily front and center in every grocery store--is kale. A member of the cabbage family, which Bowden dubs "vegetable royalty," kale contains indoles, a compound found to fight cancer. Kale is also rich in antioxidants, which also help prevent cancer, says Bowden.
If that's not enough for you, kale is also full of sulforaphane, yet another cancer-prevention agent. Kale has calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K, and two nutrients that are great for the eyes, including zeaxanthin. Kale's pièce de résistance: Two cups packs three grams of fiber. Try sautéing it with garlic and butter, recommends Bowden. Or eat it like salad, with pine nuts, cranberries and olive oil.
Then there are coconuts, a terribly misunderstood food, according to Bowden. The fat in coconuts is a particular kind that's good for you. It's called MCT, or Medium-Chain Triglycerides. The body doesn't store MCT as fat, says Bowden, but rather uses it as energy, like a carbohydrate. Coconuts are also high in lauric acid, a fatty acid that tends to kill pathogens. In addition, coconut oil is great for cooking since it has a very high smoke point.
Eat Mediterranean
For Bowden, sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet is the healthiest way to eat. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and lots of olive and nut oils. The Mediterranean diet has indeed been proved by study after study to have multiple healthful properties.
If all that sounds just too darn healthy, consider the 10th food on Bowden's list: dark chocolate. Rich with a phytochemical called flavanol, found by a 2005 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology to improve cardiovascular health, chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content should be a regular on your shopping list.
Chocolate and coconut anyone? OK, but not until you've finished your kale.
In Pictures: 10 Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren't
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GANODERMA LUCIDUM AND ITS SPORES (*Reference: http://guru.levolo.com)
Ganoderma lucidum is one of fungi in the family of Basidiomycetes, which is referred as Lingzhi in Chinese and considered as a precious herb in traditional Chinese medicines. The use of Ganoderma lucidum was clearly described in Compendium of Material Medica by Shizhen Li, a famous herbal scholar in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Ancient Chinese records showed that the species is to promote longevity and maintain vitality of the human body. Its major benefit appears to be its immuno-modulating action, resulting in enhancement of immunity, improvement of liver functions, improvement and restoration of the normal functions of the respiratory system, and prevention of certain viral infections on the basis of the abundant clinical evidence.
A mature Ganoderma mushroom ejects the tiny spores which is about 8-12 to 6-7 um. The spore can be considered as the seed of Ganoderma. The structure of each spore consists of 2 layers of the rigid wall, the sporoderm. The cavities between the walls contain bioactive substance for germination. Clinical studies show that the bioactive substance could only be obtained and absorbed by the human body when the walls of the sporoderm were broken.
DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF LINGZHI MASTER® GURU®
(1) Establishing a Ganoderma-cultivated plant which is a pollution-free environment. This guarantee that the spore collected is fresh, pesticide residue and heavy metal free.
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(3) Using special micron breaking technique patented in USA and China to completely break the Ganoderma spores in order to maximize the bioactivity.
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We have a member from a country in the South Asia and that member of our society was so excited to hear what I had to say sfter reading this article: He is from an Island in the Indian Ocean and said this: " I am very happy and proud to hear about my mother & father's diet recognized as the best diet (eating daily fish, sauteid dark green leaves & coconut in every meal). He also aded they eat a lot of PLANT based spices like tumeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilli pepper fruits, lime fruit, tamarind paste - instead of tomato paste in fish curry, curry leaves and HOST of other medicinal plants). He said since he is in USA now for 7 years he has become sick for the FIRST time in USA. His first tooth decay happened at age 30 yrs in USA.
We read that CASHEW nuts which he said is every where in this Idyllic Island (like Hawai) is consiered by a US PhD paper to be ANTI-Cavity.
Tea drinking happens in all South Asian countries,
But the biggest BUSINESS now for the USA drug companies is to SELL medicine for DIABETES for South Asians who feed on US Fast Food Restaurant and their Manual Labor Jobs which give them SO much stress in USA.
Stress is making these South Asians get DIABETES in USA with ubhealthy fast food (no energy or money to cook ORGANIC food after 12 hour work for CORPORATION bathroom cleaning and Janitor and Nursing Assisstant).
He said "We have fallen from Heaven to Hell. Please, STOP selling WEAPONS to our government and STOP training our men to become terrorist in HIDDEN US/Israeli camps because they own WEAPON Factories and want to make money. If you STOP helping our BAD & CRAZY people we can GO back to our countries and live in peace like our grandfathers did with their WARM WEATHER farms and WARM monsoon rains effortlessly and in bliss".
In this Islan under hot sun and plenty of water and red soil ALL Heavenly crops grow (also Jasmin, Hibiscus, and endless fragrance).
STOP SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO OUR FEW CRAZY MEN IN ASIA, AFRICA & MIDEAST".
Leave us alone.
Most of Asians, Africans, and MidEast people are GOOD. Only few bad but you help the bad & not the good (the good you bring to USA & give "kakka" jobs.
I cant believe you all wrote that much but didnt mention Vitamins.
Leafly greens are GREAT for you!
why is it a big deal that they point out Kale (or any othe leafy green) as GREAT for you!? :-)
don't people know LEAFY GREENS ARE GREAT FOR YOU!? 
EAT LEAFY GREENS!!!! :-)
Harry, Bekka, and all whom can use these ideas
Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh, and healthier than canned. Dry pasta, rice, and beans can be bought in larger quantities and cheaper.
Frozen fruit is great too. Buy a bag take out a portion thaw overnight in fridg. or use in place of ice to make a smoothie. yummy
Try stores like Aldi (real cheap)
Bakery in the area? Check out the day old bread. You can save big this way. Buy and freeze.
Some stores will sell the rotisserie chicken not sold the day before cold in the refridg. section for 1/3 less the next day.
Use store sales to plan. Buy whatever is on sale that week for your produce. Plan your meals out, and even prep/cook in advance. Rice, pasta, etc can be reheated in micro.
1 Chicken can = 4 meals for a fam of 4. Day 1- traditional roast chix, a starch, veg. Day 2- Chix stir fry w/ rice or chix fried rice. Day 3 Mexi chicken (cook cut chix in skillet w/ h2o and taco seasoning you make yourself [search a recipe site for one cheaper and so easy]) Day 4 chicken soup boil all meat off carcass add carrots and pasta right in pot .
Find out what day your market gets their shipments of produce in and go the day before, because a lot will have managers specials to move out old to make way for new.
Eggs are a great protein and cheap in most cases. Have breakfast for dinner or make a quiche. Also a great make ahead meal reheat serve w/ salad
Be creative. Ask the family for input. Do not lose hope. Bless you
My grandmother who is 98 years old and living in Greece still drinks a small glass of wine with her dinner every night. She also uses olive oil when she cooks.
"OPA!!!!"
-Jane
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