The Top 10 Foods to Buy at a Health Food Store This is not an exhaustive list, but covers some important foods you’re likely to find at a good health food stores. These are foods we should probably eat more of, or great alternatives to existing products. Baby Bok Choy: Many Asian cultures love Bok Choy. It’s a vegetable packed with nutrients, but unfortunately, many people don’t know what to do with it. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K (very important), and B-vitamins. It’s probably one of the healthiest greens you can eat. A few ways to cook Bok Choy: - Stir fry it in garlic and very little oil. Start with the stems, because they are the thickest part. Add the green parts and stir fry everything for about 4 minutes. If you’re cooking them for longer, you will destroy the benefits. – Baby Bok Choy is great. Cut off the thickest part of the stems and then cut it length wise. Then boil in salted water for just ONE minute. The nutrients lost in the water in this method are minimal, since you’ll be boiling them for very little time. Add your favorite sauce! – You can also eat Bok choy raw in salads. Black Rice: Black rice has the same benefits as brown rices, but it’s full of anti-oxidants, similar to the ones found in blueberries, so it’s like getting the benefits of blueberries while eating rice! Awesome… Just cook it on the brown rice setting of your rice cooker. Duck Eggs: This is something that you’ll likely only find at your health food store. The value of duck eggs is that they contain more nutrients than regular eggs, especially vitamin B12. In fact, duck eggs contain five times the vitamin B12 of chicken eggs! They also contain more of all other nutrients, but unfortunately, more cholesterol too. If you include eggs in your diet, think of including duck eggs once in a while to boost your intake of vitamin B12. Black Beans: As with many other pigmented foods, they are rich in antioxidants. What I like best about organic black beans is that they are so easy to cook. I never soak them. Just rinse them, add 2-3 inches of water, bring to a quick boil, reduce to minimum, and cook for about 2 hours. I cook them with whole garlic cloves, a couple of bay leaves, and one small peeled potato. Then you can add salt and other seasonings at the end of cooking. The water will get all black, and you’ll keep the beans in their cooking water. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Chia seeds: Chia is trendy these days, and for one good reason. They’re loaded with fiber (a ridiculous 11 grams per ounce!), the perfect mix of omega fats, a surprising amount of calcium, and a special fiber that prevents diabetes, among other things. Note that you might not get all the benefits of chia unless the seeds are pulverized. Otherwise, they are not digested. However, soaked chia seeds have other benefits. Kale: The health craze around kale is NOT overrated. In some places, a health food store is the only decent place to buy kale. Kale has a ridiculous nutritional profile such as a whooping 355% of our needs for vitamin A (or beta-carotene, actually), 88% of our vitamin C needs, 1327% for vitamin K, and an impressive load of other minerals and vitamins as well. There are lots of ways to eat kale and my favorite is to stream the green leaves (not the stems) and chop them well in a salad that includes a creamy dressing! Organic Almonds: California almonds now have to be briefly pasteurized. This doesn’t change their nutritional value. Almonds are my favorite nut because they are so filling, and yet encourage weight loss! Blood pressure also dropped on the almond-eating fellows. Heirloom Tomatoes: There’s a reason why top chefs around the world seek heirloom tomatoes: they taste great. Besides farmer’s markets, heirloom tomatoes can generally only be found at health food stores. Heirloom tomatoes are older varieties of tomatoes that have interesting characteristics (taste, nutrition, texture, color) but are no longer grown commercially. There’s no research yet to prove that they are necessarily healthier than regular commercial tomatoes, but one thing is for sure: they taste a lot better! Better taste will result in more tomato consumption, which has proven health benefits. Turmeric: Turmeric is THE spice that’s recommended by progressive health professionals who use nutrition as part of their protocol for overcoming disease. It has proven anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s used by rheumatoid arthritis patients, and for the treatment of diabetes. Inflammation is involved in the development of cancer, so that’s why turmeric is recommended to prevent cancer. The most potent turmeric can be found at specialized spice shops. If not, organic turmeric is a great choice. I like to use it in lentil dishes, sprinkled over eggs, and in many curry recipes. Fresh turmeric can also be juiced or blended in smoothies for a potent elixir! Yerba Maté: Yerba maté is a healthier alternative. Yerba maté is a stimulant like tea or coffee, but the compound at play is called “mateine.” It works similarly to caffeine. People who drink yerba maté say it’s like coffee without the side effects. I find it mildly stimulating and indeed a good choice for the occasional need for a “boost.” Loose leaves are best.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:31:37 +0000
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