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Can you guess the 11 Best Foods you aren't eating?!

Man oh man. I need to get my blogging butt into gear and not let too much time pass between blog posts... Sorry! :)

The NY Times recently re-published an article that first appeared in June 2008- it was one of the Times' most viewed stories of 2009.

The title: " The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating".

Now, the guy they interviewed for this info is Jonny Bowden. He's not a Registered Dietitian (RD)- your best bet for sound nutrition advice- but a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS).

Sidebar: A Brief Note About Credentials:

The title Dietitian and RD is protected by law. A person with this title has obtained a university degree specializing in nutrition, from an accredited university, and has practical training. Their training meets national standards and they are members of regulatory bodies.

The CNS title is not protected by law. In order to obtain this title, you need to have an advanced degree (not necessarily in nutrition though- Mr. Bowden has a master's in psychology). You have to pass an exam and have a certain number of hours of supervised experience in nutrition.

Back to the article...

While I wouldn't pinpoint specific foods you should be eating to be healthy, since you know we all need a variety of foods..., the list does highlight some healthy foods that we don't always think of including in our shopping carts..

So, before reading further, see if you can guess the "11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating"!

(Scroll down to see how many you got right!).

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In no specific order....

Beets

Cabbage

Swiss Chard

Cinnamon (My Note: only anectodal evidence suggests that cinnamon may help control blood sugar- this hasn't been proven with scientific research!).

Pomegranate juice

Prunes

Pumpkin seeds

Sardines

Turmeric

Frozen Blueberries

Canned Pumpkin (My Note: make sure there's no added sugar by reading the ingredient list- the only ingredient should be pumpkin!).

What do you think of the list?

Do these foods make their way into your grocery cart occasionally?

Click here to read the article (thanks James!).

Happy 2010!

Don't diet this year... and you won't have to beat yourself up... Eat healthy, stay active, and have a wonderful New Year!

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!"
-Joey Adams

How to choose a good cereal

A better cereal choice will have

At least 4 g Total Fibre per 30 g serving.

Less than 1-3 g fat per serving - some granola-type cereals* can have up to 5 g per serving!

Less than 10g sugar per serving.

Moreover,

The first ingredient should NOT be sugar.

The first ingredient should be a "whole grain"- the word "whole" should be present.

*A better granola-type cereal will have fruit and nuts listed on the ingredient list before sugar and oil.

Let's look at a few examples:

SPECIAL K

Ingredients

Rice, wheat gluten, sugar/glucose-fructose,defatted wheat germ, salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley), vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), iron. BHT added to package material to maintain product freshness.

Ok... Special K's Ingredient list: sugar is not the first ingredient which is good, but the first ingredient is not a whole grain, not so good.

A look at the label, and although there is no fat, there is also no fibre... no good.

All in all, not the best choice- not horrible, since there are only has 2g sugar per serving, but definitely not the best.

SHREDDED WHEAT (original)

Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, BHT is added to packaging material to preserve product freshness.

Shredded Wheat:
Whole grain is the first (and only!) ingredient on the ingredient list- great!!

The label shows that, per serving, there is only 1g fat, 0g sugar and a great 6g total fibre!!

Excellent choice.

CASCADIAN FARM- Organic Oats & Honey Granola

Ingredients (all organic): Whole grain oats, sugar, crisp rice (rice, sugar, sea salt, malt), sunflower oil, whole grain oat flour, molasses, maltodextrin, honey, sea salt, vanilla extract.

So... First ingredient is a whole grain, which is good. However, a look at the label and there are 6g fat and 14 grams sugar per sugar- too much- and only 3 g fibre- not enough.

Not a good choice!

Drinking yourself fat

Augh... disgusting, eh?
But yeah for the NY Health Department for being pioneers in health promotion!

New Yorkers will all start seeing these ads in the next year as well.

Remember that milk can fatten you up too though...

If you currently drink 2 cups 2% milk a day, did you know that if you switched to 1%, you would lose 4 lbs a year?

And that if you switched to skim milk, you would lose just under 8lbs a year?

Don't drink yourself fat...

Pork from a Petri Dish

Source