Did you read "Time Special Edition 100 Healthiest Foods To Satisfy Your Hunger"? I am the person who gave up $13.95 for this. If you were to read it in its entirety you would find the big issue in this issue to be the importance of eating a variety of foods. David and I shop once a week and it's very easy to shop on autopilot buying the same thing week after week. We have to make an effort to eat outside the box. In the last 6 months we have added papaya, mango, kiwi to the basket. Imagine living all these years without papaya. A little messy, but well worth it. Tofu has become a regular item here and David has tried Polenta. Getting bored with what we eat has made us shop around.
It has been said that a calorie is a calorie but when you have to watch calories as I do, you learn to find foods that are nutrient dense; foods that have a lot of nutrients but few calories. For me 100 calories of soda and 100 calories of avocado are not equal. Foods that help squelch hunger, foods that are high in fiber and protein and not so high in calories are the answer. There are other things to consider as well. Almonds, for instance, are a great low calorie snack being a source of calcium, fiber and protein. Almonds also have a decent amount of magnesium. Magnesium has several roles but I think first about the role it plays in keeping the bones strong. It's like a little traffic cop directing the calcium to the bones. Almond milk is full of calcium with 45% of the RDA in one cup. Brussels sprouts have about a day's worth of vitamin C as does an orange or a kiwi. Cottage Cheese is high in protein, really high, and again the calcium is high. Pomegranate seeds are a treat during the holidays, but who would have thought it to be an excellent source of calcium. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds come with their own nutritional advantages but careful not to cover a salad with any of these since they are not cheap when it comes to calories. Sprinkle them sparingly! I read sometime ago that with a goal of eating 35 different foods in a week we are in place to get the nutrients needed. It's food for thought!
