It’s summer time, and that means a lot of produce is cheap. Or, at least cheaper than it is in the winter. That means it is a good time to try and add some new items to your menu because they will be inexpensive, and fresh.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to get some healthy foods into my diet:
Guacamole!
Avocados: I never ate avocados until I visited my brother in southern California,where guacamole is served everywhere. It just took me one week to get hooked, and luckily, it is good for you too. I love to have some ripe avocado (soft, but no brown spots) sliced on a sandwich. In addition, I make a lot of guacamole, and it is really easy to make. I just mash a few avocados, sprinkle some garlic salt on top and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix it together and refrigerate an hour or so. I then serve it with some salsa and chips. My kids (well 2 out of 3) really enjoy it too. Eat it fast though, because it will turn brown on the surface if it sits overnight.
Benefits of Avocados: Avocadoes are full of lutein, which is excellent for the eyes and protecting against macular degeneration. Avocados also contain some other eye-protecting anti-oxidants. In addition, the good fats in avocados aid in the absorption of lycopene, so serve guacamole along with that salsa for maximum benefit. Avocado is also believed to aid in the prevention of some cancers.
Yogurt: Yogurt is very healthy, especially the kind that is not overloaded with sugar/high fructose corn syrup. My kids love to eat yogurt two ways: smoothies and in parfaits.
To make a yogurt smoothie, just dump a container of yogurt in a magic bullet or blender, along with a banana (frozen banana works great), strawberries, blueberries, or any fruit of your choice. Add a splash of orange juice and even a little protein powder and it makes for a very healthy and filling breakfast. Plus, you end up throwing out less bananas if you end up freezing them for smoothies as they get ripe. Remove the peels from the bananas before freezing though.
A parfait is pretty self explanatory. Just get some yogurt, cover in fruit and then sprinkle some granola all over the top. Again, makes for an excellent breakfast.
Benefits of Yogurt: Provides your body with much needed calcium, and also probiotics for the digestive tract.
Nuts: I don’t really have any special ideas for eating nuts, but you can eat them any time of day. Personally, I sometimes even have cashews or almonds with my breakfast. Nuts are also very portable, so they are easy to keep in the car as a snack. (Just beware of those with allergies.)
Benefits of nuts: Studies have shown that eating nuts regularly can reduce the risk of heart disease by 35 percent. In addition, the healthy fats found in nuts can help lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Nuts also contain antioxidants, protein and fiber. Just don’t eat them overly salted.
So, next time you are at the grocery store, keep these items in mind and give them a try. If you have any other ways to integrate these items into your diet, please leave a comment below.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
All personal favorites of mine… sort of!
I’ve never had Avocados before in their pure form, but I love guacamole, so I’m pretty sure I would like Avocados too!
Mixed nuts or even just plain old peanuts are the perfect snack food for me! Cashews are both my favorite type of nut, and also my favorite chinese dish as in “Chicken with Cashews”!
I like just plain old Vanilla yogurt, but if the others types are in front of me, they are fair game too.
Sorry, I don’t have any unique way of mixing them for new concoctions…
For a good mix of foods, I like to put corn in my mashed potatoes or even peas mixed in with my mashed potatoes. 🙂
Lol, I’m now hungry… Time to go to lunch!
Money Reasons – You have to try some avocado on a chicken breast sandwich. Avocado on a turkey sandwich. It is great on everything.
I also love chicken and cashews, and with mushrooms too.
Now I need fourth meal… 🙂
Yeah, I love chicken and cashews with mushrooms too… Now I’m hungry for some chinese food 🙂
as a former dietitian can I applaude your post? Good fats are something that everyone should be loading into their diets. They prevent heart disease and may offer some protection against cancer. Not to mention they prevent wrinkles!!!
Natural yoghurt is the only “real” yoghurt, most yoghurts are set with wheat or corn (if you see a thickener in the ingredients that’s wheat or corn).
They’ll save you money in the long run too when you don’t have a heart attack. and they’ll save you money on anti-wrinkle cream too:)
BB – You can applaud me anytime! 🙂 I have been trying to get as many good fats into my diet as I can. Fortunately, I enjoy good fats. (Unfortunately, I enjoy bad fats too.)
I need to do some further research on yogurt types. Greek yogurt has been in the dairy aisle lately, I will scan the label next time I am at the grocery store.
Thanks for visiting!
Yum, yum! I could eat guac all day! I like yogurt and fruit in the morning everyday too.
You should try Barley Green (barley wheat grass green stuff) as a drink. It’s really good for you too!
FS – Is that the drink that is supposed to reduce belly fat? What’s the recipe?? Do you like it?
Hey Kris!
Great job highlighting some of these foods. It’s great to hear from someone with real experience with the foods, because there is always someone out there talking about how bad some of these are (people seem split over avocados). Either way, I find each of those food items enjoyable. I was so surprised when I looked at the back of my strawberry yogurt and saw that it had more than double the suggested amount for a man (I use the term suggested amount because there is no “recommended” amount I’ve been able to find.). Online, it is generally suggested about 22g max for a grown man.
Thanks Again,
Timothy
Wealth Artisan Team Member
http://WealthArtisan.com
One Other Thing, have you ever made your own granola bars? That is something that I’ve considered doing because I felt that I might be able to do a better job (healthwise) than a lot of these large multinationals. I’ll need to go look up some recipes. I’d like to use honey as the sweetner/binder if possible… off to the internet!
Thanks,
Timothy
Wealth Artisan Team Member
http://WealthArtisan.com
I like yogurt very much… I think it’s health food
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