FIVE FOODS: With both obesity and food prices on the rise, here are five foods your diet needs now!

By Jan Bowers

At the same time that the pocket books of many Americans continue to shrink, our waistlines continue to grow.  Unfortunately, it is well known that these problems are related.  Unhealthy, processed food is often cheaper than fresh produce and meat; processed foods are easier to buy in bulk; and plentiful additives ensure that junk foods remain edible log after fresh fruit begins to rot.  Before you trade in your cherries for chips, though, check out the five foods listed below – each is wholesome and nutritious, easy to find at most local markets, and economical for both families and individuals.  By ringing up these purchases, you are ensuring that you’ll remain healthy long enough to enjoy a sound financial future.

Oats – best for breakfast every day

There is a reason the Quaker man is smiling on that box of old fashioned oatmeal – he has always known that rolled oats are the best way to fill up on fiber in the morning, as well as a valuable source of zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin E.  Oatmeal’s high fiber content (about 4 grams per ½ cup of dry oats) helps to slow the digestion of starches, thus keeping blood sugars level; this property can be particularly beneficial to diabetics.
A small bowl of oatmeal is the perfect meal about an hour before a long workout.  The cereal’s abundance of nutrients and slow rate of digestion will ensure that you have the energy to power through hours of activity.  Rolled oats are also extremely versatile – by adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fruit, or even nuts (try almonds to meet your daily needs for Vitamin E in one meal), plain oats can become a different morning meal every day of the week.  Be sure, however, to watch out for instant oatmeal or oatmeal breakfast bars, which are often high in sugars, including corn syrup, and are filled with preservatives to extend their shelf life.   To get the most oats for your dollar, check out bulk bins or bulk markets.  Oats are easy to store in airtight containers, and stay fresh for a long time.

Unsalted almonds – the perfect “diet” food

Whether you are trying to lose weight or ward off heart disease, these nuts are a “must” to include in your diet.  Compared to other nuts, almonds contain the least amount of saturated fats.  A 1-ounce serving, approximately 28 nuts, contains as much calcium as ¼-cup of milk, and more magnesium than even spinach.  Those same 28 nuts are the best whole food source of Vitamin E in the natural world, providing 38% of your daily requirements.  Vitamin E is a valuable antioxidant, renowned for its ability to ward off cancer; it has also been shown to prevent blood cells from clotting to each other and blood vessels as they travel, thus promoting low blood pressure.

For dieters, a primary benefit of consuming almonds is that the high content of healthy omega-3 fats promotes a feeling of fullness, enabling you to feel more satisfied and less inclined to overeat at meals. However, while the nuts are high in protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin E, and other antioxidants, they still contain about 17 grams of fat per 1-ounce serving. Next time you find yourself in dire need of a quick snack, reach for these, but remember to measure your servings.

Although almonds may appear pricey at first glance, it is important to remember that it would take an entire bag of snack food to fill you up like a small handful of nuts does.  Buy them in bulk, and freeze what you won’t use right away – stored in your freezer, almonds will stay fresh for months.

Cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, radishes, and others

A cruciferous vegetable is one whose leaves grow in a cross, or crucifix, shape.  This most versatile family of vegetables can be served raw, steamed, broiled, boiled, and even seasoned with spices like garlic, pepper, or even a pat of organic butter, a pinch of salt, or a few flakes of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Although raw preparation preserves nutrients and that are destroyed by heat, such as Vitamin C and antioxidants, lightly steaming them is another good option.   

While Popeye loved spinach leaves for the strength they gave him, today we know that cruciferous vegetables are “super foods” because they contain compounds called “isothiocyanates,” which stimulate the body to break down potential carcinogens.  Therefore, they prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous, and have even been shown to help metabolize the toxins from secondhand smoke.  Leafy greens are particularly important for women because the high folate content helps the blood work more efficiently, and is often recommended for prevention and treatment of anemia.  In children and athletes, folate is essential for proper tissue growth.  So important, in fact, that a deficiency of folate can make you more susceptible to cancer and heart disease later in life.

Want to really save on food prices?  Pick up a plant at a local store, and grow your own vegetables.  A quick internet search will teach you how, and bountiful vegetables are just a few weeks away!  If your garden is particularly fruitful, you can try canning, blanching, or vacuum-sealing the extras to ensure months worth of greens are ready to hit your plate.

Soybeans and soy products – total health for women

Soy is available in a variety of forms, including tofu, edamame, miso, tempeh, and soymilk.  The abilities of such a small bean are enormous, due to compounds called “isoflavones.”  These plant compounds increase the flexibility of blood vessels, and have been shown to lower total cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol levels. 

Most importantly for women’s health, however, is soy’s estrogen-like activity.  An increase in consumption of isoflavones has been shown to decrease both the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.  Soy foods also increase bone density and stimulate new bone growth, which may help guard against the osteoporosis that plagues many women after menopause.  Soymilk is more effective in protecting the bones than cow’s milk because estrogen increases the synthesis of calcitriol, the active form of Vitamin D that, in turn, increases calcium uptake.

Meat is usually the most expensive part of a grocery bill; substituting a little bit of soy is an excellent way to ensure that you get the protein you need while trimming a few dollars off of your tab.  With everyone from private grocers to chains like WalMart now carrying soy products, the benefits should be easy to come by.

Water – the most important of all nutrients

There is one thing everyone can do to improve their nutritional health immediately – reach for the water!  “Nutrition” encompasses everything that you take into your body, including food, supplements, herbs, and drink.

The last of these is the most important, because water is the nutrient that must be most often replenished in order to merely ensure survival.  When you fail to drink enough water, the brain is the organ first affected.  It begins to shut down as it dehydrates, resulting in mental fatigue, mood swings, and even chronic mild depression.  Over time, even the muscles and tendons atrophy, losing flexibility and the ability to regenerate and recover as they, too, become dehydrated; the result is joint pain and worsening arthritic tendencies, as well as a loss of physical vitality.  Because thirst is often mistaken for hunger as the body begins to dry out, increasing water intake must be the first step undertaken by those striving to lose weight. 

While it is important to consider the quality of your water (factors such as chlorine and fluoride poisoning, and toxin leakage from plastic containers), simply drinking enough is far more important.  How much water is enough?  For optimum health, consume 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight every day; build gradually to this level of consumption by increasing your own intake by a few ounces at a time.

Water is a much cheaper alternative to sodas or juices.  And with all of the extra energy you will have by giving your body the fuel it needs, you won’t need to reach for that expensive energy drink!