Eat and be well: Nutritionists name the 10 most important foods

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | June 22, 2004 | Marge Perry

[summer]

Eat and be well
Nutritionists name the 10 most important foods

By Marge Perry |

Posted June 22, 2004

[....]Here are some of the best disease-fighting, health-promoting foods that came up on our nutritionists' Top 10 lists:

1. BLUEBERRIES. [....]

2. GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES. [....]

3. NUTS. [....]

4. FATTY FISH. [....]

5. AVOCADOS.[....]

6. WHOLE GRAINS. [....]

7. LEGUMES, INCLUDING SOY. [....]

8. LOW-FAT DAIRY (MILK AND YOGURT). [....]

9. EGGS. [....]

10. DARK CHOCOLATE. Yep, that's right, chocolate. Justify it nutritionally: dark (unsweetened chocolate) has compounds similar to red wine that benefit heart health. The flavonoids (an antioxidant-like chemical in plant foods) in dark chocolate fight free radicals and help blood vessels dilate, which improves blood flow. It doesn't take a nutritionist, though, to say that chocolate makes people feel warm- hearted.

Marge Perry writes regularly about food and nutrition.

[summer]

FYI.

[Psycho_Bunny]

They forgot coffee and cigarettes.  Every computer geek knows that's how you round out the list.

[summer]

LOL...

[chickenlips]

I count potato chips as leafy vegetables.

[DefCon]

Here are some more (from the article)
"...Some obvious candidates, however, didn't make the list, but were cited as beneficial.
-Broccoli, for example, was noted as being a rich source of vitamin C, and research points to its potential to reduce the risk of breast, colon and stomach cancers.
-Sweet potatoes, a potent source of vitamin A (which helps ensure healthy eyes), are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index, which means they are a carbohydrate that won't cause the same spikes in blood sugar as a white potato.
-Cooked tomatoes are high in lycopene (which helps decrease the risk of colon cancer) and vitamin C, and are low in calories.
-Melon, which is in peak season, has more water, ounce for ounce, than most juices. In addition, melon is loaded with potassium. Watermelon is also a good source of iron and lycopene..."

[darkwing104]

What! no pizza?

[South40]

Just showed this to my wife. She said..."I like this lady".

It all had to do, of course, with the fact that dark chocolate is on the list.

My wife loves dark chocolate.

That's OK...I love dark beer. :-)

[don-o]

Beer.

Bread in a bottle

[sauropod]

opinion?

[Lizavetta]

Soy should be consumed only in its fermented form such as miso. It's loaded with estrogen and is the main ingredient in many baby formulas...you can imagine what that does to growing baby boys.

[Fester Chugabrew]

What! No beer?

[summer]

Re your post #5 - Thanks for adding that.

[summer]

Re your post #7 - I keep reading more and more about dark chocolate. I have also read that white chocolate is actually not chocolate at all, and that none of the benefits in dark chocolate exist in milk chocolate. Sometimes I feel like you have to be a scientist to remember all this stuff!

[summer]

LOL...yeah, men usually have a much shorter list. :)

[grellis]

Chocolate also ranks very high on the list of filthiest foods out there, IIRC.

[Dog Gone]

The official Dog Gone list of most important foods:

1. Hamburgers

2. Pizza

3. Chinese stir-fry

4. Cookies

5. Egg and sausage burritos.

6. Pastrami

7. Spaghetti

8. Salt

9. More hamburgers

10. Crestor

[summer]

What the heck is "Crestor"???

[grellis]

Eat a piece of chocolate, then have a smoke and drink a cuppa. Wonderful the way the flavors blend.

[The Other Harry]

As to the eggs, I think that would depend on how how cooked they are. I don't think scrambled would be good.

Served raw in a glass of beer would be better.

[savedbygrace]

Yeah, but blueberries make your mouth, teeth, and gums, uh well, blue. Looks bad.