We all are what we eat. What we eat most of the time will have a lot to do with how good we feel and how good we look. You want your staples to be healthy, nutrient dense foods. I get a lot of questions about what I eat (that I am supposed to eat), so these are a few of my favorite foods — what I think are "super foods." Obviously, if you are allergic to something on this list, such as eggs, they won't be super foods for you:
1. Farm fresh (or pastured) eggs: Don't confused these with "free range" or "omega-3" eggs from the grocery store. (These are both fairly misleading labels, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma has more details.) The good news is that these awesome eggs are readily available at most farmers markets for less than what you'd pay for fancy eggs at the grocery store.
Pastured eggs are from healthy chickens living their lives as chickens ought to — not force fed a vegetarian diet (they're omnivores), not confined to small and dirty spaces 24 hours a day. As a result these eggs have a very different fat profile (and different color yolks) than grocery store eggs. (For the "omega-3" eggs in the grocery store, they just supplement the diet of, but supplementation doesn't actually undo terrible living conditions) They naturally have lots of omega-3 eggs, no sugar, and lots of protein.
2. Tart cherries: These are little, tasty recovery powerhouses. They're packed with a lot of antioxidants — especially anthocyanins — that research has shown to reduce inflammation, and improve recovery from exercise. (Anything that improves recovery improves results, because it is only exercise plus recovery that equals results, not exercise plus more exercise.) I love them in my post workout recovery shakes. I use a handful of frozen tart cherries, a bit of ice, protein powder, a bit of Greek yogurt and water in a blender. Just remember you want tart cherries, not just cherries.
3. Grass-fed beef: Grass-fed beef is like the salmon-of-the-land because of its high omega-3 content. Grass fed beef it also much lower saturated fat content (compared to corn-fed beef), and it's also packed with something called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) that's been shown to increase muscle mass and decrease fat.
It's odd that in the 21st century "grass-fed" beef is "special" since nature designed cows to eat grasses, and not the stuff that is now "normal" — corn, antibiotics, etc. Prior to the 1970's corn-fed beef was a special treat because corn was so much more expensive than almost-free grass — it was what you got at a fancy steakhouse. Huge government subsidies, which you and I pay for, made corn super cheap, and have made corn as the norm an economic possibility. Just like with eggs, grass fed beef is usually cheapest at a farmer's market.
4. Spinach: These tasty and healthy greens are packed full of beta carotene, lutein, vitamins C and K, iron, and magnesium. Besides all of that it goes great with pasture raised eggs, and cooks up fast.
5. Coconut oil: Saturated fat, especially coconut oil has gotten an undeserved bad rap. We've been led to believe (with no supporting evidence) that eating this healthy oil will make our hearts explode. The opposite seems to be true. Coconut oil has MCT's (medium chain triglycerides) that seem to help boost metabolism, and lauric acid (lowers cholesterol levels, and has anti-bacterial properties. In addition, when compared to so-called healthy soybean oil, it seems to increase fat-loss
In addition to being healthy, it's also great for cooking whereas most vegetable oils (like olive) are not because it is so heat stable. Make sure you get virgin coconut oil for maximum benefit.
6. Cauliflower: I first started to like cauliflower because it was a great stand in for potatoes for things like mashed cauliflower. Then I started researching it and found out that it's as good for you as it is tasty and versatile. Cauliflower is packed with antioxidants, vitamin K, fiber, and has anti-inflammatory properties.
7. Shrimp: You've got to love protein that you can cook up in two minutes. Shrimps (I like to call them "scrimps") have vitamin-D (stronger bones and immune system), selenium, and B12 (for energy), and pack lots of protein in a low calorie package. I love them with a little bit of minced garlic, sauteed in coconut oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper, with a side of wilted spinach. You can cook the spinach in the same pan as the shrimp, just don't let the shrimp over cook — spinach usually takes longer. That's a three super food dinner! Super fast and super tasty.
——
Josef Brandenburg is a Washington, D.C.-area certified fitness expert with 14 years of experience and Co-author of the international best-selling book Results Fitness.
1. Farm fresh (or pastured) eggs: Don't confused these with "free range" or "omega-3" eggs from the grocery store. (These are both fairly misleading labels, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma has more details.) The good news is that these awesome eggs are readily available at most farmers markets for less than what you'd pay for fancy eggs at the grocery store.
Pastured eggs are from healthy chickens living their lives as chickens ought to — not force fed a vegetarian diet (they're omnivores), not confined to small and dirty spaces 24 hours a day. As a result these eggs have a very different fat profile (and different color yolks) than grocery store eggs. (For the "omega-3" eggs in the grocery store, they just supplement the diet of, but supplementation doesn't actually undo terrible living conditions) They naturally have lots of omega-3 eggs, no sugar, and lots of protein.
2. Tart cherries: These are little, tasty recovery powerhouses. They're packed with a lot of antioxidants — especially anthocyanins — that research has shown to reduce inflammation, and improve recovery from exercise. (Anything that improves recovery improves results, because it is only exercise plus recovery that equals results, not exercise plus more exercise.) I love them in my post workout recovery shakes. I use a handful of frozen tart cherries, a bit of ice, protein powder, a bit of Greek yogurt and water in a blender. Just remember you want tart cherries, not just cherries.
3. Grass-fed beef: Grass-fed beef is like the salmon-of-the-land because of its high omega-3 content. Grass fed beef it also much lower saturated fat content (compared to corn-fed beef), and it's also packed with something called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) that's been shown to increase muscle mass and decrease fat.
It's odd that in the 21st century "grass-fed" beef is "special" since nature designed cows to eat grasses, and not the stuff that is now "normal" — corn, antibiotics, etc. Prior to the 1970's corn-fed beef was a special treat because corn was so much more expensive than almost-free grass — it was what you got at a fancy steakhouse. Huge government subsidies, which you and I pay for, made corn super cheap, and have made corn as the norm an economic possibility. Just like with eggs, grass fed beef is usually cheapest at a farmer's market.
4. Spinach: These tasty and healthy greens are packed full of beta carotene, lutein, vitamins C and K, iron, and magnesium. Besides all of that it goes great with pasture raised eggs, and cooks up fast.
5. Coconut oil: Saturated fat, especially coconut oil has gotten an undeserved bad rap. We've been led to believe (with no supporting evidence) that eating this healthy oil will make our hearts explode. The opposite seems to be true. Coconut oil has MCT's (medium chain triglycerides) that seem to help boost metabolism, and lauric acid (lowers cholesterol levels, and has anti-bacterial properties. In addition, when compared to so-called healthy soybean oil, it seems to increase fat-loss
In addition to being healthy, it's also great for cooking whereas most vegetable oils (like olive) are not because it is so heat stable. Make sure you get virgin coconut oil for maximum benefit.
6. Cauliflower: I first started to like cauliflower because it was a great stand in for potatoes for things like mashed cauliflower. Then I started researching it and found out that it's as good for you as it is tasty and versatile. Cauliflower is packed with antioxidants, vitamin K, fiber, and has anti-inflammatory properties.
7. Shrimp: You've got to love protein that you can cook up in two minutes. Shrimps (I like to call them "scrimps") have vitamin-D (stronger bones and immune system), selenium, and B12 (for energy), and pack lots of protein in a low calorie package. I love them with a little bit of minced garlic, sauteed in coconut oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper, with a side of wilted spinach. You can cook the spinach in the same pan as the shrimp, just don't let the shrimp over cook — spinach usually takes longer. That's a three super food dinner! Super fast and super tasty.
——
Josef Brandenburg is a Washington, D.C.-area certified fitness expert with 14 years of experience and Co-author of the international best-selling book Results Fitness.
No comments:
Post a Comment