4 Healthy Foods You Should be Eating

4 Healthy Foods You Should be Eating
Posted Mon, Nov 26, 2007, 5:46 pm PST
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/21604/4-healthy-foods-you-should-be-eating/
Beets
Beets are one of the best sources of folate, a nutrient which lowers
your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory amino acid produced
by the body.

One cup of beets provides only 60 calories, no fat, about 40 percent
of your daily value for folic acid and four grams of fiber. Enjoy
beets raw, sliced.... or prepare a delicious beet salad by tossing
them with olive oil and a splash of lemon.

The leaves and stems are also packed with nutrition - sauté with
garlic, olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper and dig in!

Cabbage
Part of the cruciferous vegetable family, one cup of chopped cabbage
contains 20 calories, two grams fiber and is loaded with sulforaphane,
a cancer fighting chemical that's been shown to decrease cellular
damage throughout the body. Add cabbage to your salads, order steamed
'moo shoo vegetables' at your local Chinese restaurant (request sauce
on the side and go easy!), or prepare low-calorie coleslaw.

Guava
Guava is a tropical super fruit. One cup provides 110 calories, 376
milligrams Vitamin C (that's more than 300 percent of the daily
value), 699 milligrams potassium and nine grams of fiber!Guava also
provides a hearty dose of lycopene - an antioxidant that appears to
fight prostate cancer (when it comes to lycopene, most people only
think about tomatoes). You'll find this exotic fruit in Latin grocery
stores and at high end markets.

Swiss Chard
This vegetable's greatest health benefit comes in the form of lutein
and zeaxanthin - a matched pair of antioxidants - found in high
concentrations in the tissue of the macula.

Because they absorb 40 to 90 percent of blue light intensity, these
nutrients act like sunscreen for your eyes. Studies have shown that
eating foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can increase the pigment
density in the macula-and greater pigment density means better retina
protection, and a lower risk of macula degeneration. One cup steamed
Swiss chard provides only 35 calories.

For a few more calories, try this delicious recipe: Over high heat,
warm two tablespoons olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add
two cloves garlic and cook one to two minutes, stirring constantly.

Add two pounds Swiss chard and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook four to
five minutes until the Swiss chard is soft and reduces half in volume.
Serve immediately.


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