The 33 Greatest Foods for Healthy Living
(Page 3 of 6)
February/March 2005
By David Feder
Mangos contain tryptophan, as well as powerful enzymes such as magneferin, katechol oxidase and lactase, all of which aid in digestion. And mangos are one of the better fruit sources of fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, folate and other B vitamins. Only oranges beat them for calcium, and mangos hover near the top for magnesium, iron, potassium and zinc. Then there are the antioxidant and disease-fighting compounds: Mangos are again one of the top healthy contenders with a whopping 3 grams of carotenes per 150 grams of the fruit (about 1½ cups, cubed).
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Dinosaur kale, chard and beet greens. The reason many leafy greens (and this includes broccoli and its sibling rapini) make most “best vegetables” lists is they just can’t be beat for fiber, anticancer compounds (such as carotenoids), minerals (such as iron and selenium) and vitamins (such as A, B, C and K). And they are the best source of folate — the B vitamin that merits special attention for its role in reducing the risk of neural-tube birth defects. Still, we had to choose among the leafy green varieties, so we applied our logic of nutrient density, flavor and availability, and settled on dinosaur kale, chard and beet greens, and spinach as the top choices.
Dinosaur kale — the new star of leafy greens — heads the green group for health. Also known as ‘Lacinato,’ its deep-green, pebble-textured leaves are dense with carotenoids, lycopene and lutein (shown to reduce cataract risk).
Like all kale, Dino also is a mineral powerhouse with loads of iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium, plus just as much calcium as milk.ino kale is now widely available, and a great way to prepare it is to wash and drain the greens, then lightly sauté them in hot olive oil with seeded rye bread crumbs and a twist of freshly ground pepper.
Next come chard and beet greens. These nutrient-rich cousins to spinach can be prepared the same way as dino kale, and they contain as much or more iron. One cup of cooked chard or beet greens has about double your needs of the antioxidant vitamin A.
Roots and tubers. The root (and tuber) vegetables — carrots, parsnips, beets, potatoes, yams and their kin — are receiving a well-deserved renaissance at the dinner table in spite of trendy low-carb diets. This is because they seem to have it all: vitamins, minerals, fiber and other beneficial compounds in generous amounts. One of the best fiber sources of all the root vegetables is the parsnip. This once-overlooked root, resembling a pale-beige carrot, weighs in at 4 grams of fiber per cooked half cup. Parsnips are an excellent source of vitamin C and folate, and also contain useful amounts of beta carotene, vitamins B1 and B3, potassium, phosphorous and iron. Studies show that foods rich in folate, beta carotene and vitamin C effectively lower levels of a compound called homocysteine, which is strongly related to an increased risk of heart disease.
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