10 foods you should eat … everyday!
Last week I sat down with my friend Jennifer Bryant, wife, mother, registered dietician, and certified diabetic educator, specializing in weight management. I asked her a slew of food and health related questions, which I will be sharing with you! I am convinced that sitting down with Jennifer was like drinking from a fire-hose. She has so much knowledge to share and she is very passionate about what she does. In fact, after two hours of answering the first question I asked, I realized we would have to break down the questions and answer them over the weeks to come. I hope you will find this information as helpful as I did.
Q. In your opinion name ten foods that are necessary to a persons daily diet, include example and why?
A. Here are the ten foods with some examples, we will tackle why I pinpoint these specific foods as I break them down in weeks to come.
1. Red fruit or vegetable: strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, tomato, red pepper, radish, pomegranate
2. Yellow or orange fruit or vegetable: orange, peach, lemon, grapefruit, nectarine, pineapple, squash, corn, carrots, yams or sweet potatoes, yellow and orange bell peppers
3. Green fruit or vegetable: avocado, asparagus, broccoli, bell pepper, peas, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, chard, collard greens, green onion, kiwi, green grapes, lime, cucumber, zucchini, cilantro, parsley, basil, oregano
4. Blue or purple fruit or vegetable: blueberry, beet, eggplant, blackberries, purple cabbage, red onions, red grapes
5. White fruit or vegetable: apple, banana, pears, cauliflower, potato, onion, garlic
6. Lean protein: fish, chicken or turkey
7. Soy food: tofu, edamame, soy milk, if dietary restrictions prevents you from eating soy choose another bean or legume as a substitute
8. Whole grains: whole wheat bread, wild rice, quinoa
9. Low fat dairy: 2%, 1%, not no fat
10. Water: you need half your body weight in ounces of water every day! So take your body weight and divide that by 2 … that’s how many minimum ounces you need of water everyday day!
get help: Your not alone if you struggle with diabetes, weight management or other food and body related issues. If you live in the Albuquerque, NM, metro area and would like to meet with Jennifer or a weight management counselor you can contact them at:
Southwest Endocrinology Associates
5501 Jefferson Street NE
Suite 700
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505.314.2025
We specialize in weight loss, optimizing physique, and diabetes management. The initial “Program Consultation” visit is Free.
… what I want to know is if anyone already eats this way? Send me a comment and let me know what your daily eating habits are. Hopefully this will challenge you to be more purposeful in your munching! Happy Monday.
I’m surprised about the dairy. What is the reason behind recommending 2% or 1% over fat free? Isn’t it wise to avoid the saturated fat if there is no nutritional difference in calcium, vitamin D, and protein?
Hi Jennifer! This is the other Jennifer (Bryant), registered dietitian, replying to your question…The reason I mentioned low-fat for dairy is two-fold. One, fat-free milk is probably the better option, I was referring to low-fat cheeses simply because fat-free cheese tastes awful, and does not do well melting or in cooking. Two, there is some current research suggesting that too low of fat intake may cause unwanted increases in appetite, which may leave you hungry and wanting to eat more! Fat plays an important role in regulating appetite hormones. Unsaturated fats are better, like oils, avocados and nuts, but a little saturated fat from dairy is ok.
I hope this answers your question!
Jennifer
There is no why listed.
We will be explaining why as Jennifer breaks down the top ten foods in the following posts.