Many experts have weighed in on this subject.
Here is just some of the advice and a few of the various compiled suggestions that have been given by others for foods to consider incorporating into your foodstyle in 2012.
© photo: www.e-Cobo.com, Nikolay Dimitrov
The Nutrition Entrepreneur’s Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (previously known as The American Dietetic Association) had an informal poll on their list serv in December 2011 regarding which “10 Foods To Improve Your Health Without Breaking Your Budget” would Registered Dietitians (RDs) &/or Licensed Dietitians/Nutritionists (LDs or LNs or LDNs) &/or Certified Dietitians/Nutritionists (CDNs) suggest to the public to consider. Below is the list of the top 14 (yes, more than 10!) food suggestions to consider in terms of nutritional value for the price paid (more nutritional bang for your hard earned bucks) as compiled by Lynn Grieger, CDE, cPT (re-ordered by us to be somewhat alphabetical):
- Brown rice
- Canned wild salmon and sardines
- Eggs
- Frozen edamame
- Frozen fruit and vegetables
- Greens
- Homemade veggie stew made with olive oil, lots of frozen vegetables, and legumes
- Legumes
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter
- Tofu
- Whole wheat pasta
- Whole wheat pita bread
- Winter squash
Over on the Dietitians in Health Care Communities list serv, Carol Casey, RD, CDN, LDN, who is a frequent poster there, shared on her “Nutrition Matters” New Year’s Eve blog post via a Twitter Tweet alert her suggested list of a Baker’s Dozen List of Foods to Eat More of in 2012 and to quote her they are listed in “..no particular order” (she does discuss these in more detail on her blog site so be sure to check it out!):
- Sardines
- Nuts
- Granola
- Legumes
- Hummus Dip
- Berries
- Plain yogurt
- Unsweetened tea
- Flavored Water
- Fruit
- Olive Oil
- Flaxseed Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- Soy
In 2011, at various meetings, including the Texas State Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition (FNCE), James Painter, Ph.D, RD, spoke about the “Top 10 Foods to Avoid Heart Disease.” He has given similar webinars and seminars and other talks (including to Family and Consumer Science Teachers in various school systems) on his suggested list of food items which include:
- Increase mono and polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat
- Increase omega 3 fats, eat Fish: consume 2 ( 3 oz each ) servings/wk
- Nuts/Almonds: 2 oz/day
- Phytosterols: {including} Cholesterol-lowering margarine 2-3 Tbsp/day
- Soy protein: 25 gm/day
- Oats: 3 gm beta-glucan soluble fiber/day
- Wine or Purple Grape Juice: 1/2-1 cup/day
- Black or Green Tea: 1-2 cups/day
- Garlic: 1-3 fresh cloves minced, chopped, sliced or crushed/day
- 2 Tbsp. non-alkali processed cocoa powder/day (such as in a large mug of cocoa made with skim or low-fat milk)
Another egg-related industry sponsored blogger wrote:”Dr. Painter recommends not giving up eggs if you have a high LDL cholesterol problem. Instead of taking things out of your diet, he encourages people to add specific foods. His reasoning is that you won’t have time to miss or eat foods that should be avoided because it’s hard enough to get in all the foods recommended for lowering fat and cholesterol levels.”
Back in 2007, Dr. Painter gave another presentation for Tulsa Health in which he additionally encouraged eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetable including broccoli, cauliflower, and citrus choices; adding herbs & spices such as rosemary, and turmeric in cooking; and exercising for optimally 1 hour at a time 5x/week.
Over at the New York Times, Food columnist Mark Bitterman was espousing that readers consider at least once per week embracing a “semi-vegan” diet approach in 2012. “No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem” is the title of his article advocating that perhaps such a path could work for a number of folks and provides an option maybe they haven’t considered per se before.
Anyone who enjoys food variety has to admit it could indeed be fun to try out some combinations you haven’t tried before. Food scientists and foodies in general experiment all the time, so why shouldn’t you experiment in your own kitchen?
Also, perhaps when eating out, try something new-to-you that maybe has less saturated fat, less sodium, and less sugar in it.
While at the grocery store, if you plan to purchase a prepared item, why not check out something that perhaps follows a similar nutritional profile of less of the “heavy hitters” of fat, sugar and sodium and has a bit more of items such as tasty vegetables, and/or whole grains, and/or fruits, etc. in it?
You just might be pleasantly surprised if you make a judicious choice.
P.S. If you want to know what food items will be featured on this blog site in 2012, stay tuned! We believe in your right of choice, so a wide variety of items will be featured–we promise!
Happy New Year!