According to the Mayo Clinic and several other sources, there are several foods that are the ultimate as far as being nutrient dense and at the top of their game. Over the past few years, several sources have published their version of the “10 Healthiest Foods”. While many of these lists contain some of the same foods, there are slight variations. Because of their reputability and visibility online, I tend to like the Mayo Clinic’s 10 Healthiest Foods.
According to their list, those on top include: almonds, apples, blueberries, broccoli, red beans, salmon, spinach, sweet potatoes, vegetable juice, and wheat germ.
The 10 Healthiest Foods as chosen by Mayo Clinic are said to have qualified under 5 standards including being a good source of nutrients, high in phytonutrients and antioxidants, low in calories, readily available, and able to help in the reduction of heart disease and other health conditions.
If this were my 10 Healthiest Food list, I would replace wheat germ with steel cut oatmeal. It is highly available and has numerous health benefits. As a matter of fact, many similar lists include oatmeal in their top ten.
One of the good things about this list is these foods are easily incorporated into your diet. Almonds and blueberries on your oatmeal make a great breakfast. A spinach salad with apples is perfect for lunch and salmon with sweet potatoes and broccoli make a super nutritious and filling dinner. By adding some of these foods into your daily diet, they can take the place of higher calorie, less nutritious things you may be eating.
Small simple changes can make a big difference in your diet. For additional information on healthy foods and good recipes to easily incorporate them into your diet, check out these entries in About.com’s Low Calorie Cooking Blog.
