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How to Enjoy the 5 Greatest Foods for Your Health
By Todd | October 4, 2007
Last week I posted an article called The 5 Greatest Foods for Your Health and received a terrific response from readers across the internet (thank you)! The article described the health benefits of what I believe to be some of the healthiest foods on the planet: Kale, Quinoa, Sea Vegetables, Berries and Cacao (raw chocolate).
Because the piece ended up on the front page of Propeller, it received a fair share of comments. Most of the dialogue was positive, but one response still sticks in my head: “It seems like a great list, for a deer. Just kidding (sort of)”. LOL!
With that said, I thought it would be a great idea to do a follow-up article and provide some useful measures for enjoying the beneficial foods I described. As I mentioned in the original article, these 5 foods are not your typical “main course” items but they can still play a major role in your diet. Here’s how:
Morning Shake
As a certified holistic health counselor, one of the first things I examine with my clients is their morning rituals. In the article 7 Step Guide to an Effective Morning Routine I talk about how what you do in the morning sets the stage for the rest of your day, but I do not get into specific food recommendations.
A GREAT way to start your day off with tremendous energy while ingesting some of the healthiest foods on the planet is to make a health shake for breakfast!
When I started drinking shakes in the morning (I’ve been doing it consistently for about 2 years) I started with: soy milk, Cacao powder, Goji berries, and Spirulina. I threw them in a blender and tried it out. Almost immediately I noticed a difference in my energy (I had more of it) and it sustained itself until lunch! Furthermore, the taste was delicious—nutty and sweet.
As with most things, my morning shakes have evolved to include a wide variety of healthy foods. I enjoy Kale, Berries and Cacao in shakes, and it is a terrific way to add these superfoods in your diet. Here are some more ingredient suggestions for highly nutritious shakes:
Kale (washed and organic)
Banana
Cacao powder
Goji Berries
Frozen blueberries and raspberries
Mango (frozen also good)
Hazelnut “milk”
Maca root powder
Spirulina
Bee products (pollen, royal jelly, propolis)
Flax seeds
Coconut milk
For those of you not into the whole “health food” thing, some of the foods on this list may seem a bit foreign. Start out like I did—go to a health food store and buy Goji berries, raw Cacao, Spirulina and some soy milk (or hazelnut). Make a shake tomorrow instead of your usual breakfast and see how you feel!
Start SIMPLE and create a concotion that you genuinely enjoy. From here it will be easy to expand your knowledge and add other healthy ingredients (like the ones I describe above).
Next, what are the easiest ways for you to start integrating Quinoa into your diet? Instead of white rice, use Quinoa. Instead of French fries, eat Quinoa. Quinoa is a great complimentary food to serve with a protein dish (fish, chicken, meat) and also goes fantastically well with a salad. It is the world’s most nutritious grain, so easy to make (you boil it in water for about 12 minutes) and personally no other food makes me feel as good!
And lastly, what about Sea Vegetables, or seaweed? There are a myriad of ways to enjoy this superfood. As Richard Wiesenthal commented on my original article: “I have been adding Wakami to soups and stews for years… it is quite delicious and adds a great deal of flavor”.
Another way to start adding seaweed in your diet is to eat it raw during the day, as a snack. Health food stores sell packets of raw seaweed; Dulse has a wonderful smoky flavor and I highly recommend it. Remember what I said about seaweed: the worse it tastes for you, the more you probably need it. Figure out how seaweed is most enjoyable for you, and make a habit of eating it!
In conclusion, opening your mind (and stomach) to a new world of foods can do amazing things for your health and well-being. You don’t need to change your whole way of eating today, just start adding in some of the foods described in this article and your body will eventually crave more of them. I hope this was helpful and enjoy!
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Thanks for the tips Todd. I told my girlfriend about some of these when I read the first post, but it didn’t mean as much without ways to prepare it. I’ll try some of these out.
Posted by: Ian on October 4th, 2007 at 3:24 pmAwesome Todd! I actually went out and bought a raw and organic chocolate bar after reading your article…. it was ok
. The morning shake is a great tip though - I used to make one with milk, berries, yoghurt, and a couple other things. I’m definitely up for trying a “Todd shake” though.
Posted by: Peter on October 4th, 2007 at 3:37 pmThanks fellas…I am glad you enjoyed the info in here. The morning shakes are AWESOME!
Posted by: Todd on October 4th, 2007 at 3:53 pmHmm..
Posted by: Your mother on March 5th, 2008 at 6:19 pmLooks much like a pasta-lettuce.
Interesting.