My Food: My Food Staples

Let me start by saying that I am not one of those people who eats the same thing every day.  I try to maintain a consistently healthy lifestyle, but I also enjoy variety.  That being said, there are a few items that I always keep in stock in our home.

Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala Apples
Apples have an incredibly high antioxidant concentration.  They have been proven to help reduce cholesterol, decrease risk of diabetes, and protect against Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and some cancers.  They also help to regulate digestion, control your weight, detoxify your liver, and boost your immune system.  Honestly, I like most varieties of apples, but these three are my favorite.

Spinach Leaves
We eat spinach all the time… we’ll add it to a sandwich, throw it in a salad, or cook it in an omelet.  These dark leafy greens are a great source cal­cium and are high in fiber.  They have powerful antioxidants and lots of Vitamin A, which is great for the skin. Just remem­ber when you’re mak­ing a salad, the deeper the green, the richer the nutrients.

Bone­less Skin­less Chicken Breasts
Baked, grilled, or sautéed, chicken is our go-to meat when cooking.  I usually cook more than I need, because chicken makes great leftovers.  You can add it to a sandwich, slice it up and toss it with a salad, or add rice and vegetables.  Chicken is a great source of protein and also has Vitamins B (for energy) and B6 (for cardiovascular health).  I like to marinate mine in light Italian dressing and/or low sodium soy sauce for added taste. 

Strawberries
Not only are strawberries juicy, summery and delicious, they’re a bona fide superfood, too.  Strawberries are nutrient rich and packed with antioxidants (like Vitamin C).  They promote eye heath, fight bad cholesterol, and regulate blood pressure.  We use them in salads, at breakfast, and for a healthy dessert, we’ll mix them with bananas and blueberries.

Sweet Pota­toes
Sweet potatoes taste great AND they are packed with all sorts of great nutrients (Beta Carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, iron, magnesium, and potassium, to name a few).  I could have this as my side dish every night and never get sick of it.  They are naturally sweet tasting, and their sugars are released slowly into the bloodstream (helping prevent blood spikes that lead to fatigue and weight gain).  Plus, they are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious

Nat­ural Peanut Butter
I love peanut butter.  As a kid, I would sit with the tub of peanut butter and eat it with a spoon.  The problem is, most peanut butters have a lot of preservatives (i.e. Peter Pan, JIF).  I look for all-natural peanut butters.  For sandwiches, we’ll add a little honey to sweeten it, and it tastes great on apples (one of my other favorite foods).  The best option is to buy your peanut but­ter from a store that will let you grind your own. How­ever, if that is not avail­able in your area, I like: Nat­u­rally More or The Peanut Butter Company.

Broc­coli
Broccoli's noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. When I’m attempt­ing to eat my health­i­est, I try to make fresh veg­eta­bles take up half of my plate. I prefer steamed broc­coli. If you pre­fer to dip veg­gies in ranch dress­ing, I highly rec­om­mend buy­ing the ranch dress­ing pow­dered mix and “sea­son­ing” raw veg­gies with the pow­der instead of dip­ping them in dress­ing.

Shake­ol­ogy
My health­i­est & eas­i­est meal of the day. As a chocolate lover, this is my biggest secret to fight­ing off sweet crav­ings. At the same time, I’m also giv­ing myself the most nutrient-dense 140 calo­ries avail­able on the mar­ket today. I like to pop it in the blender with ice, almond milk, and just pop it in the blender with ice, almond milk & powdered peanut butter, and I feel like I’m indulging.  I also love the vegan strawberry, which I mix with ice, coconut milk, and a banana.

Hum­mus
I love hummus.  Chickpeas (a main ingredient in hummus) are high-protein legumes that have been proven to prevent the build-up of cholesterol and help maintain blood sugar levels.  Hummus also contains plenty of omega-3s which are great for heart health.  I’ll stir it in with brown rice for a side dish, use it (sparingly) as a dip for veggies, and spread it on wraps in place of mayo.

Blue­ber­ries
Blue­ber­ries are another one of my absolute favorites.  They are super-high in antiox­i­dants and they taste great. I use them the same way we use strawberries (above).  Sometimes, I’ll also fill a snack size Ziploc bag with blue­ber­ries and stick them in the freezer for a healthy dessert.

Egg Whites
Eggs are per­haps a great source of pro­tein. I use egg whites in omelets with spinach, bell peppers, and tomatoes.  I also like to hard boil the eggs (and rip out the yolk) as a great snack and to add to salads.

Brown (or Whole Grain) Rice
This is a great source of whole grain and something we like to eat as a side with chicken. I also like to add in a few teaspoons of hummus. The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color... a whole grain of rice has several layers. Only the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce what we call brown rice. This process is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with further processing.