Healthy Food Lists

Healthy Food List

To improve our eating habits and start on healthy diets we have to make a healthy food list to get us going in the right direction, so we won't be likely to wander the junk food aisles and make impulse purchases. Here are some criteria for our healthy food list:

• Choose rich sources of many of the essential nutrients needed for optimal health, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats, fish, vegetable oil, herbs and spices.
• Fresh vegetables and fruits should make up the largest part of our list, they have vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and are usually low in calories. Select foods that are natural, not highly processed and do not contain artificial ingredients and toxic substances.
• Frozen and canned foods are convenient to be kept on hand, so are prepared meals that we can pop into the microwave or oven. Choose low fat versions with good portion sizes. Look for low-sodium soups, vegetables and sauces. Avoid high fat gravies and high calorie foods.
• Choose whole grain foods instead of refined flours. They are important for vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which is often lacking in modern diets. Try brown rice and whole-wheat spaghetti or spinach pasta, whole grain breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals. Include dried beans like kidney or pinto beans and lentils.
• Our protein and meat choices should consist mostly of fish, poultry and lean meats. Don‘t forget to remove the skin from chicken and turkey before cooking. Choose unbreaded meats and fish. Eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes are also good protein choices.
• Choose healthy spices and herbs to spice up our food diet. Both are excellent antioxidants and have good healing powers aside from their nutritional value.
• Dairy products should include non-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese. We can also buy soy and rice beverages, calcium fortified orange juice, goats' milks and cheese.
• Be careful with dressings, cooking oils and condiments. They are sneaky sources of refined sugar and poor quality oils. Choose liquid oils like canola and olive oil for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Select dressings made with olive, canola or walnut oil, or low-fat mayonnaise.
• Beverages in healthy food list should be simple. Water, low-fat milk, natural fruit and vegetable juices and herbal teas are good choices. Choose diet sodas and soft drinks to avoid extra sugar; no artificial sweeteners.
• Avoid buying snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream. Choose fresh fruits, healthy nuts, seeds and whole grain crackers for snacks. For sandwiches, choose peanut or other nut butters, low-fat turkey or roast beef slices. Avoid processed lunch meats, sausages and hot dogs.
• Buy the healthy foods that we and our family will enjoy, taste good, are available in our area, affordable, and that we can use in many recipes. Consider trying vegetarian recipes. It is better if we can get organically grown foods.