Raspberries, Spinach and Tomatoes! Oh, My!

I know those three foods do NOT seem as though they go together in any way! But keep reading - you may be surprised.

Raspberries

You’ll get ellagic acid in all berries – including raspberries! It’s a powerful phytonutrient and cancer fighter. But that’s not all – they’re full of vitamins like C, B2 and B3 and minerals like magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese, which helps boost metabolism, anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants and they have plenty of healthy fiber to boot. Besides being a delicious fresh snack, including in your morning protein smoothie is a great idea! Speaking of snacks – you’ll find raspberries in many of the excellent raw, whole food snacks at Whole Food Farmacy.

Spinach

Popeye knew what he was doing when he made spinach his go-to food! Spinach is not only one of the most nutrient-dense foods around, but also one of the biggest nutrition values in the supermarket as well! Frozen spinach is one of those foods that gives you the most bang for your buck – nutritionally and financially!

Spinach is a low calorie, fat free, dark leafy green that is just loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals! It’s one of my staples for weight maintenance as well as overall health! I put it in my omelets and my protein smoothies in the morning. Spinach also has a component that helps you metabolize protein more effectively – so it makes any protein meal (like an omelet, burger or protein smoothie) even more powerful!

Tomatoes

Several recent studies have shown that a diet rich in tomatoes and tomato products is strongly linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers. Part of the reason is that tomatoes are rich in lycopene. Here’s a tip: heat processing of tomatoes and tomato products increases lycopene bioavailability. That just means you get more of the good stuff when you cook the tomatoes and also include a little healthy fat, like olive oil! (By the way-that makes them a great addition to your omelet too!)

They are technically a fruit and a low calorie one at that. They have other carotenes and vitamin C which make them a wonderful addition, especially if you grow your own! Nothing like a beautifully ripe, fresh tomato with a tiny bit of olive or flax oil and apple cider vinegar!

Take a Step:

If you make a protein smoothie as your breakfast in the mornings – along with your raspberries (or whatever berry you use) add some frozen, chopped spinach, which has been thawed. You’ll see the flecks of green – but it honestly doesn’t make it taste like spinach! You’ll be starting out with a super-nutritious (and delicious) meal to fuel the rest of your day! If instead you make an omelet, include some spinach and top it with some salsa! You get more ideas like this in my Nutrition-Boosting Strategies e-book.

Until next month, I wish you vibrant health!

Ann

Easy Ways to Bump Up Nutrition from Your Meals – Part One

Did you know you can combine certain foods in order to increase the nutritional value of each? The naturally occurring chemical components in certain foods are intensified and made more bioavailable when they are properly combined. Here are some simple ways to get more bang from your nutritional buck:

1. According to research done by the University of Illinois, combining tomatoes and broccoli powerfully boosts the cancer fighting compounds in each. Cooking tomatoes as well as combining them with a healthy fat makes their carotenoids and other important nutrients easier for your body to use. So try a pasta sauce cooked with olive oil and lightly steamed or sauteed broccoli.

2. Salads are one of the very best things you can include in your daily diet. They are loaded with antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals. However, if you are using fat free dressings, you are preventing yourself from getting all the benefit you could. Simply using an oil and vinegar dressing, or combining your salad with any healthy fat source, you exponentially increase the nutritional content. Use olive, walnut, flax, pumpkin seed, macadamia or avocado oil with your vinegar dressing or sprinkle a handful of nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, whichever you like), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin) or avocado slices in and you are good to go.

3. If you want to get the most from iron rich foods like spinach, beets, lentils, eggs, chicken or turkey breast, lean sirloin steak and sardines, be sure to pair them with a vitamin C rich food. The vitamin C increases your body’s ability to absorb the iron. These foods tend to go together well, so it’s pretty easy to do. Consider a squeeze of lemon or lime on your spinach, beets or in your lentil soup; have a baked potato or red and green bell peppers with your steak or poultry; pair scrambled eggs or sardines with salsa. Let your creativity take over and be adventurous.

4. Vegetables are a treasure trove of phytochemicals, which are much more effectively released for use in your body when you include a source of healthy fat. Cook your vegetables gently and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or flax oil.

Take a Step:

Try incorporating one of these suggestions this week. Each week try adding just one - add nuts or seeds to your fresh salad; top your chicken breast or scrambled eggs with a tablespoon or two of salsa.

Next time I'll share 4 more suggestions for bumping up the nutritional value of your meals!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health! Ann