The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating...cotd...

The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

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4. Swiss chard

Hidden in the leafy-greens cooler of your market, you'll find this slightly
bitter, salty vegetable, which is actually native to the Mediterranean.

Why it's healthy: A half cup
of cooked Swiss chard provides a huge amount of both lutein and zeaxanthin,
supplying 10 mg each. These plant chemicals, known as carotenoids, protect your
retinas from the damage of aging, according to Harvard researchers. That's
because both nutrients, which are actually pigments, appear to accumulate in
your retinas, where they absorb the type of shortwave light rays that can damage
your eyes. So the more lutein and zeaxanthin you eat, the better your internal
eye protection will be.

How to eat it: Chard goes great with grilled steaks and chicken, and
it also works well as a bed for pan-seared fish. Wash and dry a bunch of Swiss
chard, and then chop the leaves and stems into 1-inch pieces. Heat a tablespoon
of olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok, and add two garlic cloves that you've
peeled and lightly crushed. When the oil smokes lightly, add the chard. Sauté
for 5 to 7 minutes, until the leaves wilt and the stems are tender. Remove the
garlic cloves and season the chard with salt and pepper.

5. Cinnamon

This old-world spice usually reaches most men's stomachs only when it's mixed
with sugar and stuck to a roll.

Why it's healthy: Cinnamon helps control your blood sugar, which
influences your risk of heart disease. In fact, USDA researchers found that
people with type-2 diabetes who consumed 1 g of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks
(about 1/4 teaspoon each day) significantly reduced not only their blood sugar
but also their triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Credit the spice's
active ingredients, methylhydroxychalcone polymers, which increase your cells'
ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times.

How to eat it: You don't need the fancy oils and extracts sold at
vitamin stores; just sprinkle the stuff that's in your spice rack (or in the
shaker at Starbucks) into your coffee or on your oatmeal.

6. Purslane

Although the FDA classifies purslane as a broad-leaved weed, it's a popular
vegetable and herb in many other countries, including China, Mexico, and
Greece.

Why it's healthy: Purslane
has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant,
according to researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The
scientists also report that this herb has 10 to 20 times more melatonin -- an
antioxidant that may inhibit cancer growth -- than any other fruit or vegetable
tested.

How to eat it: In a salad. Think of purslane as a great alternative or
addition to lettuce: The leaves and stems are crisp, chewy, and succulent, and
they have a mild lemony taste. Look for it at your local farmer's market, or
Chinese or Mexican market. It's also available at some Whole Foods stores, as an
individual leafy green or in premade salad mixes.

7. Pomegranate juice

A popular drink for decades in the Middle East, pomegranate juice has become
widely available only recently in the United States.

Why it's healthy: Israeli scientists discovered that men who downed
just 2 ounces of pomegranate juice daily for a year decreased their systolic
(top number) blood pressure by 21 percent and significantly improved bloodflow
to their hearts. What's more, 4 ounces provides 50 percent of your daily vitamin
C needs.

How to drink it: Try 100 percent pomegranate juice from Pom Wonderful.
It contains no added sugars, and because it's so powerful, a small glassful is
all you need. (For a list of retailers, go to www.pomwonderful.com.)

8. Goji berries

These raisin-size fruits are chewy and taste like a cross between a cranberry
and a cherry. More important, these potent berries have been used as a medicinal
food in Tibet for over 1,700 years.

Why they're healthy: Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC ratings
-- a method of gauging antioxidant power -- of any fruit, according to Tufts
University researchers. And although modern scientists began to study this
ancient berry only recently, they've found that the sugars that make goji
berries sweet reduce insulin resistance -- a risk factor of diabetes -- in
rats.

How to eat them: Mix dried or fresh goji berries with a cup of plain
yogurt, sprinkle them on your oatmeal or cold cereal, or enjoy a handful by
themselves. You can find them at specialty supermarkets or at
gojiberries.us.

9. Dried plums

You may know these better by the moniker "prunes," which are indelibly linked
with nursing homes and bathroom habits. And that explains why, in an effort to
revive this delicious fruit's image, producers now market them under another
name.

Why they're healthy: Prunes
contain high amounts of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, antioxidants that
are particularly effective at combating the "superoxide anion radical." This
nasty free radical causes structural damage to your cells, and such damage is
thought to be one of the primary causes of cancer.

How to eat them: As an appetizer. Wrap a paper-thin slice of
prosciutto around each dried plum and secure with a toothpick. Bake in a 400°F
oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the plums are soft and the prosciutto is
crispy. Most of the fat will cook off, and you'll be left with a
decadent-tasting treat that's sweet, savory, and healthy.

10. Pumpkin seeds

These jack-o'-lantern waste products are the most nutritious part of the
pumpkin.

Why they're healthy: Downing pumpkin seeds is the easiest way to
consume more magnesium. That's important because French researchers recently
determined that men with the highest levels of magnesium in their blood have a
40 percent lower risk of early death than those with the lowest levels. And on
average, men consume 353 mg of the mineral daily, well under the 420 mg minimum
recommended by the USDA.

How to eat them: Whole, shells and all. (The shells provide extra
fiber.) Roasted pumpkin seeds contain 150 mg of magnesium per ounce; add them to
your regular diet and you'll easily hit your daily target of 420 mg. Look for
them in the snack or health-food section of your grocery store, next to the
peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.

Antioxidants, Explained

The science is clear: Plant foods are good for you. And the credit often goes
to chemicals they produce called antioxidants. Just as the name suggests,
antioxidants help protect your cells against oxidation. Think of oxidation as
rust. This rust is caused by free radicals, which are unstable oxygen atoms that
attack your cells, inducing DNA damage that leads to cancer. Thankfully,
antioxidants help stabilize free radicals, which keeps the rogue atoms from
harming your cells.

So by eating more antioxidant-rich foods, you'll boost the amount of the
disease-fighting chemicals floating in your bloodstream. The result: Every bite
fortifies your body with all-natural preventive medicine.