Healthy Foods for Your Family

http//www.vitacost.com/Healthnotes/Lifestyle/Ten-Healthy-Family-Foods.aspx

Keep your family in tip-top shape with these tasty, healthy foods.

Fish Grains Vegetables Fruits GO FISH! Fish are a great source of many healthy protecting nutrients and oils. Explore varieties of fish and discover great tasting, healthful recipes. “When chosen carefully, fish is an excellent source of protein, with much less fat and cholesterol than lean meat.” Q. How healthy is fish? A. Fish is a great source of lean protein and one of the best ways to get a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, those good fats that protect your heart, support your brain, and keep your cells healthy. However, since our oceans and rivers are not as clean as they once were, not all fish is equally healthy. The tips in this article will help you make safe and healthy seafood choices. Fish is a great source of lean protein and one of the best ways to get a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, those good fats that protect your heart, support your brain, and keep your cells healthy. However, since our oceans and rivers are not as clean as they once were, not all fish is equally healthy. The tips in this article will help you make safe and healthful seafood choices. Q. Should I buy wild fish or farmed fish? A. This is a complex question. The demand for seafood has encouraged many fisheries to catch more fish than our waters can sustainably produce, resulting in diminishing fish stocks and damage to the ecosystem. For that reason, fish farming seems a logical solution. However, not all farmed fish are thought to be healthy. For example, farmed salmon has been shown to contain chemical pollutants. On the other hand, farm-raised trout, catfish, shrimp, striped bass, sturgeon, Artic char, and flounder are healthy and sustainable choicesQ. Should I buy wild fish or farmed fish? The demand for seafood has encouraged many fisheries to catch more fish than our waters can sustainably produce, resulting in diminishing fish stocks and damage to the ecosystem. For that reason, fish farming seems a logical solution. However, not all farmed fish are thought to be healthy. For example, farmed salmon has been shown to contain chemical pollutants. On the other hand, farm-raised trout, catfish, shrimp, striped bass, sturgeon, Artic char, and flounder are healthy and sustainable choices. To help you make educated choices, ask your seafood supplier where the fish came from and how it was caught. Q. How do I select seafood? A. When chosen carefully, fish is an excellent source of protein, with much less fat and cholesterol than lean meat. Plus, fish is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, lower high cholesterol, ease arthritis, and improve mood. Follow these tips when shopping for fish: Look for the “Seafood Safe” label, which indicates that the item is tested regularly for PCBs and mercury and that it meets quality-assurance guidelines for that species. Visit www.seafoodsafe.com for a list of participating fish distributors. Check out www.oceansalive.org for an up-to-date listing of which fish varieties are healthiest. Know that fish high on the food chain such as swordfish, shark, tuna, king mackerel, and lobster may contain higher levels of contaminants. Limit eating canned tuna to once a month. If you are not sure about a fish don’t eat it. Q. What looks good? When buying fish, choose firm, shiny flesh that will spring back when touched. Fish should have only a mild smell, like seawater, but not a strong fishy odor. Shellfish, such as oysters, clams, and mussels, must be alive when purchased. Lobsters and crabs should be alive or frozen when purchased. Shrimp are usually frozen and often precooked. Look for a full shell and firm meat. Frozen fish is a good choice, as freezing keeps water inside fish tissues, thus preserving juices and maximizing flavor and texture when cooked. Frozen fish should be somewhat shiny and have no white freezer-burn spots. GRAINS: Discover the nearly endless ways you can prepare grains: as side dishes, in casseroles, soups, stews, and salads, breads, and more. Amaranth Barley Buckwheat Kamut® Quinoa Brown Rice Spelt I do not recommend wheat, corn, rye, or any white flour products. Wheat, corn and rye, are heavily concentrated with dangerous levels of mico-toxins and eatin in heavy quantities, can result in the manifestation of certain diseases. VEGETABLES: Work more healthy and nutritious veggies into your family’s diet with tips on buying and storing, along with delicious, kid-friendly recipes. Arame (Sea Vegetable) Artichoke Arugula Asparagus Avocado Beets Bibb Lettuce Bok Choy Broccoflower Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Chicory Chile Peppers Chinese Cabbage Chives Collards Corn Cucumbers Dandelion Greens Dulse (Sea Vegetable) Eggplant Elephant Garlic Endive Fennel Garlic Green Beans Iceberg Lettuce Jerusalem Artichoke Jicama Johnny Jump-Ups Kale Kelp Kohlrabi Kombu (Sea Vegetable) Lavender Flowers Leeks Marigolds Mushrooms Mustard Greens Nori Okra Onions Organic Fruits and Vegetables Pansies Parsnips Peas Potatoes Pumpkin Radicchio Radishes Red Leaf Lettuce Romaine Lettuce Rose Petals Rutabagas Scallions Sea Vegetables Snow Peas Spinach Squash Sweet Peppers Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Turnips Violets Wakame (Sea Vegetable) Yams Zucchini To me this is the most important food category there is. Be sure to wash all produce well, when you bring it home, a good veggie wash is also very helpful, if you cannot afford organic. FRUITS: Sweet tangy and tasty! Fruits are an important part of any healthy diet. Discover new types of fruit along with great recipes. Apples Apricots Avocado Bananas Berries Cherries Grapefruit Grapes Guava Kiwi Kumquat Lemons Limes Mango Melons Nectarines Olives Organic Fruits and Vegetables Oranges Papaya Passion Fruit Peaches Pears Persimmon Pineapple Plantains Plums Pomegranate Prickly Pear Prunes Quince Raisins Rhubarb Tangerine I have not included meats, or poultry in the healthy category, unless it is organic, again there are too many unhealthy mico-toxins, pesticides, and hormones that are injected into meat that can cause undesirable efffects on a healthy lifestyle. If you are a meat or poultry eater, try to opt for organic grass fed products. These cost a bit more, but in the long run it is a better choice. I hope this has educated you on healthy lifestyle choices. The shopping list is endless, and you need never get bored with a healthy lifestyle. Majority of this blog came from this website: http://www.vitacost.com/Healthnotes/Lifestyle/Ten-Healthy-Family-foods.aspx