A few years ago, a magazine editor asked me to write about the 10 ‘most readily useful’ foods for individuals. How can I choose? No one food supplies everything your body needs, and each food brings its unique combination of impor-tant nutrients. Then I came up with the idea of ‘magic carpet’ foods, foods which are impor-tant since they ‘bring’ other healthy foods with them. Get more on any-clean by visiting our ideal link.
Breakfast cereal is among the best secret rug foods. A prepared cereal such as Whole Grain Total is just a fantastic food on its own–it supplies fibre and completely of the value for 1-2 different vitamins and minerals. Eat it topped with milk and fresh fruit, or layer it in a parfait with nuts, berries and yogurt, and you’ve a much more nutrient-packed food.
Pizza crust is another favorite because it can bring a number of foods on it. It’s easy-to make your own, or you can buy money or ready-baked crust at your market. Distribute your bread with tomato sauce and you’ve included lycopene, a plant substance that gives tomatoes their red color and that can help raise health. ‘Decorate your crust with lots of veggies to add to the goal of consuming more fruits and vegetables,’ indicates Georgia Kostas, M.P.H., R.D., L.D., composer of ‘The Cooper Clinic Solution to the Diet Revolution.’ ‘Eating 4 1/2 cups each day provides the antioxidants, fiber and phytonutrients that might help lower cholesterol oxidation and hardening of the arteries, which could give rise to a lower risk of heart problems.’
Pasta easily makes my list-the selection of toppings and ‘mix-ins’ is virtually unlimited, such as lycopene-rich tomato sauce; protein-packed lean ground meat or chicken, cooked trout and other fish; reduced-fat ricotta cheese or grated cheese for protein and calcium; heart-healthy nuts such as walnuts; and, obviously, vegetables. Take to various kinds of pasta; for instance, fiber-containing whole wheat grains spaghetti, skinny buckwheat soba from Japan, Asian rice noodles, and also pastalike spaghetti squash.
My list has plenty of other ingredients, including soup, bread made out of corn tortillas, baked potato, and wholemeal. Which foods would-be on your list?
Ask Mindy
Q: Are you able to suggest other forms of ‘magic carpet’ ingredients from different food groups?
A: How about lettuce and salad vegetables? Mix in materials from as many food groups as possible for a filling and nutrition-packed meal.
Mindy Hermann
Note to Editors: This can be Series V-24 of 26.CarpetFirst 78 York Street London W1H 1DP
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