Top Healthiest Foods

I just spent the last couple of hours doing some research on the top healthiest foods based on information I found on the site The Worlds Healthiest Foods (http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php) from their page called Essential Nutrients in the Worlds Healthiest Foods. Based on My findings all of these foods have the top amounts of at least 6 of the essential nutrients and one has 11. Oh and the good news is they are all WLS friendly. In descending order: 

1. Spinach

2. Soybeans

3. Venison

4. Swiss Chard

5. Sardines

6. Halibut

7. Collard Greens

8. Beef

9. Yogurt

10. Turkey

11. Sesame Seeds

12. Salmon

13. Lima Beans

14. Lentils

Rounding out the next tier (5 top nutrients) Turnip Greens, Tuna, Shrimp, Scallops, Milk, Lamb, Garbanzo Beans, and Eggs.

I will definitely be eating more of these foods on regular basis. I think I will try to eat Spinach every day and every way possible.

When I have time I will do more research to see what combinations I can come up with to cover more of the categories and see if I can't come up with a dish or menu that would be nutritionally complete.

 

I agree with most of your list except Soybeans. They are definately not a healthfood and are not good for the body. They are pushed as being a healthy though.

I have read a lot about soybeans and the controversies surrounding them. My current position is that they are a very healthy food but they also pose some problems because something like 90-95% of the worlds soybeans are genetically modified and cause issues with estrogen levels (its not actually estrogen its something else that makes your body think your estrogen level is higher resulting in the same result). I eat them about once a week but try to keep my consumption of them to organic non-GMO beans that I cook myself. I try to stay away from hidden or unknown sources such as Miso and Tofu althought I do eat Tofu once or twice a month in my Thai Food.

Even if you take into account the bad stuff, Soybeans are a very healthy food if you spend the money on the good stuff.

Very nice! 5 and 13 are out for me but I live the rest. I've always been afraid to cook fish (weird phobia, I dunno) but I can't wait to start trying new things! This is helpful.

I am that way about fish too, but I started ordering it more often in restaurants because I can convince myself that they know what they are doing and I didn't see it cooked so I am all good. I do eat sashimi quite a bit (especially salmon). My wife makes a broiled salmon that is delicious and it is already in the oven before I see it.

If you care to try the salmon it is a pretty easy recipe:

Oven to 350

But a piece of fresh salmon with the skin on

Skin side down on a foil lined cookie sheet

grate some stick butter all over the fish

salt and fresh ground pepper all over the fish

Into oven for about 20-30 minutes until the meat on the fish starts to pale and get flaky.

Take out and serve. I prefer mine a bit more done than my wife does.

Thanks. I love salmon and this sounds easy enough for me to start with!

I will add this excerpt about soy from 1001 Low-Carb Recipes Hundreds of Delicious Recipes.  It says enough where I will not be having any soy unless absolutely necessary ... this is written by Dana Carpender http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Carpender

She wrote the following while discussing ingredients she uses in her recipes ...

"You should be aware that despite the tremendous marketing buildup soy has enjoyed for the past several years, there are some problems emerging.  Soy is well known to interfere with thyroid function, which is the last thing you need if you’re trying to lose weight. It also can interfere with mineral absorption. It is also less certain, but still possible, that regular consumption of soy causes brain deterioration and genital defects in boy babies born to mothers with soy-heavy diets. For these reasons, although I do not shun soy entirely, I use other options when possible."

I understand that she isn't a doctor and I understand that for every article I find that says soy is bad you will likely find one saying the opposite.  Is it really worth the risk?  I just ask that you think about it.  It really seems like there are both benefits and ill effects from soy. According to an article on webmd http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/how-good-is-soy ... 

 

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"People ought to know that there ain't no free lunch," says Lon White, MD, MPH, senior neuroepidemiologist at the University of Hawaii. "At some point -- if these molecules are as potent as [we think] they are -- there will be potent [adverse] effects."

White, for one, worries that soy may speed the aging of brain cells. He recently found evidence that the brains of elderly people who ate tofu at least twice a week for 30 years were aging faster than normal. Tests designed to assess memory and analytical ability showed that their brains functioned as if they were four years older than their actual age, White says of his study published in the April 2000 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Another fear is that the estrogen-like substances in soy may dampen the function of the thyroid. Consuming 40 milligrams of isoflavones a day can slow the production of thyroid hormone, says Larrian Gillespie, MD, author of The Menopause Diet and The Goddess Diet. (One tablespoon of soy powder contains about 25 milligrams of isoflavones, while most isoflavone supplements come in 40-milligram pills.)

According to Gillespie, within a few weeks of regularly consuming 40 milligrams of isoflavones, some women feel fatigued, constipated, and achy all over. Some also gain weight and have heavier menstrual periods. Menopausal women are at particular risk, since they're already prone to hypothyroidism. "Women think it's because of hormones and don't realize they're symptoms of hypothyroidism," Gillespie says. "Once they stop the soy, they say, 'I'm feeling fine again.' "

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The point of both the book and the webmd article is the ill effect on the thyroid which can be an issue for people trying to loose weight.  Both of these also indicate an ill effect on the brain.

Take this information for what it is worth and please consider at least limiting your exposure to soy as it may prove more harmful than beneficial.  

 

This is very interesting info, and I'll have to do some more research. It's super depressing for me, because I'm a vegetarian and was hoping to rely heavily on soy for my protein.

I agree with Dana from that cookbook (I am reviewing it - see my OH homepage) that soy isn't the best choice. Espeically for women. Actually soy protein is absorbed by the body I believe something around 50%. She does however use Black Soy Beans (Organic non-GMO Eden brand) in some of her recipes.

I just posted the Feta-Spinach Salmon Roast recipe from her book (1001 Low-Carb Recipes) on a previous post about canned spinach. That is number 1 and number 12 on your list! I cannot wait to make that myself. yummy!

Thanks for posting this Keith!

~Jenny

Good info all around...thanks for posting.  I always like learning what ppl dig up on nutrition.  I wonder why asparagus didn't make the cut?