Top 10 Healthy Foods

January always seems to bring with it a feeling of renewal, fresh beginnings and a chance to start again. Diet and exercise tend to be among the top resolutions made (and broken, but rethinking our choices when it comes to fueling our bodies doesn’t have to be difficult.  Here are 10 healthy foods to consider adding to your daily meals:

1. 1. Avocado: Rich in oleic acid, avocado helps lower the risk of heart disease and is considered a “good” fat.  Try it as a replacement for cheese in sandwiches, cubed in salads, or mashed and spread on toast in the morning.  My friend swears by this.
2. Kale: High in vitamins A, C and K, kale also packs a punch when it comes to calcium and antioxidants. Although kale has created the most hype of leafy greens of late, you may be at a loss for how to eat it.   Have you tried curly kale chips?  Black or lacinato kale, when julienned and mixed with your favorite salad dressing, holds up well when prepared in advance and kept in the fridge and can be eaten as you would coleslaw. I also like throwing some into my smoothies.
3. Sweet potato: A great source of beta carotene, dietary fibre and vitamin A, sweet potatoes are also packed with vitamin C to boost the immune system.
4. Blueberries: An antioxidant super food, blueberries are probably the easiest of the 10 to incorporate.  It’s hard to resist eating them by the handful when in season, but even in the middle of winter, frozen blueberries are great blended into a smoothie with bananas, milk and yogurt or thrown into hot oatmeal.
5. Almonds: High in healthy mono-unsaturated fats, almonds may lower the risk of heart disease and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.  Keep these high fibre nuts handy when the afternoon munchies hit.
6. Apples: Available in countless varieties year-round, apples may not seem exotic or sexy, but there’s a reason why an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Apples are full of antioxidants that fight free radicals and phytonutrients which may help prevent disease and age-related health problems.
7. Salmon:  This popular oily fish is high in vitamins B12 and D and an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, essential for the normal and healthy functioning of all tissues in the body.  Aim for two servings per week.
8. Chia seeds: These tiny dark seeds are great source of short-chain, plant-based omega-3’s.  What pushes these little beauties into superstar territory? Chia seeds have three times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries and 6 grams of fibre in one tablespoon.  And unlike flax seeds, chia seeds don’t need to be ground in order for the body to absorb their nutrients. Have you tried chia pudding?  It makes for a healthy alternative to that all-time favorite, tapioca pudding.
9. Oats:  There’s not much you can do to improve the old-fashioned goodness of oats.  A daily bowl of oatmeal provides an enviable amount of water-soluble fibre, lowers cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.  This complex carbohydrate is also rich in B vitamins, potassium and folate.
10. Broccoli:  There are a myriad of reasons why we should love broccoli:  it’s rich in antioxidants, provides 150% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C in a single 100g serving and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.  Finding tasty ways to serve it may be a challenge, but the key is to not overcook it as health benefits will be destroyed. Serve it with cheese and even the kids will gobble it up!

The best part of these foods is that they are all easily found at your local grocery store and easily prepared because who needs to complicate life?

Which ones do you go to when you’re trying to boost the nutritional value of your diet?