Turbo-Charge Your Diet With 36 Top Power Foods

The Cleveland Clinic has listed 36 "power foods," foods that are so rich in nutrients and health benefits that nearly everyone should include them in their diet.

The Cleveland Clinic has been consistently named one of the nation's best hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Hospitals" report.

The 36 power foods have been organized by categories that include vegetables, proteins, fruits, soy foods, grains and legumes.

Vegetables: Aim for at least 1 to 2 cups of these vegetables at 2 meals each day.

1. Asparagus
2. Bell peppers
3. Bok choy
4. Broccoli
5. Carrots
6. Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots
7. Spinach, watercress, Swiss chard, romaine, kale, beets and mustard greens
8. Potato (with skin)
9. Sweet potato
10. Tomato
11. Acorn or butternut squash

(I'll happily eat all the vegetables listed above, although I'm not sure I've ever tried bok choy in my soups and I'll usually favor baby spinach over kale or Swiss chard.)

Proteins: Eat 1 3- to 6-oz fillet or 3-oz. can of fish each week. Eat 2 to 4 tablespoons of peanut butter each week.

   12. Tuna (canned in water or fresh)
   13. Salmon (fresh or canned pink)
   14. Natural peanut butter

(I love my peanut butter but have to work on more interesting tuna recipes.)

Fruits: Eat 3 servings of fresh (best), frozen or canned fruit daily. If blood sugar is a concern, eat whole fruits, not fruit juices.

  15. Apples
  16. Apricots
  17. Bananas
  18. Berries
  19. Cantaloupe
  20. Citrus
  21. Kiwi
  22. Papaya
  23. Peaches

(If I were stuck on a desert island and had to choose one food group to live on, it would be fruit, so no problems here. I love dried California apricots, but the higher sugar content is probably not a great thing in huge quantities.)

Soy foods: Use in place of meat sources.

  24. Soy milk and cheese
  25. Soy nuts
  26. Tofu and tempeh

(This is the only category I don't enjoy, perhaps because I don't have the right recipes.)

Grains: Eat 2 to 4 cups of cooked oatmeal (not instant) each week. Eat 2 tablespoons of wheat germ daily and 2 tablespoons to one-quarter cup of ground flaxseed each day.

  27. Barley
  28. Brown rice
  29. Bulgur
  30. Flaxseed
  31. Oatmeal
  32. Wheat germ

(I supplement my cats' diet with ground flaxseed and make my own granola with old-fashioned oatmeal, wheat germ and dried fruits. I also enjoy whole wheat berries, which didn't make this list.)

Legumes: Include 1 cup of legumes in your daily diet and include an extra cup on 2 days of the week. Use legumes as a protein source for lunch and two dinner meals.

  33. Black beans
  34. Black-eyed peas
  35. Kidney beans
  36. Lentils

(I love beans, but am turning away from the convenience of canned beans back to dried, due to the widespread use of bisphenol-A in the lining of many canned products.)

How many of the top 36 find their way into your diet?

Healthier People Make New Year's Resolutions

With the start of a new year just days away, it seemed a fitting time to launch a new blog devoted to reviewing the latest findings in diet, nutrition and exercise. 

Losing weight and exercising more are the two most commonly cited New Year's resolutions. And a new study by two Kansas State University researchers suggests that those who do make New Year's resolutions tend to have more healthy behaviors than those who scoff at setting long-term goals for themselves.

According to a December 24, 2009 Science Daily story, a survey of college students revealed that those who chose a larger, future reward over a smaller, but more immediate payoff were more likely to possess healthier behaviors such as drinking in moderation, watching what they ate or wearing sunscreen.

The study's findings, which are published in the January 2010 issue of Personality and Individual Differences, were based on social psychology questions (e.g., "Would you prefer $35 today or $45 in 35 days?") that were used to determine whether survey-takers were future-minded or present-minded. Once that was established, the researchers were able to more accurately predict health behaviors.

So even if, like many of those making New Year's resolutions, your resolution falls by the wayside come February, don't give up. According to the research, even the act of making those resolutions is in itself an indicator that you'll wind up taking better care of your health.

What's your New Year's resolution?