|
|
A few years ago, a magazine editor asked me to write about the 10 "best" foods for families. How could I choose? No one food supplies everything the body needs, and each food brings its own unique combination of important nutrients. Then I came up with the idea of "magic carpet" foods, foods that are important because they "carry" other nutritious foods with them.
Breakfast cereal is one of my favorite magic carpet foods. A fortified cereal such as Whole Grain Total? is a terrific food on its own--it supplies fiber and 100 percent of the daily value for 12 different vitamins and minerals. Eat it topped with milk and fresh fruit, or layer it in a parfait with yogurt, berries and nuts, and you have an even more nutrient-packed meal.
Pizza crust is another favorite because it can carry a variety of foods on it. It's easy to make your own, or you can buy dough or ready-baked crust at your market. Spread your dough with tomato sauce and you've added lycopene, a plant compound that gives tomatoes their red color and that may help boost health. "Decorate your crust with plenty of vegetables to add to the goal of eating more fruits and vegetables," suggests Georgia Kostas, M.P.H., R.D., L.D., author of "The Cooper Clinic Solution to the Diet Revolution." "Eating 4 1/2 cups a day provides the antioxidants, fiber and phytonutrients that may help reduce cholesterol oxidation and hardening of the arteries, which can contribute to a lower risk of heart disease."
Pasta easily makes my list-the variety of toppings and "mix-ins" is virtually endless, such as lycopene-rich tomato sauce; protein-packed lean ground meat or poultry, grilled salmon and other fish; reduced-fat ricotta cheese or grated cheese for protein and calcium; heart-healthy nuts such as walnuts; and, of course, vegetables. Try different types of pasta; for example, fiber-containing whole wheat spaghetti, thin buckwheat soba from Japan, Asian rice noodles, and even pastalike spaghetti squash.
My list has plenty of other foods, including soup, bread made with whole grain, baked potato, and corn tortillas. Which foods would be on your list?
Ask Mindy
Q: Can you suggest other types of "magic carpet" foods from different food groups?
A: How about lettuce and salad greens? Mix in ingredients from as many food groups as possible for a filling and nutrition-packed meal.
Mindy Hermann
Note to Editors: This is Series V-24 of 26. |
| Author: Stacey Moore |
| |
Author Bio:
Products that earn the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. EPA and DOE. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov. Using energy efficiently at home can be as easy as changing a light bulb. |
| This article can be searched using: herbal nutrition supplement, prenatal nutrition, vitamins nutrition supplements, health nutrition |
|
 |
|
| |
Related Articles |
| |
Why Ultra-Low-Carb Diets Don't Work...
|
| |
Benefits of Using a Wine Rack
|
| |
A Legacy of Food and Family Online
|
| |
A Guide To Retail Wine Racks
|
| |
Handfuls of your favorite snacks top rich Stadium Bar brownies
|
| |
Smoked Salmon - A Healthy Low Carb Diet Choice
|
| |
A Juicy, Fun Way To Take Your Vitamins
|
| |
Some Tasty Chocolate History
|
| |
A Recipe for Rye Bread
|
| |
Food - How Good Is It Really?
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
If you are opening a business and wanting to sell popcorn, you are going to need a couple of commerc ... - Jeff Casmer |
| |
|
The word ????filet mignon' means small boneless piece (in French ????mignon' means small and ????fil ... - Max Bellamy |
| |
|
Find out some pertinent facts about Breakfast - Ryan Joseph |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Did you ever hear of The Warrior Diet. This is a diet where you fast during the day only eating some ... - Marc David |
| |
|
In early times, chef hats were made of starched cloth and held together with whalebones to provide a ... - Jason Gluckman |
| |
|
Paczki, is what is known as the original Polish donut, no one will ever agree on how to pronounce th ... - Andrew Krause |
| |
|
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a cake as "a mixture of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, etc., bake ... - Jason Gluckman |
| |
|
When I was a boy I had two neighbors vying for my affection. One was Mrs. Matthews from Germany. The ... - John T Jones, Ph.D. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
About Us
