Written By: Deanna Embury, Licious Living

Published in The Vancouver Province

One of the mistakes that many people make with their diet is not eating a wide enough variety of different kinds of foods.  You need to make sure you are getting all of the essential nutrients required to support both your weight loss program and life long good health.     

Dietary supplements are intended to compliment a well-balanced diet, not replace it, so do your best to get as many of your essential vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat.  Excessive intake of certain vitamins and minerals can be very harmful, so consult your doctor before you start taking supplements.

Add the following foods to your must-buy list and you'll be well on your way to eating a diet for optimal health, reaching your ideal weight  and a strong body.

1. Almonds

Nuts are full of fats. But they're the healthy, mono- and polyunsaturated kind, which can help lower cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease. In addition, nuts are a good source of protein, fibre, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin A.

2. Sweet potatoes

A single 100-calorie sweet potato supplies the recommended daily intake of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, and the two trace minerals manganese and copper. The fibre in sweet potatoes promotes a healthy digestive tract, and the antioxidants play a role in preventing heart disease and cancer.

3. Whole Grain Cereal with Protein

Look for whole grain cereals that offer at least seven grams of fibre and eight or more grams of protein.  Whole grains contain fibre, folic acid, selenium and additional B vitamins (crucial to energy metabolism), and disease-fighting compounds such as lignans.  They are important to heart health, weight control, and reducing the risk of diabetes.  

4. Oranges

Oranges are packed with vitamin C, which helps with the absorption of iron and folate and helps boost your immune system.  The antioxidant powers in oranges come from the compound herperidin, found in the fruit's skin, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.

5. Salmon

Besides being an excellent source of high-quality protein (about 30 grams in a four-ounce serving), salmon is one of the best food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect your heart. The power of omega-3s appears to be their ability to lower blood fats and prevent blood clots associated with heart disease.

6. Rainbow of Vegetables

Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients essential for maintaining a healthy body including potassium, dietary fibre, folic acid , vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C.   Different kinds of vegetables contain different nutrients, so it is important to eat a wide selection.

7. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are high on the ‘superfoods' list because they contain an abundance of  vitamins A and C, potassium, phytochemicals and lycopene (an antioxidant that may help may protect against certain cancers).

8. Lean Meat 

Protein is needed for muscle growth and repair. Lean meats are a great source of iron and also contain Zinc which promotes tissue growth and repair as well as cell reproduction.

9. Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries

These berries contain vitamin C, folic acid, fibre, Carotenoids and Anthocyanins (antioxidant that helps neutralize "free radicals" (cell-damaging molecules) that can help lead to chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease). 

10. Low-fat Plain Yogurt

Besides being a good source of vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D, low-fat yogurt with live cultures provides the healthy bacteria your digestive tract needs to function optimally. This good bacteria may also have anti-inflammatory powers that can offer some relief to arthritis sufferers (look for the live-culture symbol on the yogurt carton). 

11. Dark Green Vegetables

Dark green vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate, iron, magnesium, and antioxidants.  A variety of dark greens offers a unique blend of phytonutrients that research suggests may fend off age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

12. Beans and Legumes (chickpeas, kidney beans and black beans are good options)

Eating beans and legumes regularly can help reduce the risk of certain cancers, lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and stabilize blood sugar.  They are also packed with phytochemicals, low/non-fat high-quality protein, folic acid, fibre, iron, magnesium, and small amounts of calcium.  

13. Eggs

Egg protein is one of the most complete food proteins, which means it contains all the crucial amino acids.   Eggs also contain choline, a brain nutrient that aids memory, and leutin, a pigment needed for healthy eyes.

  See below for a handy chart to correlate these great vitamins with their benefits for you!

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