With all of the healthy food trends going around, it can be difficult to decide what is actually healthy and what is not. People are always looking for the latest and greatest miracle food that not only is good for you, but also tastes good.
Ginger Becker, Chief Clinical Dietician at Saint Anthony's Health Center, gives insight to some common foods that have currently gotten the reputation as being good for a person’s heart and overall health.
“One popular belief is that drinking a glass of red wine a day is healthy,” said Ginger. “A person can get the same the antioxidants by drinking grape juice or simply eating grapes.”
Dark chocolate also contains an antioxidant that protects heart vessels. However, according to Ginger, there are other foods that a person can eat that are just as for your heart, but do not contain all the calories. Instead of eating just one piece of dark chocolate, a person can eat a larger amount of fruits and vegetables.
“Blueberries also have a healthy antioxidant,” said Ginger. “In general, the deeper the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more antioxidants that can be found.”
Many people also believe that green tea is very healthy but at this point, there is not enough evidence to prove if the green tea really is good for helping a person’s health, according to Ginger.
On the contrast there are several foods out there that are good for a person’s health.
“Oats are a soluble fiber known to lower cholesterol levels,” said Ginger. “Foods such as oats, oat bran, peas and citrus all have the power to lower cholesterol levels. Another food that is shown to lower cholesterol is soy -- and it’s an easy thing to work into your diet.”
Other heart-healthy foods include Omega 3 and fish oils. These fatty acids are good for a person’s heart and can be found in deep-sea food.
“If a person does not currently have any health problem, I would recommend having two to three servings per week of foods that contain Omega 3,” said Ginger. “This includes fish such as tuna, salmon, halibut and mackerel. Also good to eat are tree nuts such as hazelnuts and walnuts.”
Regardless of what the recent trend may be, it is always important to get the proper information on food and vitamins. Depending on your own personal health, it is always a good idea to consult your physician when changing your diet.
For information about nutritional counseling services available through Saint Anthony's Health Center, please call 618/465-2264.