10 Best Foods for You......That You're Not Eating

(Courtesy of The New York Times)


Do you ever wonder what the latest research shows are the BEST foods for you to be eating? Do you ever wonder if you (or your family's) diet is measuring up to those standards?

After seeing a recent post on Maine.MomsLikeMe.com , I wanted to look more into what those foods were and just why they were the "best" for you. Every week, I'm going to pick one of those top ten foods and research them for you, then give you a few recipes to try them out with. Are you ready?

According to New York Times, the best foods for you - that you're probably not eating already - are:

Beets
Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Cinnamon
Pomegranate juice
Dried plums
Pumpkin seeds
Sardines
Turmeric
Frozen Blueberries
Canned pumpkin.

You can read the whole article here, but I'm going to start at the top and work my way down over the next couple of weeks. So here we go.......ready to learn about beets?

Why beets? you may be wondering.......Well, it turns out that the pigment that makes beets the colour that they are is a huge cancer fighter. Multiple studies show benefits in fighting colon cancer specifically. Studies have shown them to have cardiac benefits as well - decreasing "bad" cholesterol and and increasing their "good" cholesterol significantly. Beets are also particularly rich in the B vitamin folate - and all of you moms and preggos out there just perked up. Folate is VERY important in preventing birth defects. The daily requirement of folate is 400 micrograms.....and just one cup of boiled, sliced beets contains about 130 of those micrograms!

So bring on those beets!! To get you started, here are a few of our favourite recipes:



Borscht (of course, we ARE Ukrainian!!)

* 1 (16 ounce) package pork sausage
* 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
* 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
* 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 3/4 cup water
* 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
* 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
* 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish


1. Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Fill a large pot halfway with water(about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the sausage, and cover the pot. Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
4. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.


Now, I haven't tried these, but will soon and will review them. Until then - here you go!


Russian Beet and Potato Salad


Ingredients

* 2 beets
* 4 small potatoes
* 2 small carrots
* 3 small dill pickles, diced
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
* salt to taste
* 3 green onions, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook beets until tender, about 30 minutes. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook potatoes and carrots until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain vegetables, cool, and remove skins. Dice and place in a large bowl.
2. Place the diced pickles in the bowl with beets, potatoes, and carrots. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt. Sprinkle with green onions. Chill completely before serving.


Roasted Beets N'Sweets


Ingredients

* 6 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks
* 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
* 1 large sweet onion, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, toss the beets with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar in a large resealable plastic bag. Place the sweet potatoes and onion in the bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat vegetables with the oil mixture.
4. Bake beets 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix sweet potato mixture with the beets on the baking sheet. Continue baking 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.




Does your family have a favourite way to eat beets? If so, share here!