Foods That Can Save Your Life

Recently I visited New York City, the place of my birth. NYC has gone nuts with tourists. I guess I'm one of them. My favorite activity up there is reading the tabloid newspapers. Gotham is the place for scandal, insult and injury. The New York Post and The Daily News capture that wild and crazy New York vibe better than any other print format. But get this-- I read an article in the Dec. 16, 2015 on "Foods That Can Save Your Life" by Reed Tucker and it made good sense.

Tucker attributed the nutritional concepts and recommended foods in his article to Dr. Michael Greger, author of "How Not To Die" and that's a pretty compelling title.

Here they are:

1) Beans-- Yay! I'm a major legume fan. If American knew about "legumes"-- black beans, lentils, garbanzos (key ingredient in humus), split peas-- we would have a healthier country.

2) Berries-- article recommends black berries and blueberries as great anti-oxidants.

3) Red cabbage-- anticancer properties, a "cruciferous" variety. Hope you learn 1-2 new nutritional vocabulary words from reading this blog entry-- legumes and cruciferous

4) Greens-- "eating an extra servings of greens a day correlates to a 20% risk reduction for heart attacks or strokes."-- Hey, we love our stats!

5) Mushrooms-- apparently mushrooms do have magical powers. They have "an amino acid called ergothioneine that may slow cell death." Erogthioneine will not be the quiz, but mushrooms will be.

6) Flaxseeds-- they have  more lignan than anything else on the planet. Lingnan is "a cancer-preventing compound." You have to ground the seeds. I have purchased flaxseed oil rom Whole Food Market. And I got milled flaxseed, a flour-like substance from Costco.

7) Nuts-- Walnuts are "high in omega-3 fatty acids." That's a good legal high especially because it reduces your risk of stroke by 50%!

8) Turmeric-- "The spice contains a pigment called curcumin that may play a role in preventing cancer, lung disease and brain disease." The article recommends you eat 1/4 teaspoon a day-- or maybe eat more Indian food and learn to cook Indian flavored dishes with turmeric.

9) Whole grains-- help you live longer and reduces risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and stroke. Brown rice is my go-to grain dish and been eating the dish for decades.

10) Tea-- green tea and white tea recommended for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and body fat. And Greger say "you should eat the tea leaves" for their nutritional value. Now that's a new one on me. Maybe you should read his book!

While in NYC-- I read a chalk message on the sidewalk-- Exercise empowers longevity-- and the same can be said for good nutrition.

Eating right empowers longevity... That's a tabloid headline we can all use.