Foods that Pack a Punch!

Sometimes, another list of foods you should be eating, but aren’t, can be...well...annoying. Many healthy foods can be tough to find, and the last thing you want to be is a confused health-minded shopper. Don’t lose hope just yet: There are some very basic foods that will help you live healthier and keep you from running all around town for groceries. Tune in to these foods, recommended by nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden, Ph.D, C.N.S.

1. Beets: Sure, they're not your favorite vegetables at Thanksgiving dinner, paling in comparison to a juicy turkey or hearty stuffing, but take a closer look at what Bowden calls “red spinach,” and you will find its natural pigments are serious cancer fighters. Try tossing raw, grated beets onto a salad; heating them zaps their antioxidant power.

2. Cabbage: Another potent cancer fighter. Top your next sandwich with shredded cabbage and you’ll have yourself a satisfying, crunchy meal.

3. Swiss chard: Carrots aren’t the only veggie that can help protect your eyes. This leafy green packs carotenoids that help strengthen aging eyes. Sauté these greens in olive oil and your peepers will feel like new.

4. Cinnamon: Sprinkle some spice on your next bowl of oats and it will help control your blood sugar and cholesterol.

5. Sardines: These omega-3-packed fishies are so high in vitamins—think calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper—that Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” Eat them plain or try them on toast with dijon mustard.

6. Pumpkin seeds: Snack on these seeds and you'll be eating the most nutritious part of Cinderella’s carriage. Pumpkin seeds boast magnesium, a mineral that has been associated with lowering risk for early death.

Tried any of these? If so, we’re curious—what did you like or dislike? [The New York Times]