More Power to Ya

(From top left) seaweed, salmon, flaxseed (from bottom left) berries, bananas, dark chocolate

Some people look at seaweed and see weed. Others, like assistant team leader Becca Butler of Richardson’s Whole Foods grocery store, look at it and see one of nature’s “power foods,” the planet’s most nutrient-rich eats that, when added to the diet, energize the body and boost its immune function.

“Most people don’t think about eating seaweed, but considering everything you get out of it, seaweed is definitely a power food,” says Butler, assistant team leader at the store. “For example, nori is high in protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. Another sea vegetable called arame has more iron per ounce than beef.”

Incorporating such sea edibles into the diet is easy, she adds, considering “you can get good, pre-made sushi just about anywhere.” But if sushi doesn’t float your boat, Butler recommends adding sea veggies, which are seasonally available at Whole Foods, to your next pot of beans or soup. “Instead of throwing salt in, add some arame, nori, or kelp. The nutrients will cook out into the broth, but you won’t taste the sea vegetables; you can get all of the same benefits without having to just chew on seaweed.”

SALMON SAYS
Benefits from marine life run deep on the power-food scale. Fish gives us omega-3 fatty acids, which are the powerfully good fats that nutritionists classify as essential and that we must get from food because our bodies cannot produce them. Polyunsaturated and potent, omega-3s decrease heart-disease risk by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and help with brain, eye, and joint functions, as well as skin texture. Studies show they also may help stave off depression and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Seek fatty fish, Butler advises: “The deep-dwelling, cold-water species that have to have more fats in their body to stay alive are usually higher in omega-3s.” Salmon is the richest source, but omega-3s are also abundant in mackerel, herring, tuna, and sardines. Butler recommends consuming fish at least once a week and, ideally, more often than that.

BEYOND THE SEA
Omega-3s are also available on dry land, the best plant source being flaxseeds, which are also high in fiber, protein, magnesium, iron, and potassium. A phytoestrogen, flaxseeds help balance estrogen in the body and protect against breast cancer. One to two tablespoons a day is all you need. Buy them ground or grind them fresh and sprinkle on your cereal or yogurt with a bit of dark honey (another enzyme-rich, virus-inhibiting power food), or add them to batter for pancakes, muffins, or breads.

Spinach, another source of plant-derived omega-3s, is a sort of land-based version of seaweed, at least in the healthy benefits it yields. It is mighty even among other power foods, all of which contain the good components of vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, which disarm the cell-damaging free radicals that accelerate the aging process. Leaf for leaf, spinach provides more nutrients than any other food and is chock-full of the compounds that help prevent wear and tear on skin cells. Try using it in place of lettuce on your sandwiches, or sauté it with a little olive oil and garlic.

When shopping for leafy greens, remember that, in general, the darker the green, the more antioxidant-intensive phytochemicals it has. The same rule usually applies across the color spectrum with other produce, so select the deepest, richest colors.

Whole Foods Assistant Team Leader Becca Butler advocates produce as a natural power source. photography by Elizabeth Lavin

BERRY BENEFICIAL
Providing a variety of colors and flavors, berries are about the best foods you can eat when it comes to antioxidants. In a USDA listing of the 20 foods with the highest antioxidant levels, berries and cherries took seven of the slots, so the next time you’re at the grocery store, you can pretty much pick a berry, any berry, and expect benefits. Phytochemical powerhouses, berries are packed with the flavonoids plants make to protect themselves against bacteria and viruses, and when we eat them, we, in effect, absorb those properties.

Try blending frozen blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries with nonfat evaporated milk to create a fat-free “ice cream,” or buy them fresh and layer with pudding for an easy parfait. To mix things up, toss fresh or dried cranberries or blueberries on your next savory salad
in place of the tried-and-true mandarin oranges.

PULP FRUITION
Not that there’s anything wrong with oranges. On the contrary, their vivid color is one of nature’s beacons alerting us that these bright foods are brimming with anti-carcinogenic vitamin C and beta-carotene, which promotes cell and tissue growth. Vitamin C’s ability to boost our defenses against colds and infections is well-documented; less known is that C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in our bodies, the first line of defense in the fight against free-radical damage. Research shows that pigments from orange, beta-carotene-rich foods—pumpkins, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and carrots—can build up in our skin and prevent damage from ultraviolet rays.

An easy way to add some of this orange power to your diet is to grate carrots into casseroles or meatloaf, or use pureed pumpkin to thicken soups. Canned pumpkin, while creamy, is still rich in fiber, low in calories, and loaded with nutrients. Sweet potatoes can be microwaved or mashed and make great baked “fries.”

Orange bell peppers are among the best vegetable sources of vitamin C, but red bell peppers are even better, providing three times as much vitamin C as oranges. Red tomatoes, meanwhile, teem with lycopene, another cancer-fighting antioxidant. Drizzle fresh slices with olive oil (choose the cold-pressed, extra-virgin variety, the least processed form of this preferred oil), because lycopene is best absorbed when eaten with a little fat. So powerful are tomatoes that they maintain their healthy properties even after being processed into salsa, paste, and ketchup. Surprisingly, though, red watermelon is an even richer source of lycopene than tomatoes.

HOLY GUACAMOLE
Watermelon’s cousin, the cantaloupe, is a vitamin C/beta-carotene powerhouse. Just half of this melon has about twice as much blood pressure-lowering potassium as a banana, as does the avocado, another power fruit extraordinaire. Nutritionally, the avocado leads all other fruits in beta carotene, and inside its alligator rind are other vitamins and minerals galore, plus a wealth of cholesterol-lowering oleic acid. Butler recommends mashing the avocado and using it as a spread in place of mayonnaise. For cantaloupe, try cutting one into cubes, freezing them, then blending into a delicious smoothie.

There are roughly as many more power foods as there are colors under the sun. Perhaps surprisingly, even dark chocolate possesses flavonoids that act as antioxidants and, while not on the USDA’s top 20 list, is counted in the power-food ranks. But before running out in search of Mr. Goodbar, remember that the chocolate needs a cocoa content of 70 percent or greater, so bitter is better. Green tea is superb for washing it down. Abounding with extremely potent antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, this power drink is thought to actually increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

As Butler rightly notes, once you know what you’re looking for, there’s no end to the fresh combinations you can choose to eat in a powerfully healthy way every day. Generally speaking, she says, “Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables (of all colors) into your daily routine as possible. Be sure your breads, cereals, etc. are made from whole grains. Try to consume meats that are low in saturated fats and fish high in essential fatty acids. And keep refined and processed food consumption to a minimum.”

But, she says, “Of course, none of this applies during that annual trip to the State Fair.”