I’m big on simple things:  simple foods that I can pronounce, find in the store, and use in regular old recipes.  Simple fun with my family.  Simply enjoying dinner.  Most of the time I complicate things unnecessarily, but I do appreciate the simple.  I appreciate having a simple list of foods that are able to help my body stay healthy in a variety of different ways. The Super Foods at Kitchen Stewardship fit the bill just right.

Here is the second installment of the Super Foods Break Down:

(You can view the first here.)

Scan the list below for the health issues you’re most interested in.  The link for each food will take you to its Food for Thought, which goes deeper into the health benefits and sometimes shares recipes and/or preparation and storage tips.  Also check out the Super Foods list, print a copy for your fridge, and make a concerted effort to include more of them in your weekly routine.

This is a sad list of diseases I never want to deal with…so you can help reduce your risk by eating the following Super Foods:

May prevent Alzheimers

• cabbage

Reduces high cholesterol

• yogurt
• oats
• sunflower seeds
• wild salmon, walnuts and flax

Lowers LDL

• beans
• yogurt
• tomatoes
• olive oil, peanut butter, avocado
• cinnamon
  

Raises HDL

• yogurt
• honey
• Note:  my husband struggles with low HDL and I KNOW there are more foods that are supposed to help raise HDL.  What do you know?

Lowers high triglycerides

• garlic
• onions

Reduces risk of heart disease

• beans
• eggs
• sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots
• oats
• wild salmon, walnuts and flax
• spinach
  
• tomatoes
  
• broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage
• garlic
• onions
• turkey
• oranges

Good for diabetics

• beans
• tomatoes
• oats
  
• garlic
• olive oil, peanut butter, avocado
• wild salmon, walnuts and flax
• turkey
• cinnamon, honey (somewhat debatable)
  
• spinach

Reduces risk of cancer (full of antioxidants)

• beans
• yogurt (colorectal)
• eggs (breast)
• tomatoes
  
• broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage
• garlic
• onions
• hot peppers
• walnuts and almonds
• blueberries
• turkey
• all Super Fruits
• sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots
• spinach
  
• oranges
• wild salmon, walnuts and flax (colon, prostate and breast)
• olive oil, peanut butter, avocado
• honey, dark chocolate

Of course, the disclaimer for all this is that I’m just a mom, not a doctor or even a nutritionist.  The Internet told me this, and it can tell you, too.  Make sure you don’t make any medical decisions based on the information here, just ask medical questions of your doctor.

In the next post here:

• osteoporosis
• IBD
• high blood pressure
• thyroid health
• eczema
• allergies
• asthma
• arthritis
• depression
• ADHD
• menstrual pain/menopause/yeast infections
• age-related memory loss

Tomorrow is the last section of this compilation, culminating with the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods.  It’s a Super Foods Fest of recipes this week!  If you have a recipe that includes two or more Super Foods from the list under the tab in the top menu bar or one that highlights a particular super food, please share in the comments or link to your blog post. My recipe has NINE Super Foods, sometimes more.  My second entry is the one-bowl pumpkin muffins from yesterday with THREE super foods.

EXCITING UPDATE:  Get an extra entry to win a Nina Planck book for entering the carnival!

Let’s load up on the healthy foods as we head into hibernation (I wish!) for the winter.  Find over 60 bean/legume recipes and lots of ways to use broth at the past two weeks’ carnivals, then look forward to the “Un-Processed” foods and Healthy Fats themes (and you can win some healthy ingredients for participating the last two weeks).  I’m looking forward to building some great resources!

Don’t miss the carnival!  Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.