You Should Create a “75 Favorite Healthy Foods” Master List
1st, a special announcement….
We’ve been working hard on an eBook we’re creating called Organized Eating. I say we because my fiancé Nate has volunteered to occasionally help write for the blog (this blog!). Nate reads a ton and has a killer memory and therefore probably knows as much about healthy eating as me. So welcome him aboard as an occasional writer and at the very least contributor/editor/moral supporter!
Anyways, back to Organized Eating….
We’ve been hard at work creating this eBook that has the potential to help a lot of people save time and eat better. The eBook will be released sometime in the next few months and it will be absolutely free, no e-mail sign-up or anything will be required. Its going to be AWESOME my friends!
While putting together a section of the book about strategic meal planning, we decided to make a list of our ultimate favorite healthy foods. We posed the question: “If we could eat/drink nothing else for the rest of our lives besides 75 things, what would they be?” AND…here’s the catch…they must be considered healthy (by someones definition at least).
I have posted the results below and I encourage you to create a list of your own. Sit down and write it with the people you cook for- trying to shoot for 75 items. It’s a great list to have on hand as a personal resource; use it as your base of reference when you sit down to plan meals. Or take it to the grocery store and buy lots of stuff off it - try to eat it all before anything goes bad (using common sense!).
Here is our list (excluding herbs & seasonings):
- carrots
- milk (soy or reg)
- cantaloupe
- tuna (troll or pole caught only, from US or B.C.)
- wild salmon
- sardines
- grass-fed beef
- Sriracha sauce
- quinoa
- brown rice
- tamari
- chicken
- lamb
- romaine lettuce
- turkey
- hazelnuts
- onion
- eggs
- yogurt
- butter
- extra virgin olive oil
- cheese
- parsnips
- spinach
- tomatoes
- strawberries
- blueberries
- avocado
- garlic
- shallots
- almonds (and processed for almond butter/milk)
- banana
- potato/sweet potatoes
- chia seeds
- black beans
- coconut/coconut water
- walnuts
- pinto beans
- whole oats/oatmeal
- kale
- kombucha
- tea
- coffee
- beets
- oranges
- grapefruit
- blackberries
- raspberries
- dark chocolate
- lentils
- chickpeas
- pine nuts
- sweet peppers
- hot peppers
- sunflower seeds
- sun-dried tomatoes
- pistachios
- coconut oil
- whole-wheat bread (esp sprouted!)
- grapes
- beer
- cherries
- red wine
- asparagus
- green beans
- watermelon
- artichokes
- cucumber
- pears
- pluots
- honey
- squash
- celery
- red snapper
- dates
(notice how we cleverly said the all inclusive “squash” instead of zuke, butternut, or pumpkin. You can find clever ways to cheat on the 75 things limit too if you want)
I know I’m going to remember some favorites that I left off here, so don’t hold me to this list forever. You can look at updated versions whenever you want at https://healthyeatingroadmap.com/favoritefoodslist/. Feel free to try and talk me into adding something to my list if you want, but make sure to also mention what I should remove in the process! (haha, tricky stuff right!)
###updated 4/22 – since I first ran this piece, I have removed celery and cucumber and added water and broccoli (thanks Jess).
So, are you considering making a list? Think your family’s input will give you greater confidence to cook for that picky kid/husband/wife of yours? Do you think it would make meal-planning easier for you? Tell us in the comments.
It would be really fun if you created your own list and blogged about it! If you do, give us your link in the comments so we can check it out.
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