Utility Foods for Special Purposes

I picked up Michael Anuzis’ Top 8 High-Utility Foods via this week’s Healthy Eating, Dieting & Fitness Blog Carnival. I like the way he used the phrase, “high-utility” and “for special purposes” to introduce and entry about functional foods… or mostly functional foods, at least. The miso, rice ball and carbs don’t count, unless they’re fortified.

The other 5 on his list:

1. Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi), whose by-product, bainiku-ekisu, may help in preventing the onset of cardiac disease

2. Raw oats, blueberry muesli, & soymilk : an ideal breakfast, providing you fiber, some antioxidants and a bit of protein, repectively

3. Raw garlic, but like I mentioned previously, there might be a less embarassing alternative.

4. Caffeine: I’ve written an entry before detailing the benefits of coffee, also in cognitive decline, and a number of entries on tea. Take your pick. Michael prefers tea; I’m a coffee-junkie.

5. Mackerel/Yellowtail: highly valued for their high DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) content, not only are fatty fish considered brain food, they have also been demonstrated to reduce risks of prostate, renal, and breast cancers.

See Michael’s complete post here.

Incidentally, while browsing on Amazon, I chanced upon this book: SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health. It’s got 85 customer reviews at this point, and the average rating is 5 stars, the maximum. Wow, I’m gonna get me one!