Superfoods checklist

One of the support groups on the T-Tapp web forums is challenging ourselves to eat more "superfoods" for the next six weeks. We took a couple of the superfoods lists and mashed them together and reorganized them, then I turned them into a PDF. The challenge is to eat two servings from each of the categories every week. If you want to play along, download the list and jump in.

Download superfoods_chart.pdf

(If you want to mess around with the chart and add your own columns, here's the Excel version.)

Download superfoods_chart.xls

Comments

[attiton]

I really like the columns labeled, "I ate it!" It seems both encouraging and exciting all at the same time!

[Moxie]

That's what I was trying for, plus maybe a little bit of Fear Factor.

[paola]

Well it seems like I'm doing well as I already eat about 95 % of what's on the list a few times a week. Except the stuff that could kill me naturally (nuts, buckwheat). Will see what I can do with the remaining 5% Thanks

[Jill in Atlanta]

I'm pretty good at eating some of them (like, say, the dark chocolate) but can't quite see myself indulging in algae.

[Moxie]

The way to eat the algae is to not eat it, but get greens powder (from the same category) and hide that in a smoothie.

[michelle]

Oh man! Am I crazy? I think I might be. I'm really freaked out about the BPA in canned goods. I used to eat lots of canned beans and canned tomatoes and was thinking some of these were superfoods (and they are on the list- but I guess you are supposed to use dried/fresh)?

[cynthia]

I'm with the above posters. I'm down with 90% of the program, but can't quite get past the algae. Not a big fan of sprouts either.

[Sherry H.]

thank you for the list! i've had breakfast and lunch and so far i've acculumated 8 checkmarks. can't wait to see how the week stacks up. and it prompts me to go re-buy some blue/green algae pills.

[Sherry H.]

that would be accuMuLated. you know what i mean.

[m]

Michelle, we eat tonnes of beans. We buy them in bulk dried and it saves soooo much money and BPA-free. I was intimated at first, but really easy. Now I make up big batches and freeze them.

Thanks to the organic box we get weekly, I think we too eat about 90% of these regularly. I'm also going to pass on the algae, though! Thanks for posting this, Moxie.

[Kristie]

Dark Chocolate? check. check.

As for the rest, I'll keep working.

[Caroline]

Michelle, you can also get "canned" tomatoes in the paper box -- soy milk style.

And I've seen beans in glass jars, although expensive. I think I'll go back to dried, too. Never thought of freezing them. Thanks, M.

[Caroline]

Just wondering, why are the cherries in the "berries" list? Aren't they just little pitted fruits? Or is it a pigment/antioxidant thing that boosts it into the berry realm?

It's kind of funny, actually, as my 4 year old is having a big cherries/berries confusion these days, too. On a slightly different level.

[paola]

@Caroline.

My 3.5 year old too. Funny that. I thought he was really talking about berries and then he started crying when he saw all the 'berries' had been picked form the cherry tree and there were no 'berries' left for him to eat.

[Kate]

Re: canned beans, I read somewhere (Nutrition Action Healthletter?--although there are links all over if you google "Eden BPA free") that Eden Organics uses something in their cans that does not have/release BPAs. (Tomatoes have too much acid, though, to line with BPA-free materials.)

[SarcastiCarrie]

Is the green papery wrap on a sushi roll aglae or is it seaweed? Does that count? I loves me some sushi. If I get the right kind of roll, I can do fish, seaeed, sesame seeds, avocado, maybe a little bit of cucumber and carrot (just a teensy bit but every bit counts!), perhaps some tofu, and wasabi. Wasabi must be good for you in the onions/garlic sense.

[michaela]

Good god, how have I missed the fact that there is BPA in canned foods?? I replaced all our Nalgenes, ditched the tupperware... oy. One more thing to add to the to-do list, and more money to spend at Whole Foods.

[Amanda]

Seriously? No canned beans now too? Oy!

I'm totally down with the dark chocolate and once the cool fall weather hits you can count me in on the orange veggies. I love squash but for some reason can't eat it when it's hot outside. Weird, I know.

Algae not so much, and I must say I'm having a tough time these days with everyone pushing the nuts and soy, I'm highly allergic to both!

[rudyinparis]

I know--I had been sticking my fingers in my ears and singing la-la-la about the whole canned beans thing. Cripes. Can't be denied any longer. To dried beans I go. When, oh when, will I get my award for conscientious mothering?

[SarcastiCarrie]

rudyinparis - I believe there is a template in Word for that award. You have to print it out yourself (you know, because you're Mom) but someone should be able to color it for you.

[rudyinparis]

I have to print it out myself! Oh my God, that's perfect.

[Moxie]

You guys are clearly the funniest people on the internet. Award template. Heh.

Caroline, I'll put the cherries on the "pitted fruits" list for version 2.0 in six weeks. Good catch.

[shirky]

taxonomically speaking, seaweed is a type of algae, I don't know if that means it counts as Special Health Food Diet Algae or what.

[Anonymous]

This is a lovely list of good foods to eat, and I like the attitude of the "I ate it!" boxes. At the same time, there are some things on here that I just won't be eating every week. Eating is different (in a pleasurable way, not an over-bearing conscience way) when you've made the commitment to in-season, mostly local food. I think the health (and potential cultural) benefits are persuasive, as well.

[anon, but a *funny* anon]

1978 called, it wants its diet fads back.

[Tsubaki]

The trick to cooking and eating a lot of dried beans, I think, is using a slow-cooker. If you're a meat-eater, you can drop them in with some pork shoulder and spices for delicious pork and beans. Very cheap, and so easy to make because you don't have to chop anything (my 7-month old doesn't tolerate involved cooking)

[Anonymous...]

Tsubaki, if you slow cook beans, dont you still have to soak them first? This is what has always steered me away from dried Legumes. I have tonnes in the cupboard, but I can never time/plan the soaking right.

[Hey]

No Avocado??? Really?

[Rebecca]

You don't have to soak beans at all. You CAN just cook them hard. However soaking does tend to help the beans cook evenly. You can throw the beans in a bowl of water in the am and cook them when you get home. I plan for 2 hours and it usually takes less time. Beans are super easy. Throw them in a pot with a couple of bay leaves, I salt mostly at the end. You can put in onions or garlic at the beginning. I could go on and on (we eat a lot of beans around here).

There are a couple of companies that have removed the BPA coating in their cans. Most haven't.

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