Caren Jablonsky's Favorite Foods

I'm sure that you've probably seen the lists that come out every so often about what the premiere foods for optimum health are at any given moment. There are, in fact, many foods that appear time and time again.  I happen to eat a high percentage of these nutritional powerhouses on a daily to weekly basis. The ingredients that the foods have in common are known disease fighting properties, such as antioxidants and essential fatty acids, in addition to various vitamins such as C and D.
The first food that comes to mind are a couple of varieties of fish; salmon and sardines.  Salmon, especially wild caught, is high in omega 3-6-9 fatty acids; excellent nutrients for healthy brain function. Sardines are high in essential fatty acids as well as calcium.  Another non-fish food which is high in healthy fat is the delicious avocado.
Next comes one of my favorite groups of food; berries, such as blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry. The antioxidants are abundant in this luscious summer fruits, as is Vitamin C. Of course, citrus is another great source of Vitamin C.  Fiber is another great reason to load up on the berries and fruit in general. The saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" does have its merit, given the fact apples are another great source of fiber. As mentioned in my previous blog regarding pomegranates, they too are antioxidant superstars.
I'm nuts about nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, in their unadulterated raw form.  They are great sources of vegetarian protein and essential fatty acids.
Have you ever had Greek yogurt (in particular, Fage?) This brand is quite high in protein. In fact, a 6 oz. serving of the 0% fat variety contains only 100 calories, and 18 grams of protein as well as 20% of the RDA of calcium! Quite impressive.  The other brands, which are mixed with fruit and added sugar, have much less protein per serving.

Caren Jablonsky Loves Pomegranates!

I've often considered myself intuitive as an adult; perhaps, though, I was intuitive as a child as well. Case in point, pomegranates. One of my favorite activities throughout autumn was to go across the street to an alleyway where there was a pomegranate tree with abundant fruit.  A group of us kids would take a break from kickball to retrieve some of the red, cylindrical orbs which hung like Christmas ornaments.  We would sit in a circle, patiently peeling away the outer skin, to get to the inner skin, which engulfed the arils.  Arils are the juice filled sacs which encase the seeds.

Sometimes I would eat one section at a time; other times I would practice delayed gratification and collect all of the arils in a bowl to be eaten at once, after the whole dissection process had been completed. This was quite a fulfilling accomplishment!  As it turns out, pomegranates are one of the healthiest fruits out there.  According to the USDA: Nutrition Information for Raw Pomegranates, one serving (1/2 cup) of arils has only 70 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber (that's 14% of the RDA).  In addition, pomegranates are high in Vitamin C and potassium.  This fruit is also known for its high content of antioxidant polyphenols-tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid.  

As you may have noticed in stores, not only can you buy the whole fruits; now pomegranate juice has become quite popular as well.  I believe Pom was the first company to jump on the bandwagon to better health courtesy of the pomegranate. Many people are now drinking the concentrated form of this antioxidant powerhouse in order to help in lowering blood pressure. In fact, the results can be so remarkable, that care needs to be taken if a blood pressure lowering medication is also being used.

Now's the time to enjoy this wholesome fruit!  Happy Autumn and, happy peeling!