It’s 2018: Five Foods to Ditch, and Five to Embrace

Five Foods to Start Eating

Teff
Teff is an ancient grain from east Africa, Ethiopia to be specific. It has a mild, nutty flavor and is a good source of iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Try teff in porridge or stew, or by itself.

Lentil Pasta
Get your protein from nutritious legumes. Lentil pasta cooks and tastes like regular pasta.

Kefir
This cultured, fermented milk drink has excellent probiotic qualities to improve your gut microbiome. It tastes sour and tart. Make it yourself, or find a variety with little added sugar.

Swiss Chard
A great source of vitamin A, C, and K, sauté up some swiss chard for a nutritious side dish.

Beet Greens
Beet greens have some great mineral content, like calcium, magnesium and potassium. Use them in smoothies, salads or sauté them.

Five Foods to Stop Eating

Processed Lunch Meat
Sure it’s cheap and you’re used to it, but the wonky ingredients make flabby lunch meat something to avoid. Make sandwiches from real meat.

Sugar Heavy Granola Bars
Many popular granola bars are pretty much candy bars, sugary substances as the adhesive that holds the bar together. Go for bars with only a few ingredients.

Frozen Diet Meals
They cost too much and aren’t that healthy.

Fat-Free or Low-Fat Milk
Research shows that people who consume full-fat dairy are actually less likely to be overweight than those who consume low-fat dairy. This may be because dairy fat helps us feel full. Low-fat milk also sometimes has added sugar.

Fruit On the Bottom Yogurt
Again, the problem here is sugar. Yogurt can be healthy, but most of it has a tremendous amount of added sugar.