The 3 Foods Everyone Should Have In Their Diet

While I am not someone who thinks of what I eat as 'diet' foods, nor do I obsess over how much fiber I have had; how many servings of fruits and veggies I have had; or how many calories I have consumed; I do believe that certain foods are essential to my nutrition.  On that list of foods are those that are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (aka MUFAs).

MUFAs have been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off, burn belly fat, reduce food intake, and much more.  The secret to why MUFAs are so great for us? They are healthy fats that can help with satiety.  Yep, HEALTHY fats.  Seems like an oxymoron, right?  These are cape-worthy super-fats that can help enhance heart health and protect against chronic disease.

MUFAs can:

• boost the number of calories burned within the first 5 hours after consuming a meal
• help you feel full on less calories, due to the natural fats contained in these foods
• help decrease body inflammation that can lead to co-morbid conditions, including heart disease and type II diabetes

So what should you add to your diet to ensure that you are taking advantage of these wonder fats?  Here are the Three Foods That Everyone Should Have In Their Diet

•  Nuts and nuts butters - people who ate peanut butter in their morning meal were less likely to binge late and remained fuller longer.  Nut butters are also some of the cheapest health foods on the market! Nuts are a wonder food due to the perfect combination of fat to fiber to protein. Try almond butter or almonds, which are higher in fiber than other nuts.  Add it to the power protein shake (on my site) or have it on some whole wheat toast.
• Olives and olive oil - People who ate olive oil had less inflammation in their bodies and controlled their hunger better than those who did not eat olive oil.  This wonder food is most often associated with the Mediterranean diet but olive oil can be used anywhere and on almost anything.  (think Rachel Ray, with her EVOO -extra virgin olive oil). I cook with it in almost all my recipes, so browse around for a recipe that catches your taste buds.
• Avocado - this amazing food can be found in guacamole, added to salads, used instead of butter for rich but mild flavor
• check out some of the recipes on my site, including the Mang-cado Summer Salmon and the Blue-n-Green Salad

For more information, stories, or Qs, please email me at lunchladycynthia@gmail.com