Fabulous four: Why you need these foods in your diet
Improving your diet doesn’t require a major lifestyle overhaul. In fact, just four super-performing plant-based foods can do the trick.
A new year often inspires a mind and body reset and for many that also includes improving their diets.
Nutrition and dietetics Professor Clare Collins from the University of Newcastle told House of Wellness radio four key ingredients quickly and easily improve our eating habits.
“The four foods everyone should have on their weekly grocery list can all be found in the supermarket, and they consist of tomatoes, pumpkin, rolled oats and mushrooms,” Prof Collins told hosts Jo Stanley, Luke Hines and Gerald Quigley.
“While that list could be longer, these four items are easy to find, versatile and packed with powerful nutrients.”
What makes these four ingredients special?
According to Prof Collins, a recent study followed half a million people for up to 25 years and found people with a rich plant-based diet were less likely to die from any cause and were also much less likely to get heart disease.
“The science behind why these foods keep you healthy is absolutely fascinating,” she says.
- Dietitian’s tick: Foods you should put in your trolley
Why tomatoes are top-performers
What Prof Collins loves most about tomatoes is the variety of ways they can be cooked and enjoyed.
“Whether you’re buying cherry varieties or ones that are on special and need to be cooked straight away or even tomato paste or canned tomatoes – no matter what way you consume them, you’re still consuming high amounts of lycopene found in this vegetable,” she explains.
“Lycopene is a nutrient that seems to be super active and beneficial to your heart, blood pressure and prostate.”
Why rolled oats rock
Not only a breakfast staple, rolled oats can play a major role in lowering your blood pressure, according to Prof Collins.
“This comes down to the glucan found in rolled oats and, incidentally, there’s a small amount of glucan in mushrooms as well,” she says.
“It acts like a giant sponge, pulling out some of the products that high cholesterol is made from and helps to lower that.
“Other fibre-rich foods like beans can also have this effect.”
Managing cholesterol is important to maintain overall health.
“When it comes to cholesterol, even if you’re on a statin diet, it’s still very important because for some people, their genetics puts them very at risk for high cholesterol and heart disease, and you can usually find that out by looking at your relatives and what they’ve passed away from,” Prof Collins says.
- Get on a roll: Healthy muesli bars
The might of mushrooms
According to Prof Collins, mushrooms have a similar effect to rolled oats when it comes to lowering blood pressure.
“It contains this amino acid called ergothioneine and it’s spotlighted in research at the moment because it is a super powerful antioxidant,” she says.
“It can seek out the source of the problem concerning your blood pressure and effectively neutralise it.
“When you look at the studies, the biggest mushroom eaters have a 34 per cent lower chance of dying from cancer, including breast cancer.
“But what I found most interesting was that what was considered a ‘high mushroom eater’ was the equivalent of eating one button mushroom a day.”
- The magic of mushrooms: Why you should get into fungi
The power of pumpkin
High in beta-carotene, pumpkin is nutritious and boasts an extensive shelf life.
“Pumpkin is another veggie that sells itself on versatility, and while it’s not considered a traditional breakfast ingredient, simply cubing it and adding it to an omelette is a simple way to make it more breakfast friendly,” Prof Collins says.
“If you don’t like pumpkin, carrots are another option as they’re high in beta-carotene and again are super versatile.”
For more expert diet and healthy living advice, tune into House of Wellness radio, Sunday mornings at 8am on Nine Radio.
Written by Charlotte Brundrett.
