In February of 2006, I spent three hours in my Doctor’s office undergoing a blood glucose tolerance test.   I had previously been in for a routine visit and my blood sugar level had been over 300 mg/dl.  Just for clarification sake, a normal reading should be between 80 mg/dl and 120 mg/dl (some say 120 is actually a bit high).  So, you can see mine was incredibly high and this meant that, in all likelihood, I had Type 2 Diabetes. 

The blood glucose test was really only a formality to prove what we already knew.  I was a shade over 300 lbs, ate like crap and didn’t exercise.   It was really a no-brainer.  Still, they sent off my blood to the lab…all 8 vials of it.  One drawn from each arm every hour after I drank the closest thing to pure sugar I’d ever had.  It didn’t take long to get the results.  My blood was, as suspected, only a shade away from being a syrup you could put on pancakes.  Ok, sorry for the visual but there was a lot of sugar in my blood.

Over the past four weeks, in an effort to break through a fat loss plateau, I endeavored into the world of low carb dieting via the Men’s Health TNT Diet.  I’ve dabbled in the low carb world a few years back.  I tried the Atkins diet back in the “day” (the 300 lb day).  I made it one week BUT that was the longest I’d actually stuck to any diet.  That at least gave me something to hang my hat on.

You may or may not be familiar with the theory behind low carb dieting so I will attempt to explain it in plain English…or at least in my Georgia version of plain English.  Your body has a pecking order for burning calories.   Before it will turn to burning fat, it will first turn to your “glycogen stores”.  Your body essentially does three things when you consume carbohydrates: 1.) it burns them immediately for fuel  2.) it stores them as glycogen in your liver and muscles or 3.) if the glycogen stores are full, it is stored in your fat cells.

I’ve written a couple of posts on my super foods so, in the sense of being fair and balanced, I thought I’d write one from the other end of the spectrum.  This list (and data) is courtesy of Men’s Health but the commentary is all mine.

Going out to eat and eating healthy is an extremely difficult thing to do if you aren’t prepared.  You really don’t know what ingredients they are using in their recipes.  Some of the menu selections sure sound harmless enough, right?  Maybe this list will be an eye opener and will help you make smart decisions.  Be prepared to be shocked and awed.

This is part 2 in my series on my personal favorite super foods.  You can check out part 1 HERE.  As I explained in part 1, to make it on my list the food must provide an overall positive health benefit…whether that benefit is disease fighting, muscle building, or metabolism boosting.

So, without further ado, here is part 2!  That rhyme was completely unintentional. 

6.  Eggs

I actually can’t believe I left eggs off of my first list!  Experts have gone from telling you to not eat egg yolks due to the cholesterol to encouraging the consumption of egg yolks because it is jam packed full of nutrients.  It is so rich in nutrients that some feel its benefits outweigh the drawbacks of the high cholesterol.  In conjunction with the egg white which contains the only protein (albumen) that is absorbed into your system immediately with a 100% absorption rate, it makes for almost the perfect food!

There are so many super foods on my list that I’ve decided to make this the first installment in a series.  My plan is to do one of these weekly and I promise that I will do my best to follow through! 

First, let me tell you what I consider a ’super food’.  Quite simply, to make it on my list, the food must provide an overall positive health benefit…whether that benefit is disease fighting, muscle building, or metabolism boosting.  The traditional definition of a ’super food’ is one that contains phytochemical nutrients.  It’s a big word that really just means a nutrient that may positively effect health.  It is a bit more complicated than that so if you really want to know more you can just click that link.

Without further ado, here is part 1 of my Super Food list.

1.)  Salmon

I will start by saying that I absolutely love salmon.  It would actually be one of my favorite foods even without any of the associated health benefits.  Salmon is a great source of quality lean protein and Omega-3 fats (good fats).  Additionally, a 4 oz piece of wild salmon contains a full day’s requirement of Vitamin D as well a half day’s requirement of a number of other important nutrients.  Many people immediately dismiss salmon because they don’t like the taste of fish.  Salmon is not a ‘fishy’ fish and many people that normally don’t eat fish will eat salmon.  All I can say is give it a try!  You may just like it.

2.)  Avocados

Avocados are actually considered a fruit.  It’s native to South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico.  What makes them so healthy?  I’m glad you asked.  Avocados contain oleic acid which is a monounsaturated fat.  Recent studies have suggested that oleic acid helps lower your overall cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol), raise your HDL (good cholesterol), and lower your triglyceride level.  All that and it tastes good!

3.)  Almonds

So much goodness packed in such a little nut.  The questions isn’t what are the benefits of almonds but, rather, what aren’t the benefit of almonds?  Well, I don’t think it can make your coffee in the morning but the research is still out on that.  Almonds have a high protein content and are low in carbohydrates.  It also has a very high monounsaturated fat content which studies have shown to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer.  For you vegetarians that don’t consume dairy products, almonds also contain a large amount of calcium.  In fact, more than any other nut! 

4.)  Jalapeno Peppers

I chose Jalapeno peppers, and not another type of hot pepper, because, well, I like them best and I’m writing this article.  Hot peppers, such as the Jalapeno, have been shown to aid in weight loss when consumed at breakfast and after a high-fat meal.  Hot peppers contain capsaicinwhich researchers think is what causes the appetite suppression associated with hot pepper consumption although this hasn’t been proven.  The theory is that it increases activity in the sympathetic nervous system which boosts your metabolism.  This combo suppresses your appetite.  On top of all that, they are cheap and easy to prepare!

5.)  Quinoa

Quinoa is actually pronounced ‘Keen-Wah’.  Yeah, that one threw me for a loop at first, too.  The most amazing thing to me about quinoa is that it is a complete protein source.  This means it contains all 9 essential amino acids your body requires to build muscle.  Not only that but it is also a significant source of fiber, manganese, magnesium and copper (among other health beneficial nutrients).  I will admit that I was skeptical when I first tried quinoa.  It really kind of looks like bird feed in its raw form.  However, once I a couple of quinoa recipes on the web, it became a staple.  Unfortunately for me, I’m currently on a low-carb diet and am having to lay off of it for a while.  

Ok, that’s it for the first installment of Dave’s Super Foods.  As I said in the beginning, I’m going to add more to this list weekly so stay tuned!  I would love to hear some of your power foods.  Feel free to leave them in the comments below.