If you could only eat 5 foods for the rest of your life, what would YOU choose?  Assuming you have unlimited access to clean drinkable water, which foods would make your list?  I have made some serious changes to my eating habits and in doing so have noticed a trend emerge.  I know it sounds boring, but I tend to eat the same foods over and over again.  It’s not just because I watch my weight, I actually like these foods and choose them over other options.

[Whether their physiological effects are superior to other foods no one knows for sure, but these 5 foods have changed my life for forever!....]

Here Are My Top 5 Power Foods.  

1.  Avocados

I hated avocados, until I tried them in a different form.  Being considered the worlds healthiest fruit makes it difficult to keep this green giant off of my plate.  A significant source of vitamin C, K, B6, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid and copper make avocados a powerhouse of a fruit.  Unfortunately we get hung up on numbers, especially calories from FAT, which could be enough to scare us from eating avocados.  Although an average avocado can pack up to 35 grams of fat, most of that is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels.   Check out this shake to try avocados in a new and exciting way!

 2.  Dark Chocolate

I’m not sure I would have lost 50lbs if it wasn’t for my daily dose of dark chocolate.  Besides giving me something to look forward to, dark chocolate has tremendous health benefits.  In addition to containing oleic acid as a cholesterol reducer, dark chocolate can enhance your mood by stimulating endorphin production!  Not only does it taste good, it provides antioxidants which work to eradicate free radicals (cancer causing agents).  How can anyone say “no” to a food that can lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, decrease our risk of cancer, and still tastes good?  You can’t!  So eat it.  Just be sure to select chocolate with a high cocoa content (e.g. 70% and up).

3.  Chicken

This isn’t really a new food in my diet, just one that I consume more often.  I love chicken because you can do so many different things with it.  Chicken breasts are easy to prepare.  You can bake, broil, fry, and grill it, making it extremely versatile.  I will not go on about the benefits, but if I only had 5 foods to survive on I would want this protein source!  I am not totally converted to organic or free range products mainly because of convenience purposes, but I try to buy local, organic, free range chicken when possible as I strongly believe they are healthiest. 

4.  Coconut Milk

Until last year I had never sipped coconut milk.  When I decided to abandon most dairy products my desire for milk needed to be satisfied.  I now consume coconut milk in foods, and protein shakes.  The health benefits include, improved immune function, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents.  While it is high in saturated fats it has unique short and medium chain fatty acids that our body likes to utilize for energy, meaning it is a great agent for weight loss (it was for me).  You can find coconut milk in most ethnic food sections of the grocery store, but I became tired of purchasing it and have learned how to produce it myself.  As you can tell I am into low budget cooking so I will post a video on how to produce your own coconut milk on the cheap! 

5.  Peppers

Alas, a vegetable makes the list.  I have always enjoyed peppers, especially green ones.  In the last year I have made a greater effort to include them in my diet intentionally.  The benefits of most vegetables are obvious, but some of the lesser known benefits of peppers make them special.  Peppers have been linked to decreased inflammation that contributes to conditions such as asthma and arthritis.  Since I have been an asthma sufferer for the majority of my life, I figure it would be wise to chose foods with anti-inflammatory capabilities and this is why the pepper is my favorite veggie!

OK, if I had to make it a top 10 I would include;

• Eggs
• Bacon
• Asparagus
• Beef
• Squash

 What are your top 5?