Top Ten Healthfoods for the New Decade

In this new decade, eating healthy no longer means choking down plain raw vegetables. In fact today's favorite fitness foods are spicy, full of interesting textures and more colorful than ever before! By adding a daily portion of these '10 Healthiest Foods' to your diet you can cut calories and fat and add flavor and interest to your meals.

Cilantro- Chop a handful of this spicy herb to add to a rice dish, salad, or pasta and reap the benefits of cilantro's ability to combat viral and bacterial infections, it's loaded with iron, magnesium and phytonutrients and has been known to aid in digestion and prevent flatulence!

Whole Grain Rice- High in fiber, wild or whole grain rice acts as a broom to sweep particles from your intestines and keep things running smoothly. Unlike hulled white rice, it is lower in carbohydrates but keeps the energy factor and adds bulk, which makes you feel fuller longer and helps you eat less!

Blueberries- Containing twice as many antioxidants as spinach and three times as much as oranges blueberries are cancer and age fighting bullets. The pectin in blueberries also helps lower cholesterol.

Papaya-Papaya is being hailed for its ability to rush food through the digestive system allowing for less absorption of fat and a cleaner intestinal tract. Papaya is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin E, lutein and lycopene.

Garlic- Long heralded for it's antiseptic effects garlic is now being shown to work as a diuretic, laxative and cough suppressant. Taking a fresh clove of garlic every day can help you guard against many diseases.

Pinto Beans-These inexpensive and often overlooked legumes contain folate, which protects against heart disease and reduces the risk of birth defects. Pinto beans are high in fiber and are delicious in soup, salad, and many Southwest favorites.

Cinnamon-Cinnamon adds oomph to tea, cereal and yogurt, is believed to improve energy, vitality, and circulation. It can be used for flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, and to relieve painful menstrual periods.

Bok Choy-Packed with vitamins but low in calories Bok Choy is a Chinese favorite for far more than egg rolls. Chop some into soup or stir fry and reap the benefits of its rich supply of folic acid, beta carotene and potassium.

Lentils- Lentils are low in calories, fat and cholesterol and high in protein and iron making them a top choice as a diet food. They are also inexpensive, quick to cook and versatile- a well kept secret as a perfect health food.

Ginger-Ginger quells queasiness, wards off migraines and arthritis pain and is very low in calories. Grated into a soup, a cup or tea or onto a salad it adds lots of flavor without adding to your waistline.