The 7 Best Foods We Never Eat

Stuck in a food rut? You don't have to go far to find some overlooked food choices that are easy to prepare, pack a nutritional wallop and avoid unhealthy fats.

We asked two veteran nutritionists to help us identify seven great foods most of us skip. Our consultants: American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Cindy Moore, R.D., of the Cleveland Foundation; and Institute of Food Technologists spokeswoman Christina Stark, R.D., of Cornell University.

Avocado
The avocado is high in fat, but most of the fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind. We know the avocado tastes great, but outside of an occasional guacamole dip, few of us reach for this high-fiber food for salads or as a great side dish.

You'll also get protein, a good dose of vitamins A and E, some B vitamins, lots of potassium and a dollop of copper. The rich and creamy avocado has been called the "chocolate" of fruits.

Sweet potato
At Thanksgiving, we dash for sweet potatoes as if they're available just once a year. But you can bake or microwave these tubers anytime for a super dose of vitamin A — five times the daily value (DV) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends.

Sweet potatoes also offer some vitamin C and a significant helping of important minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron. And this tasty fat-free combo of nutrients brightens your plate.

Soybeans
The FDA recently added soy to the list of foods that can make health claims because of its value in reducing the risk of heart disease. Soy is high in protein — one cup of beans can fill 40 percent of the DV for protein — and the bean also serves up generous helpings of fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. How you eat this versatile food is up to you — cooked and mixed in salads or casseroles, roasted for snacks, or in tofu, or soy milk. Soy has some fat, but very little saturated fat.

The use of soy products to treat symptoms of menopause is controversial. While it may improve symptoms for some women, the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) that may help relieve hot flashes may also increase the risk of breast cancer.

Dried figs
Tasty as are, figs stand on their own. They provide high-fiber, topped with some B vitamins and iron, finished off with abundant potassium and calcium. Five figs give you as much calcium as half a glass of milk.

What to do with a fig? Pop a few in your mouth, sneak them into casseroles or replace raisins with them in a salad.

Lentils
We never think of this legume unless it's in our soup. But put lentils in rice or casseroles and you've added one of the highest-protein and highest-fiber foods around.

A cup of lentils supplies about 40 percent of the DV for protein and about 65 percent of the DV for fiber. The lentil is high in potassium, calcium and iron, and a good source of B vitamins, phosphorus and copper. The fat content? Zero.

Kale
Dark, leafy green vegetables are an acquired taste. Maybe now's the time to see if your taste buds have matured to accommodate this no-fat, low-calorie, super-high-vitamin-A food.

One cup of kale (boiled, but not overcooked) gives you double the DV for vitamin A. You'll also get some vitamin C, a small amount of B vitamins and a generous amount of calcium. Look for kale's healthy but ignored cousins: Swiss chard, and collards.

Barley
Here's another soup secret we tend to forget despite its claim to protein, fiber, potassium, phosphorus and iron. One cup supplies 25 percent of the DV for fiber.

Eat pearled barley as a side dish instead of rice, use it for a hearty casserole, or boil it to create a unique base for a stir-fry meal. And look at the high nutritional content of some other forgotten but powerful grains, like quinoa and amaranth.

您是否为一层不变的食品而感到苦恼？其实您并不需要费太多功夫去找那些被忽略的，容易准备的食物，并担心着食品的营养和对身体不利的因素。

我们咨询了两位资深的营养学家。他们帮助我们找到了7种大部分人都忽略的健康食物。这两位顾问是：美国营养协会发言人以及克利夫兰诊所基金会的研发工程师:辛蒂.摩尔；和食品技术机构的发言人以及康奈尔大学的研发工程师：克里斯汀那.斯达克。

牛油果

牛油果蕴含了大量的脂肪，但是大部分的脂肪是对心脏有利的单不饱和种类。我们知道牛油果的味道非常好，但是人们除了偶尔的品尝墨西哥式酪梨酱，很少有人尝试用这种高纤维的食品制作的色拉；也很少有人将其做为副菜食用。

您还能从牛油果中得到蛋白质，相当剂量的维他命A和E, 一些维生素B, 丰富的钾和一些铜。 因此口味浓厚的牛油果被称之为水果中的“巧克力”。

红薯

在感恩节，我们会制作红薯食品，似乎他们一年只有这一次可以被食用。但是其实，我们随时都可以烘烤，或者用微波炉烘焙来食用这种茎块食物，以获取丰富的维生素A，其剂量是美国食品药物管理局所建议的每天食用剂量的5倍。

红薯还提供了维生素C和重要的矿物质，比如钙，磷，钾，镁和铁元素。总之，这种好吃的，又不含脂肪的健康食品会大大丰富您的饭桌。

大豆

美国食品药物管理局最近将大豆添加到健康食品的名单中，并且宣称，原因是大豆的价值在于减低得心脏病得风险。大豆蕴含大量得蛋白质－－1杯大豆可以满足1天对蛋白质需要量的40%。并且，大豆还可提供大量的纤维，钙，钾，铁，磷和镁等元素。如何食用这种全能食物当然取决于您。您可以将其放在色拉里，或者做成砂锅菜，您也可以烤着当零食吃，或者做成豆腐，豆豉或者豆浆。大豆含有一些脂肪，但是仅有一点点的饱和脂肪。

用大豆类制品来治疗更年期疾病依然存有争议，因为它们使一些妇女的病情加重。原因是植物性雌激素在改善妇女潮热现象的同时，增加了她们得乳腺癌的风险。

干无花果

正如无花果陷儿饼干的味道，无花果是很独树一帜的。它们能提供大量的纤维，维生素B和铁，以及丰富的钾和钙元素。5颗无花果可以给您带来半杯牛奶所带的钙含量。

如何食用无花果呢？扔几颗到您的嘴里，或者将其放进砂锅菜，或者在制作色拉的时候，用无花果取代葡萄干。

扁豆

我们从想不到这种豆类，除非它们放在汤里。但是，如果您将其放在米饭里，或者砂锅菜里，您将得到富含最多蛋白质和纤维的食物。

一杯扁豆能提供大约人体每天所需蛋白质量的40%，和大约人体每天所需纤维素的65%。扁豆含有大量的钾，钙和铁元素。同时，扁豆也是维生素B，磷和铜元素的提供者。扁豆的脂肪含量呢？零！

甘蓝

众所周知，深色的绿叶蔬菜味道不错。现在，是时候看看您的味蕾是否能适应这种无脂肪，低热量，极富维生素A的食物了。

一杯甘蓝（煮的，但不要煮过头）能带给您一天所需维生素A量的两倍。您还能获得一些维生素C,和小部分的维生素B，以及大量的钙元素。请大家关注甘蓝，但是忽略其兄弟植物：瑞士甜菜，荠菜，和羽衣甘蓝。

大麦

这里还有另外一个我们即将忘记的制汤秘密，尽管这种食物能带来蛋白质，纤维素，钾，磷和铁。一杯的量就能带来人体一天所需纤维的25％。

将去壳的大麦做为副菜，顶替大米；或者用其做一锅丰盛的砂锅菜；或者将其煮熟，做为炒菜的主料。并且注意其他被有些人忽视的，但是健康的谷类。如亚藜和苋菜。