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Some foods just aren't taken seriously. Consider celery, for example-forever the garnish, never the main meal. You might even downgrade it to bar fare, since the only stalks most guys eat are served alongside hot wings or immersed in a Bloody Mary.
All of which is a shame, really. That's because besides being a perfect vehicle for peanut butter, this vegetable contains bone-beneficial silicon and cancer-fighting phenolic acids. And that's not even what makes celery so good for you.
Eat This, Not That! has rounded up six of the most underappreciated and undereaten foods that can instantly improve your diet. Make a place for them on your plate, and you'll gain a whole new respect for the health benefits they bestow-from lowering blood pressure to fighting belly fat. And the best part? You'll discover just how delicious health food can be.
Celery
Per large stalk:
* 10 calories
* 0 g fat （0 g saturated）
* 51 mg sodium
* 1 g fiber
This water-loaded vegetable has a rep for being all crunch and no nutrition. But ditch that mindset: Celery contains stealth nutrients that heal.
Why it's healthy
"My patients who eat four sticks of celery a day have seen modest reductions in their blood pressure-about 6 points systolic and 3 points diastolic," says Mark Houston, M.D., director of the Hypertension Institute at St. Thomas Hospital, in Nashville. It's possible that phytochemicals in celery called phthalides are responsible for this health boon, since these compounds relax muscle tissue in artery walls and increase bloodflow, according to nutritionist Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. And beyond the benefits to your BP, celery also fills you up with almost no calories.
Seaweed
Per Tbsp, dried:
* 20 calories
* 1 g fat （0 g saturated）
* 73 mg sodium
* 4 g protein
While this algae is a popular health food in Japan, it rarely makes it into U.S. homes.
Why it's healthy
There are four classes of seaweeds-green, brown, red, and bluegreen-and they're all packedwith healthful nutrients. "Seaweeds are a great plant source of calcium," says nutritionist Alan Aragon, M.S. They're also loaded with potassium, which is essential for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. "Low potassium and high sodium intake can cause high blood pressure," Bowden says. "Most people know to limit sodium, but another way to combat the problem is to take in more potassium." （Here's a cool hint: You can buy sheets of dried seaweed at Asian groceries, specialty health stores, or online at edenfoods.com. Use a coffee grinder to grind the sheets into a powder. Then use the powder as a healthy salt substitute that's great for seasoning salads and soups-certainly beats the heart-harmful salt in any of these 20 saltiest foods in America.）
Scallops
Per 1 ounce, steamed:
* 31 calories
* 0 g fat （0 g saturated）
* 74 mg sodium
* 6 g protein
* 111 mg Omega-3 fatty acids
Perhaps these mollusks are considered guilty by association, since they often appear in decadent restaurant meals that are overloaded with calories. （But then again, so does asparagus. ）
Why they're healthy
Scallops are more than 80 percent protein. "One 3-ounce serving provides 20 grams of protein and just 95 calories," says Bowden. They're also a good source of both magnesium and potassium. （Clams and oysters provide similar benefits.） Try them: It's a fast, easy way to prepare them.
Hemp Seeds
Per 10 grams:
* 57 calories
* 5 g fat （0.5 g saturated）
* 3 g protein
Cannabis classification aside, these seeds aren't for smoking. But they may provide medicinal benefits.
Why they're healthy
"Hemp seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke," says Cassandra Forsythe, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at the University of Connecticut. What's more, a 1-ounce serving of the seeds provides 11 grams of protein-but not the kind of incomplete protein found in most plant sources. Hemp seeds provide all of the essential amino acids, meaning the protein they contain is comparable to that found in meat, eggs, and dairy. Toss 2 tablespoons of the seeds into your oatmeal or stir-fry. Or add them to your post-workout shake for an extra dose of muscle-building protein.
Lentils
Per cup:
* 230 calories
* 1 g fat （0 g saturated）
* 16 g fiber
* 18 g protein
It's probably no surprise that these hearty legumes are good for you. But when was the last time you ate any?
Why they're healthy
Boiled lentils have about 16 grams of belly-filling fiber in every cup. Cooked lentils also contain 27 percent more folate per cup than cooked spinach does. And if you eat colored lentils- black, orange, red-there are compounds in the seed hulls that contain disease-fighting antioxidants, says Raymond Glahn, Ph.D., a research physiologist with Cornell University. Use them as a bed for chicken, fish, or beef-they make a great substitute for rice or pasta.
Dark Meat
Per chicken drumstick:
* 112 calories
* 6 g fat （2 g saturated）
* 14 g protein
Sure, dark meat has more fat than white meat does, but have you ever considered what the actual difference is? Once you do, Thanksgiving won't be the only time you "call the drumstick."
Why it's healthy
"The extra fat in dark turkey or chicken meat raises your levels of cholecystokinin （CCK）, a hormone that makes you feel fuller, longer," says Aragon. The benefit: You'll be less likely to overeat in the hours that follow your meal. What about your cholesterol? Only a third of the fat in a turkey drumstick is the saturated kind, according to the USDA food database. （The other two-thirds are hearthealthy unsaturated fats.） What's more, 86 percent of that saturated fat either has no impact on cholesterol, or raises HDL （good） cholesterol more than LDL （bad） cholesterol- a result that actually lowers heart-disease risk. （The kind of fat you should really be afraid of is trans-fatty acids. Avoid any items on our list of the trans-fattiest foods in America）. As for calories, an ounce of dark turkey meat has just 8 more calories than an ounce of white meat.
有些食物只是沒(méi)有得到重視。比如，芹菜永遠(yuǎn)被認(rèn)為是裝飾品，而不是主食。你甚至可能十分小看它，因?yàn)榇蠖鄶?shù)人只吃放在辣雞翅邊上，或者浸沒(méi)在血瑪麗酒里的芹菜莖。
確實(shí)，這些都很可惜。因?yàn)槌耸腔ㄉu的絕佳搭配外，這種蔬菜包含了有利于骨骼的硅元素和抗癌的酚酸，而且這些遠(yuǎn)不止芹菜能夠帶給你的好處。
吃這個(gè)，而不是那個(gè)！本篇文章收集了六種最不受重視且最不被人食用，但卻能立即改善你飲食的食物。在你的盤(pán)子上為它們留一些位置吧，你會(huì)對(duì)它們給予你的健康益處--從降低血壓到消除腹部脂肪中產(chǎn)生全新的想法。還有最棒的部分是，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)健康食物是多么美味。
芹菜
每大塊芹菜莖中：
* 10卡路里
* 0克脂肪（0克飽和脂肪）
* 51毫克鈉
* 1克纖維
這種充滿(mǎn)水分的蔬菜是只能嘎吱嘎吱咀嚼而沒(méi)有營(yíng)養(yǎng)的代表。但請(qǐng)轉(zhuǎn)變思想：芹菜富含具有治愈功能的神秘營(yíng)養(yǎng)素。
為什么它是健康的
納什維爾圣托馬斯醫(yī)院高血壓研究所的主管馬克休斯頓博士說(shuō)到："那些一天吃四根芹菜的病人們的血壓有了適度下降--大約6點(diǎn)心縮壓和3點(diǎn)心縮壓".根據(jù)《地球上150種最健康食物》的作者，營(yíng)養(yǎng)學(xué)家約翰鮑登博士的說(shuō)法，很可能芹菜里一種叫做苯酞的植物化學(xué)物質(zhì)有助于健康，因?yàn)檫@些化合物放松了動(dòng)脈壁中的肌肉組織，增加了血流量。芹菜除了對(duì)血壓的益處外，還能夠使你吃飽但幾乎沒(méi)有帶來(lái)卡路里。
海藻
每湯匙干燥的海藻：
* 20卡路里
* 1克脂肪（0克飽和脂肪）
* 73毫克鈉
* 4克蛋白質(zhì)
雖然這種藻類(lèi)在日本是大眾化的健康食物，但它很少進(jìn)入美國(guó)家庭中。
為什么它是健康的
海藻有四種分類(lèi)--綠藻，褐藻，紅藻和藍(lán)綠藻，它們都充滿(mǎn)了健康的營(yíng)養(yǎng)物。營(yíng)養(yǎng)學(xué)家艾倫阿拉貢碩士："海藻是鈣質(zhì)的重要植物來(lái)源。"它們也富含對(duì)于維持健康血壓水平不可或缺的鉀。"低鉀高鈉的攝入會(huì)導(dǎo)致高血壓，"鮑登說(shuō)道。"大多數(shù)人知道控制鈉的攝入，但是另一種對(duì)付這一問(wèn)題的方法就是吸收更多鉀元素。" （這里是一條的有用提示：你能夠在亞洲雜貨鋪，特別是健康商店或者在線(xiàn)的edenfoods.com中買(mǎi)到大片的海帶干。）利用咖啡研磨機(jī)把一大片磨碎成粉末。然后把粉末當(dāng)作一種健康的食鹽替代品，對(duì)調(diào)味沙拉和湯都很好--這當(dāng)然在美國(guó)家庭食用的任一20種最咸的食物中戰(zhàn)勝了了有害心臟的食鹽。）
扇貝
每一盎司蒸煮的扇貝：
* 31卡路里
* 0克脂肪（0克飽和脂肪）
* 74毫克鈉
* 6克蛋白質(zhì)
* 111毫克Ω-3脂肪酸
也許這些軟體動(dòng)物被認(rèn)為是有罪的，因?yàn)樗鼈兘?jīng)常出現(xiàn)在含有過(guò)多卡路里的墮落飯店餐食中。（但話(huà)又說(shuō)回來(lái)，蘆筍也是如此。）
為什么它們是健康的
扇貝中80%以上都是蛋白質(zhì)。"一份3盎司的扇貝提供了20克蛋白質(zhì)和僅僅95卡路里，"鮑登說(shuō)道。它們也是鎂和鉀重要來(lái)源。（蛤和牡蠣也提供了相似的益處。）試試這個(gè)：準(zhǔn)備它們又快又簡(jiǎn)單。
大麻籽
每10克中含有：
* 57卡路里
* 5克脂肪（0.5克飽和脂肪）
* 3克蛋白質(zhì)
先把大麻的分類(lèi)放一邊，這些種籽不是用來(lái)吸食的。但它們可能提供藥用好處。
為什么它們是健康的
"大麻籽富含Ω-3脂肪酸，它們能減少你患心臟病和中風(fēng)的危險(xiǎn)。"康涅狄格大學(xué)的營(yíng)養(yǎng)研究員卡桑德拉弗西斯博士說(shuō)道。更為重要的是，一份1盎司的種籽提供了11克蛋白質(zhì)--但卻不是能夠在大多數(shù)植物來(lái)源中找到的那種不完全蛋白質(zhì)。大麻籽提供了所有必需的氨基酸，這意味著它們含有的蛋白質(zhì)能夠與肉類(lèi)、雞蛋和奶制品中的蛋白質(zhì)相媲美。扔兩湯匙種籽到你的燕麥片或者炒食中，或者把它們加入到運(yùn)動(dòng)后飲料中，來(lái)攝取一份額外的肌肉建造蛋白質(zhì)。
小扁豆
每杯中：
* 230卡路里
* 1克脂肪（0克飽和脂肪）
* 16克纖維
* 18克蛋白質(zhì)
這些營(yíng)養(yǎng)豐富的豆類(lèi)對(duì)你有好處也許是不足為奇的。但是你上一次吃它們是什么時(shí)候？
為什么它們是健康的
沒(méi)杯熟扁豆中含有大約16克腹部填充纖維。在每杯中，熟扁豆也比熟菠菜多含有27%的葉酸。康奈爾大學(xué)的研究生理學(xué)家雷蒙德格拉恩博士說(shuō)，如果你吃有顏色的扁豆，如黑色、桔黃色或紅色，在豆莢中的化合物富有抵抗疾病的抗氧化劑。把它們用作雞肉、魚(yú)肉或者牛肉的夾心，是大米和意大利面的很好替代物。
腿肉
每只雞腿中：
* 112卡路里
* 6克脂肪（2克飽和脂肪）
* 14克蛋白質(zhì)
當(dāng)然，腿肉比胸肉中有更多的脂肪，但是你有沒(méi)有考慮過(guò)它們之間的真正區(qū)別？一旦你做了，感恩節(jié)可能不會(huì)是你唯一一次吃腿肉的時(shí)候了。
為什么它是健康的
阿拉貢說(shuō)："在火雞或小雞腿肉中的額外脂肪提高了你的膽囊收縮素水平，這是一種使你感覺(jué)更飽、持續(xù)時(shí)間更長(zhǎng)的荷爾蒙。"它的好處是：你在飯后幾小時(shí)內(nèi)不太可能吃過(guò)量了。那么你的膽固醇又會(huì)怎樣呢？根據(jù)美國(guó)農(nóng)業(yè)部食物數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)的說(shuō)法，火雞腿中只有三分之一的脂肪是飽和型的。（另外三分之二是有益心臟的不飽和脂肪。）更為重要的是，這類(lèi)飽和脂肪中86%要么對(duì)膽固醇沒(méi)有影響，要么比起低密度脂蛋白（有害）來(lái)更加提高了高密度脂蛋白（有益）的含量，其結(jié)果事實(shí)上降低了心臟病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。（你應(yīng)該真正擔(dān)心的脂肪類(lèi)型是反式脂肪酸。盡量避免在美國(guó)反式脂肪酸食物列表中的食品。）至于卡路里，一盎司火雞腿肉只比一盎司胸肉多8卡路里。
