Food Heroes
fall in love with leeks and lemons
Food Heroes offer the biggest bang for our bowls. They're the deserted island foods humans need to survive and thrive. Most are delicious, easy to cook, and don't break the bank. Take advantage of their abundant variety to make sure you're getting their nutrient-dense virtues. Get hooked on haricot vert and horseradish.
ON THIS PAGE:
Food Heroes Are Cool (21 Favorites) / Fiber is a Friend / Aromatics / Cruciferous Family / Benefits of (Ground) Flaxseeds for Inflammation + Hypertension / Avocados / Flax + Chia / Ode to Mushrooms / The Ultimate Superfood / 25 Types of Mushrooms / 5 Life-Changing Shrooms / Mushrooms + Honey Bees / Mycelium Health Benefits / Lion's Mane Benefits / Mushrooms as Art!
Food Heroes are Cool
I want to know which foods are the top dogs in each food category and why. Food heroes like mushrooms, broccoli, and Indian gooseberries are worth investigating. They're power players in helping prevent and reverse chronic, lifestyle diseases. And, I just think they're cool.
_jfif.jpg)
Fiber is a Friend
As soon as I started eating a high-fiber diet (beans, intact whole grains, and high-fiber produce like artichokes and raspberries), my extra pounds melted off, my intense food cravings calmed down, and my toilet sang to me every morning. TMI? Your body will dance and your heart will sing with joy.
"Kale is a superfood and its special power is tasting bad."
- Jim Gaffigan, American Comic
Aromatics
(flavor-packed foods)
Garlic, onions, leeks, ginger, chives, lemon grass, shallots, yuzu citrus, shishito peppers, galangal root, jalapeños, carrots, celery, mushrooms. I couldn't image being a badass Cookhouse Hero without these flavor-packed foods. Also, these food heroes offer the best remedy for fried chicken, cheese, and Cheetos cravings. No, really.
_jfif.jpg)
Cruciferous Family
(be besties with broccoli)
Cruciferous ("krew-siferous") vegetables are uber-super heroes and deserve a Nobel Prize. They have their own category in Dr Greger's Daily Dozen because they pack a punch of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and sulphoraphane, a food-hero phytochemical. Fall head over heals in love with bok choy, Brussels sprouts, and our #1 BFF broccoli.
_jfif.jpg)
Avocados
(a fab fruit: fiber + flavor + fat)
As a mostly recovered food junkie, I have a love-loathe relationship with the mighty avocado. Their unsaturated fats, fiber, and umami light up our body and brain. That said, it's a challenge to eat just a 1/4 of a beautiful avocado, when a small bowl of guacamole has about two! Smashed avo with lemon freezes well - this can prevent 'portion distortion'.
_jfif.jpg)
Flax + Chia
(omega fatty acids)
What's all the fuss about ground flax? I eat a tablespoon everyday because of their omega-3 fatty acids. Flax and chia are mighty antioxidants, can promote brain health, decrease inflammation, reduce the risk of heart attacks, and help us poop. Both are great as egg substitutes and for baking, too. Best to grind them up and store in the fridge.
"A whole foods, plant-based diet adds more years to your life and more life to your years."
- Dr Scott Stoll, American Physician + Co-Founder of the Plantrician Project
Ode to Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a fungus not a vegetable, and their status in the food heroes universe is getting a lot of attention. These magic fungi offer protein, fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, and selenium. In the plant kingdom, a vital amino acid called ergothioneine is found primarily in mushrooms (plus red and black beans), which has been shown to slow down the aging process. Mushrooms can also decrease the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, some cancers, and dementia. Add them to everything, avoid eating them raw (oyster mushrooms are an exception), and clean them with a cloth and not water. Dried shiitake are a great pantry staple, too. Do your future self a favor and learn to love mushrooms. I can't imagine a kitchen without them.
rabbit holes
Mushrooms as Art!