CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Do you ever get to the grocery store and you're stumped on what to buy? One fitness expert said there are seven healthy food items that should always be on your grocery list.
1. Walnuts & almonds
“I try to stick to those type of nuts. They're high in vitamins,” Coach Nino Magaddino, the Owner of Max Flex Fitness, said.
He said walnuts and almonds are rich in fats, and also have protein.
"They're a great snack. I know sometimes people need like a crunch or a chew. And they're so versatile," he said.
Magaddino said you can throw them on a salad, in your yogurt, or eat them right out of the bag. They can satisfy that need for a salty crunch while staying healthy.
“Nuts should be a staple of anybody's diet when they're going to the grocery store," he said.
2. Wild-caught fish
“Fish are obviously lower in calories, they have less saturated fats than say a beef or a chicken or a pork would have," Magaddino said.
Fish is packed with protein.
"They also have the Omega 3s or Omega 6s that would be helpful for your bloodstream as well, for your body and skin," he said. "If I'm going to have a piece of salmon or cod or any type of other fish, I like it to be wild-caught. The wild-caught have less of the mercury in it, and a lot of the toxins that a farm-raised fish would have."
He recommends having the fish at least one or two days per week, and you only need 4-6 ounces per serving.
Nick Kujan, a butcher at Sprouts Farmers Market in Cape Coral, said wild-caught fish taste more gamey and rich than farm-raised fish.
3. Blueberries
Magaddino said blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat.
"They're high in vitamins. They're also rich in fiber. Those are probably the highest antioxidants out of any fruit," he said.
Casey Humber, the Store Director at Sprouts Farmers Market in Cape Coral, said they carry blueberries grown in Florida.
4. Apples
Magaddino said apples are king when it comes to fiber.
"You get a ton of fiber from the skin of an apple," he said.
He said he knows some people don't like the skin of the apple, but you don't have to eat a huge apple to get the benefits.
"They can be so small. Try different types of apples," he said.
He recommends for double the health benefits, bring in one of the other healthy items mentioned on this list: nuts.
"Talking about nuts. I like to add a little bit of almond butter to my apple for a rich snack," Magaddino said.
5. Avocado
Magaddino said avocados should always be on your grocery list.
“Healthy fat," he said. "They also have protein as well."
He said of all the fruits, avocados have some of the most protein.
6. Chickpeas
Magaddino said chickpeas are full of healthy fat and rich in fiber.
"Chickpeas are great in salads. A ton of vitamins in chickpeas as well. Lower in calories, lower in the saturated fats," he said.
If you don't like the taste or texture of Chickpeas, he recommends hummus.
“Hummus is made a chickpeas as well, so if you have a tough time with that, you can always try hummus,” he said.
Humber also said chickpeas are good in soups and stews, and mashed on a sandwich as a spread.
7. Dark leafy vegetables
"And it doesn't have to be kale. It could be spinach. It could be some romaine lettuce," Magaddino said.
He said dark leafy vegetables are high in Vitamin K.
"Which helps with blood clotting. They're rich in fiber as well. Did you know that you need at least 30 to 40 grams of fiber per day in order to stay regular?” he said.
He also said they have a good amount of protein.
“Most people, when they think of protein, they think of fish or meat or chicken. There's protein and vegetables. Some people don't understand that. They call them incomplete proteins, but they help with the chain of amino acids that would be in an animal protein. So it's important to have your animal proteins, but also protein from your vegetables as well," he said.
Max Flex Fitness works with the David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health, a Your Healthy Family partner, to help its patients with exercise.
