Question! Pratt added these Superfoods to the list in the second book. Are they sidekicks for an already established category or are they Superfoods on their own?

apples,avocado,beans,cinnamon,dates,extra virgin olive oil,garlic,honey,kiwi,yogurt,onions,and pomegrantes

I don't know why beans is here... I lifted this from Amazon.

Nicole -- If you're overwhelmed take a step back. Many of us find a "baby steps" approach helps (though others jump right in).

If you want to try to incorporate these foods, another way to go might be to focus on a different group each week. Think about extra places you could incorporate berries, for instance, and just do that for a week. The next week pick another one.

OR, start by just tracking what you ARE doing, and pledge to increase by one super food a day... then after a while add another one...

This approach works for all sorts of lifestyle behaviors, not just Super Foods. I was overwhelmed too in general (though, to be clear, Super Foods were not my focus, and still aren't per se...), but I just made small changes. Last summer I started by thinking about food and portion control and moving a little more. After a month I started serious calorie counting. Later I added exercise. Over the rest of the year I made other changes, generally small at the time. For instance, now that much of my plan has become routine, I have decided it's helpful for me to add more protein to my diet and am finding new ways to do that. And I am trying to find more variety, and starting to finally do some baking again!

Wyllenn -

Great new avatar! You look AMAZING!

Thanks! I posted before and current pics in the mini-goals section!

I think they're in there because of the way Pratt divided the second book into seasons and mixed old and new super foods in each chapter. The person reviewing included some new super foods in the old group and some old super foods in the new group (beans and yogurt are incorrectly added to the new group, whereas dark chocolate is added to the old group).

They are super foods in their own right (they have their own sidekicks). If someone has the second book, it would be great if they could add the new super groups and their side kicks to the list.

Personally, I love all the foods on the second list and actually bought some dark, buckwheat honey after reading the second book. But, for me personally, I already had a system of counting the 14 original super foods and wasn't really interesting in a goal of eating honey and dark chocolate every day (not that I don't like them and think they are good for you). I love pomegranates, but the fruit is very seasonal (available in the winter) and I'm not into drinking calories so pomegranate juice is out. I already eat plenty of onions, garlic and olive oil. I have started adding more guacamole when I go to Qdoba or Chipotle! I like apples, but they aren't my favorite fruit and kiwi are just kinda weird - fuzzy, seedy and squishy.

So, I decided not to count them, although I do think about them.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful information on super foods!

I have a question about the salmon. Does the book specifically mention "wild" salmon as opposed to farm-raised salmon? I have a tough time ever finding the "wild" salmon and when I do it is usually a lot more expensive. Does anyone have an opinion on the health benefits of "wild" versus farm-raised salmon?

There have been a lot of issues raised about farm-raised salmon. I've basically given up salmon as it is hard to find wild salmon or it is very expensive.

The best information I found concerning this is something called "Seafood Watch" provided by Monterey Bay Aquarium. They basically say to avoid any farm raised Salmon.

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatc...et.aspx?gid=17

Health concerns:
Salmon farmers may use pesticides and antibiotics to control outbreaks of disease among the fish. When consumers eat this fish, the residues from the chemicals may affect their health or interfere with medicines they’re taking. The Environmental Defense has issued a health advisory for Farmed salmon due to high levels of PCBs and dioxins. For more information, visit their Ocean's Alive web site.

Overall summary:
Salmon are farmed in open pens and cages in coastal areas. Waste from most farms is released directly into the ocean. Parasites and diseases from farmed salmon can spread to wild fish swimming near the farms. And feeding farmed salmon actually uses more fish than it produces, which puts more pressure on wild populations. Farmed salmon generally uses three pounds of wild fish to grow one pound of farmed salmon.

Segments of the salmon farming industry are improving their practices but the environmental impact is still increasing because production has risen more than 400% in the last decade. In the market, there is currently no way to tell which salmon are coming from more-sustainable farms, so for now we ask you to avoid farmed salmon and choose wild-caught salmon instead.

He specifically recommends wild caught salmon (the name of the chapter is Wild Salmon). Supposedly, it is the marine diet that wild caught salmon eat that make them so nutritionally powerful. The author says that canned wild caught salmon is just as good, so if fresh wild caught salmon is not an option in your location, try canned. He says you can add canned salmon to a salad or make salmon burgers.

There are also sidekicks! For salmon, the author recommends alaskan halibut, canned albacore tuna, sardines, herrings, trout, sea bass, oysters and clams.

Thanks Glory. I looked for the book in the used bookstore today (Barnes and Nobels had been getting too much of my $) But it wasn't there... so I guess I buy the book.

Phantastica has the new one.. hey Phantastica.. how goes the read?

Canned wild salmon is great. The wild Alaska sockeye red salmon can be pricey.. but it is worth it. In addition to the ways you mentioned.. sometimes I add a bit to a stir fry. Heating it up only enough till it's warm but doesn't break apart too much.

Got a can.. staring me in the face right now. Ingredients: sockeye salmon, salt.

The salt is added to enhance the taste.. or so the can says. I wonder what it would taste like without it.

I haven't gotten Pratt's book yet (Barnes & Noble will be getting my money, too, Jayde!) so I'm wondering, does he address the question of mercury in fish? Maybe most of the kinds he recommends are less likely to be high in mercury, but I seem to remember reading that albacore is higher in mercury than "light" tuna. Something about the larger the fish, the more concentrated the mercury level.

His shopping list in the back of the book, though, gives brands that don't specify wild salmon. I thought that was interesting.

I bought the book on Sunday. It's very interesting. I really wish there were more cites re: the research to support the assertions he makes about some things. Sometimes the "studies show" needs a little backup for me.

Regardless, none of the foods he touts can be *bad* for you. So, I'm in. I do have a lot of processed snacky "diet" foods that I don't want to throw out, so I'm making a slow switch. Where I can, though, superfoods will be the first consideration.

Yes.. because of mercury he recommends that not more than one can of tuna be consumed a week. He also gives a list of fish to absolutely avoid: swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel.

I eat mackerel but not king mackerel. It's actually called mackerel pike which is very different.

He lists other fish that are not superfoods but are low in mercury and gives a website to check out WWW.epa.gov/mercury/fish.htm

Oh.. and you are right about the mercury in larger fish.. the higher on the food chain they are the more mercury because they contain the mercury from the fish they ate and the fish that that fish ate etc..

Hope this answers your concerns.

I've purchased different brands. The can I was just staring at was Bumblebee.