What Are Healthy Foods? My Top 7 Healthy But Tasty Foods

Being a personal trainer, a lot of clients ask me "what are healthy foods?" Well, healthy foods are basically whole, not processed foods that give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs. Examples are fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, all kinds of nuts, milk (if you want to lose fat only once a week), whey and (green) beans.

However beans and vegetables aren't particularly tasty. And who said there aren't foods that are good for your health but also tasty? So here are my top 7 healthy but tasty foods:

1) Dark chocolate. Big surprise! Apart from the positive effects on your mood, dark chocolate (high-cacao content) also has positive effects on your heart, circulatory system, brain function and skin. Of course you should eat it in moderation (max. a 1.6-ounce a day).

2) Coconuts. Those nuts are not only tasty but also extremely rich in selenium, potassium and healthy fat.

3) Blueberries. They taste good and are full of antioxidants and fiber.

4) Almonds. Almonds contain about 50% oils (mostly omega-9 fatty acids that are good for your brain). They are also rich in vitamin E, fiber and essential minerals. Try to eat them instead of chips and other snacks but restrain yourself if you can - they have a lot of calories.

5) Avocados. They may not be to everyone's taste, but they are full of vitamins (B, E, K), minerals, fiber and healthy fat. You can also make a guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc.).

6) Salmon. Salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins (D, A and B) and minerals like Selenium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Calcium and Iron. And it's delicious.

7) Full-Fat Milk. Milk is not only tastes good but provides your body with calcium, magnesium, selenium and potassium as well as vitamin C, D, A, B and K. Moreover, according to a new study women can slightly increase their fertility by consuming full fat dairy products (consuming low fat dairy products on the other hand may slightly reduce fertility). Athletes should give low-fat chocolate milk a try after workouts as studies show it is even better for muscle recovery than special sports drinks.

You may have noticed most of the foods on my list are rich in fat. But it is monounsaturated fat, the "good" fat, which can even lower LDL cholesterol in your body. The good fat doesn't really make you fat. Carbohydrates, especially too much sugar does. The foods mentioned above make you feel full whereas sugar makes you crave for more and thus consume more calories. More important: carbohydrates in general stop your body from burning fat. So if you want to lose fat and don't have the time to exercise, try to avoid carbohydrates.

That's why bananas are not on this list. Yes, bananas have some vitamins and taste good, but in contrast to most fruits (for example apples) which contain fructose and glucose, bananas also contain sucrose (> carbohydrates), which is quite similar to table sugar. That's reason why they affect your blood sugar levels almost like white bread or sugar does.

If you can't stop eating toast and oatmeal for breakfast, try coffee with a small piece of butter (grass-fed, unsalted). It's fat, but healthy fat and will make you forget all the bad carbo-stuff. It might take getting used to at first, but it's worth it.