Here are some common foods that are good for you and wonderful to eat.

Garlic
This super food is really good all year round because of its antiviral properties. It is especially good during flu season.

Ginger
The ginger root is known to ease congestion in the lungs, increased circulation, soothed digestive upsets and nausea, decrease inflammation, and act as an antioxidant.

Sweet Potatoes
These are high in fiber, minerals, vitamins C., and beta carotene. All these components are essential for good immune health.

Kale
This is known as a strengthening food because it is supportive to liver function and is rich in calcium, IBM, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. You can use it in place of cabbage in most recipes. It is also a wonderful food to add to soup.

Mint
Mint benefits the liver and kidneys. It also works externally to heal wounds. You could eat it fresh or chop it up and add it to your salad.

Chamomile
This usually comes in the form of tea and is used for relaxation and to induce sweating during a common cold. The tea is very fragrant and can be drunk without sweetener. Chamomile makes a delicious iced tea.

Potatoes
They are very good source of potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C, niacin, dietary fiber and pantothenic acid. Potatoes are low in calories and can be eaten fried, baked, and boiled.

Radishes
Radish leaves contain more than six times the vitamin C of the radish root and are excellent source of calcium. The daikon radish is a good source of potassium and copper in very low in calories.

Spinach
This is one of those super foods that are touted to be full of vitamins and minerals. Spinach is willing calories and very nutrient dense. It contains vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, manganese, carotenes, iron, vitamin B2, B6, E, and vitamin B1. You can use fresh spinach but need to rinse out the sand. Spinach is sold already washed in a bag in the produce section. Spinach can be eaten raw or chopped up and put in spaghetti sauce, soups, rice dishes, sprinkled on pizza with garlic. I use spinach in every positive side make and cut it up very finely. Not only does it look appetizing but it's good for you.

Squash
Squash has been touted to have anticancer properties, particularly lung cancer. There are many varieties of squash in the produce section and some of them have recipes right on the squash on the label. There is spaghetti squash which can be used instead of pasta for people who are on a low carb diet. Pumpkin squash is particularly good steamed and then slathered with butter and honey and sprinkled cinnamon. The winter varieties of squash are much more nutrient dense. Other varieties of squash are a corn, butternut, pumpkin, and zucchini.

Swiss Chard
Swiss chard along to the same family as spinach and beats and has a thick crunchy stalk which is sometimes red with green leaves. Swiss chard comes in other colors; white, red, and yellow. Occasionally you will find all three colors bottled up in the produce section. You can add Swiss chard to a stir-fry or to soup or just steam it in a pan with some chicken broth. It is loaded with vitamin K1 which helps maintain bone health. It also contains a good source of carotenes, vitamins C, and vitamin E, iron, protein, calcium, thiamine, zinc, niacin, folic acid, and selenium.

Tomatoes
This red vegetable and fruit as a member of the nightshade family along with bell peppers, a plant, and potatoes. Tomatoes can be red, green, yellow, orange, or brown. There are cherry tomatoes, bright yellow tomatoes, Italian tomatoes which are pear-shaped, and green tomatoes for the recipe fried green tomatoes. Tomatoes are very high in lycopene which is protective against breast, lung, colon, skin, and prostate cancers. You get more lycopene from canned tomato paste than you do from fresh tomatoes.

Soybeans
Soybeans are used in an unimaginable amount of foods, used in food processing, soymilk, tofu and even soy hotdogs. These green beans can be eaten boiled with salt and you will find them on the menu in restaurants in Hawaii as an appetizer or pupu. You can purchase soybeans frozen and boil them at home to heat them up or purchase from fresh and boil the little longer until their tender. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt and you have a nutritious food. They are high in protein, fiber, improve glucose tolerance, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Legumes or Beans
There are many varieties of beans and I could devote pages to all the types. In fact there are over 13,000 species of beans. Beings supply protein and calories to the world's population only second to grains. Compared to grains, legumes have four times as much protein. Legumes of any type whether it be black beans, peas, garbanzo beans, lentils, navy beans, or mung beans combined with grain, such as rice form a complete protein. Beans are best prepared by soaking them overnight to remove the oligosaccharides that cause the gas in the intestines. Peanuts are the least offensive beans and does not cause stomach gassiness.

Seafood
Fish and shellfish have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown more than 60 different health conditions are either prevented or treatable with a higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Heart disease leads the list. Seafood includes shrimp, clams, oysters, salmon, mahi-mahi, crab, halibut, cod, and lobster, to name a few. One safety concern relative to seafood is possible danger of chemical contamination with mercury, pesticide residues and toxins. My favorite recipe is macadamia crusted mahi-mahi. Sometimes I use pistachios instead of the macadamia. Stay tuned in my next column for my favorite seafood crust mixture.

This is only a partial list of foods. There are volumes of books and research on the Internet with more information about healing foods. Preparing food, eating food, especially sharing it with friends and family, is truly something to be grateful for and cause for celebration. Remember if you have a little extra food, share it with someone who may not be as fortunate and please spread the Aloha Spirit wherever you live.