When looking over the health article from the myriad magazines and TV shows, it can be daunting to glean what you CAN eat after the endless lists of what you SHOULDN’T eat.

What’s more, with the ever-increasing food costs it can be frustrating to find the biggest bang for your buck when trying to make the shift to healthier living.

Today we’ll look at the most perfect foods to include in your shopping cart so you know you’re getting the best sources of all the vitamins and minerals your body must have.

Going to the grocery store is a daunting task anymore, considering all we’re finding out about the unhealthy insults found in processed foods. However, shopping for healthy, organic, and vitamin-packed foods can be really expensive.

Shopping for supplements can be a mixed bag of frustration, and science has long held that the vitamins and minerals that you need are best absorbed in the foods you eat. Supplements help, but wouldn’t it be better to make the food you are eating work as hard for you as you work to earn it?

Below, we’ve listed the power houses of the food world. If checking the box on the most critical nutrients is what you’re after, you can do it in one trip to the grocery store if you add these foods to the shopping list.

What you need: Sweet Potatoes-

Why? These beautiful orange beauties are packed with so many good things it boggles the mind- especially when you consider that it’s a perfect food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Found in abundance- Vitamin A, potassium, B6, and dietary fiber. And, they’re relatively inexpensive.

[adrotate group=”5″] What you need: Spinach-

Why? Who doesn’t need more leafy greens? Eat it fresh or sautéed. Looking up most lists of essential nutrients, spinach seems to keep finding itself in more than half of the listed required vitamins and minerals.

Found in abundance- Vitamins A, C and E, fiber, protein, iron, folic acid and calcium

What you need: Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)-

Why? With the increase of gluten allergies and other food intolerances, it’s one grain that checks the box on a TON of needed nutrients.

Found in abundance- Protein, fiber, iron, and calcium- and zero cholesterol

What you need: Almonds-

Why? Aside from the vitamins and minerals, these tasty nuts can be eaten roasted or raw, and are packed with healthful oils.

Found in abundance- Protein, magnesium, zinc, niacin, fiber, choline and Omega -3 fatty acids

What you need: Salmon, halibut or other cold-water fish-

Why? Depending upon where you live, fish is a very economical staple to the diet that is on almost every doctor- and nutritionist-recommended plan in existence.

For the money, there is no food group in the world that comes close to the number of nutrient benefits that fish can claim. Even though it can be on the pricey side per pound, it generally has so much more nutritive value to it compared to cheaper protein sources that it doesn’t make financial sense to keep it out of your diet.

Found in abundance- Protein, zinc, calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin D, vitamin B, niacin, chromium, copper, selenium and even flouride

What you need: Beans and Legumes-

Why? This food group is a frequent go-to for vegans or anyone else trying to keep up their protein intake without having to eat meat. There are so many varieties that are just packed with essential vitamins and nutrients; it’s hard to find a reason NOT to eat them.

Additionally, they are among the most economical food staple found worldwide today.
Found in abundance- Manganese, molybdenum, fiber, protein, iron, phosphorus

What you need: Whole Grains-

Why? If you don’t have issues with gluten, you seriously need to consider including this group into your diet. It’s harder to include grains in your diet without some processing or baking, but the more whole the grain, the better the benefits.

Found in abundance: Chromium, copper, fiber, iron, phosphorus, manganese, vitamin A and all B vitamins

There are a ton of other superfoods like blueberries, red wine, and flax, so the list really is endless. As long as you are consuming it in its most un-processed form, all the wonderful benefits of eating a colorful variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with fresh, coldwater fish, will be yours in just one trip to the supermarket.

More tips on how to tackle diseases with diet and lifestyle changes:

Follow this step-by-step plan to bring your cholesterol level down to normal in 30 days…

Use this three-step approach to completely reverse type 2 diabetes…

And then there are things you can tackle without diet. For example discover how these 3 easy exercises drop your blood pressure below 120/80 as soon as today…