But to me, losing weight is all about making permanent lifestyle changes in how you eat, exercise, and manage stress, not a short term fix from the latest diet book. It simply doesn’t work.

So I was intrigued by the idea of certain foods that are helpful, and of course, I had to flip through to find out what they were. Interestingly, I regularly eat half of them, some of them I’ve even talked about like kale and quinoa. And last week, before I even saw the article, I wrote a blog post about how I combined three of them into one dish (quinoa, kale and lentils) that was healthy, delicious and low in fat and calories.

Here are the 20 foods they mentioned:

Steak, eggs, kale, oats, lentils, goji berries, wild salmon, apples, buckwheat pasta, blueberries, almond butter, pomegranates, chiles, yogurt, quinoa, sardines, tarragon, parmesan, avocado and olive oil.

I have to say, I eat about half of the items on a regular basis, and it’s a fact, things like kale, oats and lentils can help us lose weight for a host of different reasons.

You can read the whole article with explanations about why these foods are so good by clicking here.

I’m curious to know how many of these foods you’re regularly eating. Which ones are staples in your diet and to what degree does it help you to lose weight?

By now you’ve probably heard me extol the benefits of eating salmon, especially wild salmon — it’s heart healthy, low-fat, has Omega-3 fatty acids and is full of important nutrients. One of the other benefits of eating fish is that it cooks quickly, and for those of us short on time and interested in healthy eating, this is a real plus. And there are a myriad of ways to prepare it – grilling, broiling, baking, and poaching, just to name a few.

But here’s the thing, I don’t have an outside grill and when it gets hot, turning on the oven just isn’t the answer (for those of you who have window air conditioners and not central air, you know what I mean). My kitchen gets hot in a heartbeat! So that’s why I’m a big fan of cooking quick and healthy meals on the stove top.

Here’s a quick and simple recipe that I want to share which I think you’ll like. We had this at a friend’s house a few months ago and it was delicious. I got the recipe and I’ve been experimenting with it. You can make it in about 10 minutes and it’s even better if you use the freshest of ingredients from your garden or local farmstand.

Ingredients:

1 lb. salmon (wild salmon, if possible) fillet, cut into four portions, or four salmon steaks
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onions cut lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes cut in chunks (I love using fresh heirloom tomatoes from the farmers’ market)
2 tablespoons, fresh parsley or basil, chopped (there’s nothing better than the basil I’ve been growing)
1/3 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 large lemon

Directions:

1. Rinse salmon and sprinkle on some of the salt.
2. In large frying pan, heat oil and add onion, paprika, black pepper, remaining salt and garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Move aside the onions for the fish to sit at the bottom of the pan.
4. Add salmon and squeeze lemon juice on pieces.
5. Place onions on top of salmon, add the tomatoes and sprinkle parsley or basil over everything.
6. Cover and simmer until salmon is tender, about 5-10 minutes depending on thickness. Salmon is ready when it easily flakes with a fork.

If it a try and let me know what you think. And please share other ideas you have for quick and simple meals using salmon.

Ingredients:
1 3 lb. salmon filet
3 cloves garlic
¾ cup walnuts
1 cup fresh cilantro, washed and dried
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the garlic in a food processor and mince.
3. Add the walnuts and process until fine.
4. Add the cilantro and process until the mixture turns into a thick, green paste.
5. Continue to process while slowly drizzling in the olive oil.
6. Place the salmon on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Salt and pepper the fish and spread the paste evenly over it.
7. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serves 6.

Like a lot of fish, salmon is simple and quick to prepare. Whether baked, broiled or poached, it makes a tasty main dish. Just add in a few servings of vegetables and a whole grain, and you have a delicious, nutritious and heart healthy meal.