Whether it’s out of convenience, comfort, preference or social convention we have developed a diet that largely ignores some foods that would be hugely beneficial to our waistlines and health were we to eat them from time to time.

Here are 4 of the best foods you should be eating for weight loss and optimum health.

1.     Whole eggs

In recent years bad science and fad diets have caused many well-intentioned people to throw away the most nutritious part of the egg – the yolk. This was largely due to incorrect conclusions drawn regarding cholesterol. We now know that cholesterol in the diet does not elevate bad cholesterol in the body.

Egg yolks are like little yellow nutrition bombs.

Loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and protein, eggs are a brilliant way to nourish your body. Plus they are quick to prepare and can be cooked in a variety of ways. You can also add them to shakes or smoothies in raw form.

For a lunch on the go this recipe for Chicken and Egg Salad with Tarragon Mustard Vinaigrette is perfect.

2.     Dark chocolate

Here’s one we all love… kind of.

DARK chocolate is chocolate with a 70% (or more) cocoa content. (Not the kind of chocolate you heat while hiding under your bed with the lights off so the diet-gods don’t see you.)

Dark chocolate – eaten in moderation – is extremely good for you. It’s rich in fibre, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese and antioxidants.

There are all sorts of documented health benefits of eating a few squares of dark chocolate regularly including decreased risk of heart disease.

Savour a block of dark chocolate for desert after dinner, or check out this fantastic Chocolate and Red Wine Beef Stew recipe.

3.     Sardines

These little guys pack a serious nutritional punch!

One of the reasons for this is that we eat them whole – skin, bones, organs and flesh. That means we get everything they have to give us from a nutritional standpoint. They are said to be ‘almost perfect’ in that they contain almost everything the human body needs.

Take a look at this super tasty recipe for Romaine Wedges with Sardines & Caramelized Onions.

4.     Liver

Over the centuries humans have developed a diet rich in red meats – the problem is we are eating the wrong ones.

When lions kill a buck, they eat the organ meats first because they know these are the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal. They leave the muscle-meats (the parts we eat) for the hyenas, vultures and crows. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat like the King of the Jungle than the guys who get the scraps from his table.

Liver contains massive quantities of B vitamins, Vitamin A, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Selenium, Folate, Niacin as well as a lot of protein per serving.

There are few other meats that can boast as complete a vitamin and mineral profile as liver. Even eating it once per week is enough to get big benefit.

Here is a great recipe for Peri Peri Chicken Livers.

Conclusion

Get more variety in your diet. You are probably missing out on a lot of nutrients because you eat the same few things all the time.

Start with these four, but whenever you see an unfamiliar, unprocessed food in your supermarket do some research on it. It may be just what you need.