For dessert tonight, try whipping up some delicious Chocolate Almond Avocado Brownies – yes, avocado! This may sound like a strange addition to the normal brownie recipe, right? Well, in Dave Lieberman and Anahad O’Connor’s book, The 10 Things You Need to Eat, a full description of the top 10 foods is wonderfully presented along with various simple, healthy and, at times, refreshingly unusual recipes.

Tomatoes, avocados, beets, spinach, quinoa (pronounded “keen-wah”), lentils, cabbage, super fish, nuts and berries make it into Lieberman and O’Connor’s top 10 list. Everything on the list meets with my approval and is a routine part of my diet, except the beets.

I don’t know about you but I am not a fan of beets. (I’m in good company, according to the book, President Obama avoids them as well). If anyone attempted to serve me beets when I was a little girl, I would sneak them into my napkin, stuff the squishy makeshift package into my pants pocket and proceed right to the nearest bathroom, whereby the remains of my devious deed would be promptly flushed down the toilet. This process, executed many times throughout my childhood, only failed me once: I was hastily ushered to daycare naptime before making my ritual detour to the bathroom. You can imagine the beet-filled mess to which I awoke. My daycare teacher (who, unfortunately for me, also doubled as the daycare’s chef), was none too thrilled and called my mother to complain. Luckily, I am blessed to have an amazingly down-to-earth mom who found humor in the situation. She also reasoned that since I went to such extreme measures to avoid beet-consumption, that they were never to be included on my menu again, whether at daycare or at home.

Lieberman and O’Connor explain their various choices with an in-depth, informative and fun approach, practically making beets seem worth trying again. It’s almost a bonus to read the easy-to-follow recipes provided after each superfood backstory. With one pan to my name and a refrigerator filled only with condiments, I’m certainly a foreigner to cooking. However, I actually felt inclined to take my kitchen out of hibernation to test a few recipes, like the Quinoa-Stuffed Red Peppers. Yum!

All of the top 10′s are showcased along with studies proving that the superfoods lower one’s risk of contracting many diseases, ranging from obesity, to Alzheimer’s to cancer and heart disease. The authors’ use of New York City-based examples to explain sometimes complex body processes are not only interesting but also add a flair of entertainment to the backstory of each superfood At one point, the authors liken a traffic jam in the body’s arteries to a traffic jam in the Lincoln Tunnel, which makes the reading playful but comprehensible.

Multiple times, Lieberman and O’Connor say, “Forget for a moment everything you ever leaned about (insert respective superfood here).” I was impressed by the way in which they chose to address each top 10 in a new light. The notion helps one keep an open mind. It makes a long-time beet-hater like me inclined to give the superfood a second chance now that I’m a health-conscious adult. (But I’ll be sure to keep a hearty supply of napkins close by, just in case).

Keypoints about the Top 10:

1. Tomato – Tomato sauce is very good for you so enjoy that slice of pizza. You’ll actually be lowering your risk of suffering a heart attack.

2. Avocado – Even though they are high in fat, it’s the good kind (monosaturated fat) and they will help lower your cholesterol.

3. Beets – Beets actually STOP nitrates (preservatives used in processed meats, which turn into a carcinogens once in the body).

4. Spinach – As a person’s intake of spinach increases, their risk of cancer decreases because its compounds literally destroy cancer cells.

5. Quinoa – Jampacked with protein yet having fewer carbs than wheat, rye, rice or oats, surprisingly Quinoa is a plant and not a member of the animal kingdom.

6. Lentils – Nicknamed nature’s “scrub brush,” lentils regulate one’s system but at the same time the fiber makes you feel full, keeping over-eating at bay.

7. Cabbage – Cabbage helps mobilize the immune system.

8. Super Fish – Contain omega-3 fatty acids, a brain-nourishing compound.

9. Nuts – Studies show that walnuts and almonds actually help people lose weight, despite fears that they are too high in fat and calories.

10. Berries – Load up on blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries and you will be loading up on nutrients protecting you from heart disease and memory loss.

Kenley Ferrara is a certified personal trainer and running coach for Professional Personal Training Systems (PPTS) as well as a Pacer for Nike. Her website is www.pptswellness.com.