Nutrition experts agree that these good-tasting and good-for-you foods should be part of a well-balanced diet: they fill you up and slim you down!

Fat is bad, but some fats are good. Tofu prevents disease; tofu aids growth of certain tumors. Eggs promote cholesterol; eggs pack a nutritional punch.
So which is it? The barrage of conflicting reports leaves many consumers with a distrust of nutritional information-and a plate full of questions about how and what to eat for their health.
Despite contradictory reports and biases by hydrates, there are certain foods and food groups about which many nutritional experts agree.

A number of foods were named to a Top 10 list by a half-dozen leading research nutritionists interviewed earlier this month. Some obvious candidates, however, didn’t make the list, but were cited as beneficial:

Broccoli, for example, was noted as being a rich source of vitamin C, and research points to its potential to reduce the risk of breast, colon and stomach cancers.

Sweet potatoes, a potent source of vitamin A (which helps ensure healthy eyes), are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index, which means they are a carbohydrate that won’t cause the same spikes in blood sugar as a white potato.

Cooked tomatoes are hich is it? The barrage of conflicting reports high in lycopene (which helps decrease the risk of colon cancer) and vitamin C; and are low in calories.

Melon has more water, ounce for ounce, than most juices. In addition, melon is loaded with potassium.

Watermelon is also a good source of iron and lycopene.

Keith Ayoob, associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, named his Top 10 most important foods and added a caveat that seems to be the consensus among food experts: Don’t limit yourself. “Use the list as` a springboard to try other foods in the same categories,” he advises. “It’s all about variety”