Does the thought of eating healthy make you cringe? Does it make you think of boring and bland celery and carrot sticks? Now there is nothing wrong with celery and carrot sticks but they are not what most women would consider to be mouthwatering. As you approach your 40th birthday and beyond however, you realize that healthy is very important and you become more serious about changing your diet to include more nutritious choices.

Making healthy food choices is never as much fun as planning out the perfect appitzer or dessert but believe it or not, there are some choice you can make that will do wonders for your health and are fun and delicious to eat.

Once you have included these foods in your diet, you will be able to find many more to enjoy too. They are everywhere, you just to keep your eyes out for them!

The Strawberry: Did you enjoy eating strawberry shortcake as a child? You no doubt loved the whipped cream and the shortcake but the real power of this dessert is in the strawberries. Nature has created the near perfect food in the strawberry . . . and the blueberry . . . and the raspberry . . . and all the other berries as well. Eight medium strawberries have zero fat and only 49 calories. In addition, they also possess three grams of fiber which will help you to not only keep "regular" but will also keep you feeling full for a while after you've eaten!

This bright fruit is also a great way to get your folate, potassium and manganese. Strawberries are valuable to your health because they are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium with a unbelievable 149 percent of your vitamin C for the day in only eight berries! What a great way to keep your immune system performing at its peak! You'll also receive three percent of your total iron requirements and two percent of your calcium for the day - and when you reach 40 every bit of this bone-building nutrient is helpful.

The good really goods news is that there are so many ways to add strawberries to your diet. In cereals, with yogurt, in a smoothie, in salads - the list is endless. The bonus - they are one of the most potent sources of antioxidants around so keep em coming!

The Apple: Next on the list is the good old apple. It may not be quite as versatile as the berry but it still packs such a nutritional wallop that you just cannot ignore. And quite frankly, it sure does taste better than tofu! The apple is a great source of those hard-working antioxidants, which work tirelessly to destroy free radicals. And as we all know by now, free radicals are responsible for a variety of degenerative diseases that are related to the aging process, including heart disease and cancer. And now some experts even say that antioxidants can even keep wrinkles at bay. Disguised as a modest, humble fruit, the apple is really a superhero in the nutritional world.

Here is something else you may not know about the apple. By eating the apple peel regularly, your risk of developing cancer drops by 48 percent!

It really is true, all takes is an apple a day!

Peanut Butter: Lets go back to your childhood, do you remember peanut butter? It may sound strange, but peanut butter is very nutritious. The best kind to eat is the all natural kind, you may need to visit the health food store to find it. The downside is that you will have to stir the jar every time you use it but the it is tastier and more healthy for you.

The benefits of peanut butter include reducing feeling of hunger because it keeps you feeling full long after you eat it. Studies have shown that women who ate peanut butter staved off hunger for over two hours as compared to those who ate rice cakes and were hungry after only 30 minutes!

Peanut butter is not only a great source of iron but when combined with a high-fiber wheat bread, it will keep you satisfied even longer than that! For a nutritious mid-day snack, eat half a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread with an apple. Another great food for women 40 and over.