MILK
>> Why it belongs in your cart: Like yogurt, milk provides high-quality protein and calcium, but it trumps yogurt in the vitamin D department. While the body is able to make vitamin D in response to strong sunlight, many American women come up short, especially those who live in northern regions. Getting enough vitamin D was also linked to better lung function in a study of adult Americans, and it's important for muscle growth and strength.

>> Make it a staple: Aim for three 8- ounce servings of milk each day. Enjoy it with whole-grain cereal, as flavored milk or in smoothies. Sneak in a serving by making instant oatmeal in the microwave using milk instead of water and by preparing canned condensed soup with milk.

COTTAGE CHEESE
>> Why it belongs in your cart: Cottage cheese is a top-notch source of protein that contains less calcium than yogurt but more protein. Just a half-cup of low-fat cottage cheese provides 14 grams of protein—about the amount in 2 ounces of cooked poultry, meat or seafood—for only around 100 calories. And cottage cheese is always ready to eat, so it's a great way to increase protein intake. A report in a 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that getting 30% of your daily calories from protein (about 160 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet) helps you eat less overall. When study subjects doubled their protein without changing their calories and were allowed to eat whatever else they wanted, they took in fewer calories than when they were on a lower-protein regimen.

>> Choose the best: Sodium is cottage cheese's one drawback, so select a low-sodium brand that contains about 50 mg of sodium per serving, a real bargain compared to the 450 mg or so you find in regular low-fat varieties.

>> Your new favorite meal: Scoop out the inside of a baked potato and mix it with 1 cup of cottage cheese. Return the mixture to the potato skin, top with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and microwave until the cheese melts.

FORTIFIED ORANGE JUICE
>> Why it belongs in your cart: If you're drinking juice, you might as well make the most of it. Orange juice with added calcium and vitamin D is the way to go; the major brands supply as much calcium and vitamin D as a glass of milk (minus the protein and other vitamins and minerals). And a glass of any orange juice gets you about half of the vitamin C you need every day. In a study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, researchers followed 20,000 subjects who kept diet diaries. Those who consumed the fewest fruits, vegetables and vitamin C were three times more likely to develop inflamed joints than test subjects who consumed the highest amounts. Vitamin C also aids in the production of collagen, the connective tissue that holds together bones and joints.

>> Choose the best: Select orange juice that's fortified with vitamin D3 and a combination of calcium hydroxide, malic acid and citric acid, which are highly absorbable forms.

EGGS
>> Why they belong in your cart: Egg protein is considered the gold standard because it provides all of the amino acids your body needs. In fact, all other sources of protein, including meat, seafood and dairy foods, are judged against egg protein quality. And eggs are filling, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Women who ate an egg breakfast consumed an average of 164 fewer calories at lunch compared to a group of women who ate a bagel breakfast, even though both meals supplied the same number of calories. Even better, the egg eaters reportedly took in 400 fewer calories for the 36 hours after their egg meals. As if they weren't good enough on their own, eggs now contain added nutrients, most notably docosahexanoic acid, or DHA—an omega-3 polyunsaturated fat that has been linked to reduced inflammation in the body.

>> Choose the best: Select a brand with at least 150 mg of DHA per egg. Only buy those that have been refrigerated.

>> Make it a staple: Hard-boiled eggs make quick, protein-rich snacks.

CENTER AISLES WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD
>> Why it belongs in your cart: Every woman, active or not, needs at least three servings of whole-grain foods each day to foster good health. And when it comes to grains, the whole is better than the sum of its parts. Research suggests that the individual nutrients and plant compounds found in whole grains act together to deliver beneficial effects. When you're watching your waistline, the fiber in whole-grain bread comes in handy. According to Barbara Rolls, PhD, researcher and author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan, getting enough fiber is key when you're trying to keep calories low because fiber adds bulk to foods without increasing calories. As a result, you feel fuller while consuming less. Aim to get about 25 grams of fiber every day.

>> Choose the best: Most bread is made from wheat, so be sure the label specifies that it contains whole wheat or whole grains. Whole grains can come from any type of grain, including wheat, oats, corn, rice and barley. Surprisingly, foods labeled with the words multigrain, stone-ground, 100% wheat, cracked wheat, seven-grain and bran usually aren't whole grain. Check the ingredients list—whole-wheat or wholegrain flour should come first, and most whole-grain breads offer at least 2 grams of fiber per serving.

OATMEAL
>> Why it belongs in your cart: Oatmeal is rich in fiber, filling you up for relatively few calories. Most instant varieties are fortified with iron, necessary for making red blood cells that carry oxygen to working muscles. A whole grain, oatmeal is naturally rich in the mineral manganese, which is required for strong bones as well as amino-acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Just one packet of instant oatmeal supplies nearly all the manganese you need in a day.
>> Choose the best: Most instant oatmeal in packets is loaded with sugar, which increases calories. Look for oatmeal that contains no more than 160 calories, 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.

EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
>> Why it belongs in your cart: Do you eat salads in the name of good health, feeling virtuous because you top them with fat-free dressing? You may be missing out on fat, but you're also coming up short on carotenoids. When researchers fed test subjects salads that included romaine lettuce (see "Produce Section") with fat-free, low-fat or fullfat dressings, they discovered that the fattier the salad dressing, the greater the body's absorption of carotenoids. Olive oil provides the perfect base for salad dressings for active women because it's rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Olive oil also supplies oleocanthal, a natural substance that acts like overthe- counter pain-relievers to ease muscle pain from tough workouts.

>> Choose the best: Purchase extravirgin olive oil in glass containers, preferably tinted glass to preserve nutrients. At home, store oil in a cool, dark place. A cabinet located away from the stove and direct sunlight works well. You may leave it in its original glass container, but always replace the cap on the bottle and keep it tightly sealed.

>> Make it your go-to condiment: Cook with olive oil instead of butter. Mix with balsamic vinegar and fresh or dried herbs for salad dressing, and drizzle onto steamed broccoli, asparagus or cauliflower. hers