1. Greek: There's a good reason docs love the Mediterranean diet: Traditional Greek foods like dark leafy veggies, fresh fruit, high-fiber beans, lentils, grains, olive oil, and omega-3-rich fish deliver lots of immune-boosting and cancer-fighting ingredients that cut your risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other diet-related ailments.
2. California Fresh: Eating plenty of disease-fighting, naturally low-cal, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables from a local farmers' market or farm is good for your body, and it's satisfying, says Health's Senior Food and Nutrition Editor Frances Largeman-Roth, RD. "Foods grown locally are going to taste better and may have more nutrients," she explains, while produce that's shipped cross-country after being harvested can lose vitamin C and folate, not to mention flavor.
3. Vietnamese: One of the healthiest and most delicious Vietnamese dishes is pho (pronounced "fuh"), an aromatic, broth-based noodle soup full of antioxidant-packed spices. (Check out judge Bittman's vegetarian take on it, at right.)
4. Japanese: Japanese practice Hara Hachi Bu, which means "eat until you are eight parts (or 80 percent) full," she says. This simple diet rules may be why people in Japan are far less likely than Americans to get breast or colon cancer.Japanese staples that are amazing for your health include antioxidant-rich yams and green tea; cruciferous, calcium-rich veggies like bok choy; iodine-rich seaweed (good for your thyroid); omega-3-rich seafood; shiitake mushrooms (a source of iron, potassium, zinc, copper, and folate); and whole-soy foods.
5. Indian: The distinctive flavors do more than perk up your favorite curry: They may actually protect against some cancers. And turmeric and ginger help fight Alzheimer's, according to recent studies. Researchers point to the fact that rates of Alzheimer's in India are four times lower than in America, perhaps because people there typically eat 100 to 200 milligrams of curry everyday.
6. Italian: Studies have shown that the lycopene in tomatoes may help protect women from breast cancer," Dr. Miller says. One of the best ways to get cancer-fighting lycopene is in cooked tomato products: a half-cup of tomato sauce has more than 20 milligrams. Plus, garlic and traditional Italian herbs provide vitamins A and C. And olive oil helps lower cholesterol, fight heart disease, and burn belly fat.
7. Spanish: The Spanish eat tons of fresh seafood, vegetables, and olive oil-all rock stars when it comes to your weight and well-being. Superhealthy dishes to order: gazpacho (full of cancer-fighting lycopene and antioxidants) and paella (rich in fresh seafood, rice, and veggies).
8. Mexican: A Mexican diet of beans, soups, and tomato-based sauces helped lower women's risk of breast cancer, a study from the University of Utah found. And the cuisine's emphasis on slowly digested foods like beans and fresh ground corn may provide protection from type 2 diabetes.
9. South American: With 12 countries within its borders, South America has a very diverse culinary repertoire. But our judges applaud the continent's traditional diet of fresh fruits and vegetables (including legumes) along with high-protein grains like quinoa. In fact, a typical South American meal of rice and beans creates a perfect protein,
10. Thai: Can a soup fight cancer? If it's a Thai favorite called Tom Yung Gung, the answer just might be yes. Made with shrimp, coriander, lemongrass, ginger, and other herbs and spices used in Thai cooking, the soup was found to possess properties 100 times more effective than other antioxidants in inhibiting cancerous-tumor growth.