We've heard it all before. Drink more water. Oatmeal lowers cholesterol. Eat blueberries for the brain. Dark chocolate in small amounts can be a boon to your well-being.

By mid-January, the echo of those well-intended admonitions may be fading, especially when so many diet regimens don't take into consideration the local taste for rice, shoyu and all things pan-fried.

So we've gone with a strategy that won't ask you to turn away from favorite Island ingredients. Instead, we suggest you emphasize these four familiar foods that provide healthy choices and nutrition: papaya, 'ahi poke and other fish, edamame and Chinese cabbage, as recommended by Julie Curtis, a dietitian with the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at The Queen's Medical Center, and other experts.

PAPAYA

Papaya, a longtime breakfast favorite in Hawai'i, contains papain enzymes that stimulate digestion and work as a laxative. The fruit is also a great source of vitamin C — in fact, just half a papaya gives you 150 percent of the recommended daily amount of this key vitamin. It's fat and cholesterol-free, and a good source of potassium, folate and fiber. You can have it for breakfast, in a fruit salad, or chopped into a spicy salsa to top fish.

Not a papaya fan, or looking for variety? Other local "yellow" foods that pack a nutritional punch are mangoes, Okinawan and yellow sweet potatoes and kabocha squash.

POKE AND SEAFOOD

Curtis enthusiastically endorses 'ahi poke and related fish dishes such as sashimi and lomi salmon as healthy components of a local diet. 'Ahi, or yellowfin tuna, is available year-round, and it's even more abundant in the summer.

'Ahi is the least oily of the fish in the tuna family and is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against cancer and depression. In addition, it contributes selenium, niacin, vitamin B12 and magnesium to your diet.

Amy Tousman, a dietitian with Straub Clinic's Health Education Center (and an Advertiser columnist), warns that when eating poke and sashimi, it's important to control the amount of sodium you add with the customary shoyu and wasabi dip. Tousman suspects that dunking sashimi might make that easier to control. Low-sodium shoyu is a healthier choice.

Tousman stresses the importance of eating a variety of different foods, including those recommended here. She suggests adding pickled vegetable dishes such as namasu to a meal — the rice vinegar in this side dish works as an appetite suppressant, she says, and helps lower sugar levels.

Looking for other fish choices? How about butterfish or salmon, two oily fishes suggested by Judy Thompson, a dietitian with the Food and Nutritional Services Department at Queen's. Thompson recommends the fish be baked, grilled or sealed in foil and cooked. She also has no problem with pan-frying fish in a small amount of healthy oil such as olive, macadamia, or canola.

"Many people like to eat sardines with their bones, which can be a good source of calcium as well as the omega-3 fatty acids," says Thompson. An old favorite island meal of canned sardines, fresh tomatoes and raw onions with poi is actually very healthy.

She cautions about keeping portion control in mind. Too many calories will lead to weight gain, and that's not good — no matter how "healthy" the food.

EDAMAME

Edamame, nibbled as a snack or tossed into salads, is a favorite in local restaurants — often with pau hana drinks. Served in the shell after being boiled in lightly salted water and tossed with a light chili sauce, edamame is inexpensive and packed with nutrition.

The soybeans are low in fat and carbohydrates (in spite of being a legume) and are a wonderful source of soy protein. This protein combined with sucrose makes it an excellent food for diabetics trying to maintain blood sugar levels. Soybeans also contain good amounts of vitamins A, B and calcium.

CHINESE CABBAGE

Crinkly Chinese cabbage is the fourth of our healthy foods for local tastes. Often called Napa or Peking cabbage, it is nutritionally a better choice than head cabbage. It is high in calcium and vitamin A, and also offers some vitamin C, potassium, folacin and dietary fiber.

Chinese cabbage is excellent cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes and can be eaten raw in salads. Available year-round, it should not be washed until right before use and can be stored in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag for three or four days.

Alternatives to cabbage? Thompson likes most local vegetables and particularly recommends dark green varieties such as Manoa lettuce, watercress and taro leaves.

TRIPLE WHAMMY

Here's a recipe that includes papaya, 'ahi and cabbage. It's adapted from a dish created by former Maui chef Kathleen Daelemans, now featured on the Food Network. She is known for deliciously cooking her way to a much slimmer body.

SEARED 'AHI WITH CHINESE CABBAGE SLAW

SLAW