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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] To Produce Good Health, Bite Into Fruit and Veggies
  • Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:25:47 -0600

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/20/AR2008062002600.html?hpid=smartliving


To Produce Good Health, Bite Into Fruit and Veggies

By Sally Squires
Tuesday, June 24, 2008; HE05

Imagine a drug that could whittle your waistline, control blood pressure,
keep you regular, protect your heart, strengthen your bones, cut the risk of
stroke and possibly help you sidestep some types of cancer. And what if this
drug were also easy to obtain and inexpensive, and it even tasted good?

It would be hard to beat, wouldn't it? There's no pill with those benefits,
but there is food that hits those high nutritional notes. I'm talking, of
course, about fruit and vegetables.

Scientists are just beginning to fully understand the power of produce. And
the start of summer provides a great opportunity to expand your nutritional
horizons by sampling the foods that will come into peak season during the
coming months.

Seasonal fruit and vegetables cost less than produce available at other times
of year, so they can help stretch your food dollars. Plus, if you pick or
grow your own, you can also save money and maybe even burn a few extra
calories along the way.

What many people don't know is that it isn't only fresh fruit and vegetables
that provide health benefits. Studies show that canned, dried and frozen
produce have nearly all the same attributes as fresh -- provided that you
choose products that don't come slathered with added sugar or laced with lots
of extra salt.

Eating more fruit and vegetables sounds like a no-brainer, the kind of
common-sense advice that mothers have dished out for generations. Now,
21st-century scientists are beginning to fathom why these foods provide so
many benefits.

It has to do with an array of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and
phytonutrients --plant-based substances with tongue-twisting names such as
anthocyanins and lycopene. Don't worry about pronouncing them. All you need
to know is that these antioxidants are found in red and deep-pink fruit and
vegetables. That means pomegranates, red cabbage, cherries, red peppers,
watermelon, red grapes and more. They appear to help reduce the risk of some
tumors, including prostate cancer. And that's just for starters.

Green fruit and vegetables, from avocado, pears and limes to okra, green
beans and zucchini, are rich in carotenoids. These substances help preserve
vision by protecting the retina and gobble up free radicals to help thwart
cancer and aging.

Yellow and orange produce is rich in beta carotene, which is converted by the
body into Vitamin A. It boosts immunity and protects vision. Count apricots,
bananas, papayas, peaches, carrots and butternut squash in this group, which
also packs other nutrients. Pineapple, for example, has bromelain, an enzyme
that aids in digestion and reduces bloating.

White vegetables and fruit, from jicama to litchi nuts, contain allicin,
which helps control blood pressure and cholesterol and may bolster immunity.

But the superstars seem to be cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, arugula, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga,
turnips, bok choy, horseradish, wasabi and watercress.

These vegetables contain potent substances that seem to protect against
cancer and appear to have antimicrobial activity. In April, scientists
reported that substances extracted from broccoli and other cruciferous
vegetables thwarted (in the laboratory, at least) the bacteria that cause
stomach ulcers as well as 23 of 28 other common microbes and fungi. There's
also evidence that eating cruciferous vegetables may help counteract the
suspected cancer-causing chemicals found in grilled food.

Dietary supplement makers have tried to duplicate the health effects of fruit
and vegetables, without success. And in one large Scandinavian study, smokers
who took supplements with beta carotene had an increased risk of lung cancer
compared with those who didn't take the pills. To date, there have been no
reported harmful effects of consuming any of these substances in food.

What makes food better? Scientists believe it comes down to synergy:
reactions that take place in the food itself between phytonutrients and
vitamins and minerals.

That's why it's key to meet the recommended daily intake for fruit and
vegetables. Studies suggest that just 25 percent of adults and children in
the United States eat enough fruit daily. Only 13 percent get enough
vegetables each day.

How much do you need? Forget the old "five-a-day" advice. That was retired in
2005, when the U.S. Dietary Guidelines were updated. Current recommendations
are for most adults to eat about two cups daily of fruit (roughly equal to
two pieces) and about 2.5 cups of vegetables per day.

The message is simple: If you're looking for flavor that also is worth its
weight in nutritional benefits, reach for fruit and vegetables as often as
possible. Or perhaps this Middle Eastern saying puts it best: "A melon for
ecstasy!"




  • [Livingontheland] To Produce Good Health, Bite Into Fruit and Veggies, Tradingpost, 06/24/2008

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