DestinationSpaVacations Eat Your Vegetables

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Nutrition
Eat Your Vegetables
By
Jan 7, 2010 - 10:22:27 AM

Canyon Ranch (Massachusetts)

Your mother was right - you really should eat plenty of fresh, colorful plant foods every day.

Why? The evidence overwhelming. Besides supplying the vitamins and minerals your mom knew about, plant foods are packed with fiber and an alphabet's worth of beneficial bioactive compounds - read on for just a few of the astounding details of the more than 200 studies to date showing significant health-protective effects of phytochemicals.

Resolve to Evolve Your Diet
Eating more whole plant foods every day is a simple, effective way to improve your health: When you make a conscious effort to add fruits, vegetables or legumes to each meal, you automatically eat better. (Be aware, though, that this does not apply to America's favorite vegetable, the potato. You are almost certainly eating enough potatoes already!)

Replacing simple carbs with a variety of fruits and vegetables will also help you "detox" from holiday feasting. Regret for succumbing to those ubiquitous plates of homemade cookies does you no good at all, but adding berries to your cereal, an apple to your lunch and a big salad to your dinner will strengthen your whole system - and will likely help you lose any weight you put on over the holidays. Filling up on whole fruits and vegetables is a powerful tool for successful long-term weight maintenance.

There's yet another great reason to eat more plant foods - eating less animal protein and processed food is a very green thing to do. Calories from lower on the food chain "cost" less in terms of energy, pollution and water.

Better health, a lower number on the scale and a clear conscience - what more could you ask from a New Year's resolution?

Eat by Eye - A Quick (& Very Incomplete) Guide to the Bioactive Spectrum

Red - Tomatoes, rich in lycopene
Benefits of lycopene include protection against Prostate and lung cancer
Cardiovascular disease (in women)
Cataracts
Debilitation with advancing age

Lycopene is also found in:
Watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava & papaya

Orange - Carrot, rich in carotenoids - a family of more than 600 yellow, orange and red pigments - all with different specific benefits.
Bright-orange beta carotene is the best known.
Beta carotene is vital for:
Eyesight
Immune defense
DNA repair
Learning & memory
Control of cell division

Also found in:
Sweet potato, pumpkin, kale, spinach, butternut squash, Swiss chard, cantaloupe & mango

Yellow - Corn, great source of lutein
Benefits of lutein include:
Protection of the the macula of the eye - especially important for women, people with blue eyes and those with a family history of macular degeneration

Also found in:
Kale, collards, spinach, parsley, okra, Romaine lettuce, red peppers & Brussels sprouts

Green - Broccoli, great source of isothiocyanates & indoles
Benefits include protection against:
Enzymes that activate carcinogens
DNA damage
Hormone-related cancers
Growth of transformed cells

Also found in:
Kale, cabbage, broccoli, watercress, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnips, asparagus, bok choy, mustard greens & spinach

Blue - Blueberries, rich in ellagic acid
Ellagic acid concentrate
Stops cancer cells from dividing
Kills many types of cancer cells
Kills human papilloma virus

Also found in:
Other berries, red & purple grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, currants, pecans, walnuts & seeds

Purple - Eggplant, rich in anthocyanins

Benefits include:
Strengthening capillaries
Reducing blood clotting
Eliminating free radicals
Reducing inflammation
Preventing binding of carcinogens to DNA

Also found in:
Red cabbage, red bell pepper, red apple, red onions, plums, red wine & cherries

And let's not forget the less brilliant but still powerful onion and garlic family, rich in compounds that detoxify the liver and reduce cancer risk, or the vastly beneficial legumes, which contain isoflavones that lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, increase good cholesterol and protect against cell mutation.