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Healthy Living!  "Mother was right. Fruits and vegetables are really good for us." Fruits and vegetbles are sources of: Phytochemicals or phytonutrients are a group of chemicals found in plants that help resist toxins and environmental pollutants. Some of the well-known phytochemicals are isoflavones in soy, lycopene in tomatoes and flavanoids in fruits. Research has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help: |
Bluberries Strawberries Red Grapes All fruits are loaded with vitamins, but blueberries, strawberries, and red grapes offer something special: antioxidants called anthocyanins, which may protect brain cells and thus improve memory. At Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, neurologist Joseph James and his team found that rats fed the equivalent of one cup of blueberries or strawberries per day scored significantly better on memory tests than mice fed standard lab chow. Anthocyanins appear to prevent blood clots from forming and to safeguard the ability of brain cells to relay messages. In addition to anthocyanins, red grapes are packed with antioxidants called flavo-noids, which keep low-density cholesterol from becoming oxidized and clogging arteries. Flavonoids also appear to improve the function of the cells that line artery walls, making them more elastic and thus lowering the danger of blockages that cause heart attacks or stroke. SOURCE Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower Add a couple of servings of vegetables to your daily menu and you'll go a long way toward lowering your risk of many forms of cancer. Crunch for crunch, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts pack the biggest bang. They're loaded with two recently discovered cancer-fighting substances called brassinin and sulforaphane, which have been shown to boost the level of enzymes in the body that eliminate carcinogens before they turn dangerous, according to a review published March 1999 in the Journal of Nutrition. Cruciferous veggies also appear to lower stroke risk. In a Harvard University study of more than 75,000 women published in the October 1999 Journal of the American Medical Association, each additional daily serving of vegetables resulted in a 7% decrease in the incidence of stroke. SOURCE |
 
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