Heal Or Die: Healthy Eating

1.  Broccoli. Bean-O anyone? There may be a couple side effects to eating too much broccoli, but it’s worth it. To keep this short, I won’t try to list all of vitamins and minerals that it’s packed with, but it provides a ton of good stuff, including more than your daily requirement of Vitamins C, K and A in just one serving. In addition, the calcium provided by broccoli can be absorbed easily by your body (up to 50%), so it’s an efficient calcium provider as well. Broccoli contains the phytonutrients sulforaphane and the indoles, which have significant anti-cancer effects. These phytonutrients have been shown to fight several different types of cancer, suppress tumor growth, and these compounds actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification.

2.  Asparagus. In addition to providing more than your daily requirement of Vitamin K, this baby packs a Folate punch, delivering over 65% of your daily requirement. Folate is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. Asparagus is also loaded with B vitamins and minerals. Asparagus is a very good source of potassium (288 mg per cup) and low in sodium (19.8 mg per cup). Its mineral profile, combined with an active amino acid, asparagine, gives asparagus a diuretic effect. It has also been used to treat problems involving swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism.

3.  Bell Peppers. Most of us know that you can get a green, red or yellow bell pepper. But did you know they also come in orange, purple, brown and black? Different colors indicate different vitamins and minerals. Red bell peppers are loaded with lycopene and beta-carotene for example… this is what gives them their red color. The red’s also have three times more vitamin C per weight than any citrus fruit (green’s have twice as much)! Loaded with antioxidants, bell peppers help to neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that lead to heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma.

4.  Spinach. So, I’ll have to admit, I can’t eat the stuff cooked. I absolutely refuse to eat something that is squishy, slimy, warm and green. But, I do eat tons of fresh baby spinach. It’s good stuff. As far as density is concerned, dark leafy vegetables such as spinach deliver more nutrients per ounce of weight than any other food. Researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents. The vitamin K provided by spinach is almost 200% of the Daily Value in one cup of fresh spinach leaves (vitamin K can help maintain bone health). It’s also loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Talk about a power food!

5.  Carrots. Easy to find, easy to eat, and they’re a great snack when you’re craving something crunchy and sweet. Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of beta-carotene. Carrots’ antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision.

Avocado (my honorary favorite “vegetable”). It used to be that buying an avocado was an excuse to make guacamole; now, making guac is my excuse to eat the avocado. I love them! I love putting them in my salads, on a sandwich with turkey and bacon… yummmmm. And yes, it is actually a fruit but like tomatoes… I’m going to assume you’ve always thought of it as a veggie. One of the most nutrient-dense foods, avocados are high in fiber and, ounce for ounce, top the charts among all fruits for folate, potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium. The delicious healthy monounsaturated fat in the avocado is one of its biggest health claims. The monounsaturated fat in avocados is oleic acid, which may help lower cholesterol. One study found that after seven days on a diet that included avocados, there were significant decreases in both total and LDL cholesterol as well as an 11 percent increase in the “good” HDL cholesterol.

1. Berries. If I took the time to break them down, they would take up all five slots on my list. Blueberries top this “sublist” in that they contain 14 mg of Vitamin C in one cup and are filled with antioxidants. Then there’s strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, and the list goes on. Berries are extremely nutrient-dense. A one cup serving has less than 50 calories and packs a serious punch. Berries should always be purchased organic. Pesticides are not only very heavily used on berries to increase yield, but also have an ability to retain the chemicals which are used.

2. Cantaloupe. Cantaloupes have significant amounts of Vitamins A and C and are a good source of potassium and other minerals. In fact, a one cup serving will provide you with more than 100% of your daily requirement of Vitamins A and C, as well as good amounts of Vitamin B6, Folate and Dietary Fiber. It packs an extra bonus in that it is very sweet and juicy. When you’re fighting a big time sugar craving, this is the fruit to go to (and at roughly 60 calories per serving, you can’t go wrong)! It is primarily in season from June to August, but these days you can typically find it year-round at your local grocery store. Since we don’t eat the rind of this fruit, it is generally safe to buy non-organic.

3. Grapes. Grapes are low calorie, sweet and wonderful in texture. Aside from providing a good amount of manganese, these gems are packed with flavonoids. Flavonoids have been found to protect blood vessels, enhance Vitamin C uptake, and even control inflammation. Generally, the more purple/red the grape is, the more flavonoids they contain. A one cup serving is just 60 calories… beat that Snickers. Add this fruit to your must-eat-organic list.

4. Apples. So yeah, there’s really something to “An apple an day keeps the Doctor away“. Besides being rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C, a group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies done at Cornell University found that the apple phenolics, which are naturally occurring antioxidants found in fresh apples, can protect nerve cells from neurotoxicity induced by oxidative stress. Apples are another good sugar-buster, and studies have found that organic apples actually contain higher levels of phenolics than pesticide-laden alternatives. Why? The apples that have to defend pests on their own create more phenolics to defend themselves.

5. Tropical Fruits. This might not have been the expected 5th choice for the list, but I think there are so many great benefits to nearly all fruit in this category not to mention how absolutely divine they taste. If you’re an athlete then you already know what a banana can do for you! While bananas are probably the most common tropical fruit there are many others to take advantage of. While these fruits are generally higher in calorie content and fat, they make up for it in flavor and nutrients.