Archive for the ‘Mediterranean Diet Recipes’ Category

Oranges have been from time immemorial a staple food in the Mediterranean countries. They have also been a major player in protecting the people of that region from heart disease. Thus, if you never thought of oranges as a “must” food for your heart, here are some good reasons to start doing so:? Oranges and vitamin COranges are very rich in vitamin C. This vitamin has the following effects in our body:? It protects our arteries from free radicals, highly damaging molecules that cause our cells to oxidize. ? It helps prevent the oxidation of cholesterol; oxidized cholesterol sticks to the walls of our arteries, building up plaque. Plaque can grow large enough to block blood flow in our blood vessels, causing a heart attack or a stroke.? It helps recycle vitamin E, one of the most powerful antioxidants and the first line of defense when it comes to the oxidation of our cells. ? Oranges and FolateOranges are naturally rich in folate, or folic acid, a vitamin of the B group. One role of folate is to process the amino acid homocysteine in our body. When folate is lacking, homocysteine is not broken down, piles up in our blood vessels and becomes toxic even in small amounts. The accumulation of high levels of homocysteine in the blood may cause a heart attack even among people who have adequate cholesterol levels. ? Oranges and Minerals? Sodium. Oranges are very low in sodium. When we eat foods containing a large amount of sodium (salt) we retain a large volume of fluid in our blood vessels that needs to be moved around by the heart. The result is we end up with high blood pressure.? Potassium. Oranges are high in potassium, a mineral that plays a key role in heart functions and muscle contractions, making it an important nutrient for a healthy heart. It works with sodium to regulate the water balance in the body. Diets low in sodium and high in potassium lower blood pressure, reducing the risk for strokes.? Calcium. Oranges contain a good amount of calcium, a mineral extremely important in maintaining normal blood pressure; it is required for nerve transmission and regulation of heart muscle contraction. Many studies have shown that as we increase the consumption of foods with a high content of calcium, the risk of high blood pressure decreases, especially if we maintain adequate intakes of magnesium.? Magnesium. Oranges are also rich in magnesium; this mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Having adequate amounts of magnesium in the body helps your heart maintain a steady rhythm and normal blood pressure.? Oranges and PhytochemicalsThe word “phyto” means “plant” in Greek. Phytochemicals are nonnutritive chemicals found in plant foods that protect their host plants from infections and microbial invasions. Through research we have learned that phytochemicals are also crucial in protecting humans against disease. Some phytochemicals found in oranges are:? Flavonones, anthoctanins, hydroxycinnamic acids, polyphenols. These phytochemicals are one large family of protective antioxidants commonly seen in foods rich in vitamin C. In the body, they fight inflammation and free radicals; prevent platelets from sticking together; block certain molecules that raise blood pressure; and strengthen the small blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the body cell.? Hesperidin. In animal studies, the flavonone hesperidin has been shown to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol as well as to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. This component is found in the peel and inner white pulp of the orange. To reap the full benefits of oranges, grate a tablespoon of the peel and use it to flavor tea, salads, yogurt, soups, and cereals.? Oranges and FiberOne orange contains about 3 grams of fiber: 60 percent is soluble fiber and 40 percent insoluble. Both types are important for our health, but soluble fiber is the one that lowers cholesterol. Pectin, the soluble fiber that’s found mainly in the skin around each orange section and in the peel, helps trap and eliminate cholesterol from the body. Try to eat a little of the white part of the orange peel; it contains half of the fruit’s pectin supply. Vitamin C SupplementsVitamin C supplements do not accomplish in our body what fresh oranges do; make an effort to get your vitamins from fresh foods. However, if you decide to continue taking vitamin C supplements, keep the following in mind:? Do not exceed 2 grams of vitamin C a day because when quantities exceed the body needs, it can become a pro-oxidant.? If you decide to discontinue your intake of large doses of vitamin C supplements, don’t stop all of the sudden; do it gradually to prevent a deficiency. ? Vitamin C supplements are dangerous for people with iron overload because it enhances iron absorption and releases iron from body stores. Free iron in the body causes the kind of cellular damage typical of free radicals.Final Thoughts I hope by now you are convinced you need to include oranges in your daily life to prevent or control heart disease. Remember: one orange a day keeps heart attacks away.One orange contains all the vitamin C your body needs for the day. If you have a farmers market in your area, pay a visit to those local farmers and look for organic fresh oranges. They are delicious!Note:Oranges contain some oxalic acid and should be restricted for those with calcium-oxalate stones.

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Six Reasons the Mediterranean Diet Promotes Good Health

Introduction

Over the course of the past forty years, women the world over have become particularly concerned about their diets. They have become concerned about diet related issues for two primary reasons:

Women have expressed concern over how a particular diet plan effects their appearances

Women have expressed concern over how a particular dies plan effects their health

As a result, a growing number of women have found themselves attracted to the Mediterranean diet. When it comes to the Mediterranean diet, there are six primary reasons why women find themselves strongly attracted to the diet regimen.

Weight Loss and Healthy Weight Maintenance

In many countries around the world, a record number of women are being classified as overweight and even obese. As a result, a growing number of women find themselves seeking effective and healthy dieting regimens to lower their weight to appropriate levels — for both cosmetic as well as health reasons.

The Mediterranean diet has proven itself to be very effective at providing a means through which women can lose weight in a healthy manner. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet has proven incredibly effective as being a solid path a woman can take to maintain a generally ideal and healthy weight.

Anti-oxidants and Aging

The Mediterranean diet regimen is flush with foods that are rich in anti-oxidants. This includes leafy, dark green vegetables as well as certain fish that are common features in this dietary scheme.

Anti-oxidants have been proven to slow the appearance of aging in women. Additionally, anti-oxidants have been demonstrated as being effective at preventing organ and skin deterioration in women. The consumption of foods that are high in anti-oxidants has been proven to enhance longevity in both women and men.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is an ailment in which a person ends up afflicted with both Type Two diabetes and hypertension. Most experts believe that diet can play a significant role in reducing the likelihood of metabolic syndrome in men and women who are prone to the ailment.

Without exception, medical experts who have studied the cause and effect of metabolic syndrome universally have agreed that the Mediterranean diet is the perfect dietary scheme to prevent and control metabolic syndrome.

Heart Disease

Multiple studies in a number of different countries have concluded that the adoption of the Mediterranean diet lowers the incidence of heart disease in women (and men). Indeed, an analysis of the incidence of heart disease in the Mediterranean nations suggests that the use of the Mediterranean diet can lower the incidence of heart disease in women from twenty-five to forty percent.

Hypertension

Recent scientific studies have examined the rising incidence of hypertension amongst women. Many researchers attribute the increase in hypertension amongst women in recent years to a number of changes that have occurred in their lives, including:

– a greater number of women entering the workforce

– a growing number of women being forced to juggle the raising of children with a full time career

– the food and beverage choices that women are making in the 21st century

Research studies in a dozen different countries over the course of the past twenty years have suggested that the Mediterranean diet is effective at lowering the incidence of hypertension in men and women. Because the Mediterranean diet is high if fruit, vegetables and whole grains and because the diet is low in saturated fats, most nutritionists and other experts believe that the dietary scheme works to lower hypertension in both men and women.

The Mediterranean diet combined with regular exercise has been demonstrated to have a marked effect on reducing the incidence of hypertension amongst middle aged women.

Breast Cancer

Perhaps the most important “ingredient” of the Mediterranean diet is olive oil. Save for fresh fruits and vegetables (in most instances) olive oil universally is present in the Mediterranean diet. As a result, on the surface, the diet scheme appears to be high in fat. Indeed, upwards to thirty percent of the caloric intake of the Mediterranean diet does come fat. What is important to keep in mind is that nearly 100% of the fat in the Mediterranean diet is unsaturated and comes directly from olive oil. In other words, the fat in the Mediterranean diet essentially is healthy. Olive oil, and the fat contained in the product, simply does not trigger the negative consequences that flow from saturated fats, from animal fats.

In addition, there have been several important scientific studies undertaken in the past decade that have demonstrated that a diet high in olive oil works to lower the risk of breast cancer in women. Thus, one of the beneficial results of adopting the Mediterranean diet is a lowering of the risk for breast cancer.

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People have used garlic for thousand of years as both food and medicine as well as to ward off vampires. Well, although modern research has not confirmed yet that rubbing garlic on doorknobs and window frames can protect us against vampires or evil spirits, it has confirmed what our ancestors believed about the health benefits of this herb: its consumption can protect us from many ailments.

 

Unfortunately, for several decades, the widespread use of antibiotics has ignored the medical properties of garlic. Lately, however, interest in garlic has escalated and nowadays research is focusing on the role garlic plays in the prevention and control of heart disease.

 

How can garlic help prevent and control heart disease? Through the following mechanisms:

 

1. Garlic can lower your high blood pressureHigh blood pressure is one of the health conditions where garlic treatment brings the fastest results. Studies suggest that garlic dilates blood vessel walls, increasing the diameter of the arteries. Garlic also helps prevent high blood pressure by stopping blood cells from sticking together.

 

In a clinical trial, the subjects ingested standardized garlic powder capsules for four years. The results showed a 9 to 18 percent reduction in plaque volume and a 7 percent decrease in blood pressure. This resulted in an increase in the diameter of the arteries by 4 percent, which is associated with an 18 percent improvement of blood flow. These effects of garlic resulted in a risk reduction for heart attacks and strokes by more than 50 percent.

        

2. Garlic can lower your blood cholesterolStudies indicate that the populations that eat garlic consistently have the lowest level of blood cholesterol. Pennsylvania State University showed that men with high total blood cholesterol were able to lower its concentration by 7 percent and LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 10 percent when taking garlic supplements. The study indicated that the sulfur compounds in garlic were responsible for the results, especially S-allylcysteine, which prevents the formation of cholesterol by the liver.

 

3. Garlic can lower your blood plateletsPlatelets are tiny cells in the blood that, when arteries get damaged, rush to the lesion site to repair them. They become sticky and form a clot. Unfortunately, although platelets’ intentions are good, these clots are the first step toward the formation of a thrombus, an accumulation of platelets and protein. A thrombus may in time obstruct the flow of blood in the blood vessels. Studies have shown that small doses of garlic can prevent platelets from becoming sticky and piling up together. In a study carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, the subjects experienced a reduction of platelet stickiness after ingesting 5 milliliters of garlic extract per day for 13 weeks.

4. Garlic can reduce your plaque in the arteries

Plaque starts to form when arteries are damaged. It is made up of mounds of fat and debris deposited in the wall of the arteries that reduce the space available for blood to circulate. Plaque keeps growing and with time may block the flow of blood in the arteries.

 

One study showed that continuous intake of high doses of garlic powder capsules for four years reduced the plaque volume by 5 to 18 percent. It is also a fact that most people between 50 and 80 years of age have an increase in the amount of plaque. During the four years this study lasted, the volume of plaque remained constant in people within this age frame demonstrating that garlic has a preventive as well as a curative role in heart disease.

        

5. Garlic is an antioxidant

Garlic has been shown to protect blood vessels from the destructive effects of free radicals. Ankara University of Turkey conducted a study to investigate the effects of garlic extract on the oxidation of red blood cells. For six months, 11 patients with atherosclerosis ingested a daily dose of 1 milliliter of garlic extract per kilogram of body weight. The study showed a reduction on the level of oxidation of red blood cells in the patients.

 

How to get the medicinal properties out of garlic

 To get the medicinal properties of fresh garlic, however, you must follow several steps, a “protocol” as I call it before consuming it. Here is what you need to do

 

- Peel the cloves

- Cut them in small pieces

- Crush them in a mortar.

- After you have crushed the garlic, let it sit uncovered in the mortar for 10 or 15 minutes before you put it in the food. This allows the formation of allicin, a compound necessary to unleash the medicinal properties of garlic.

 

Conclusion

Remember that people around the world, especially those who enjoy few chronic diseases, use garlic extensively in their daily diets. A truly wonder of nature with more than 200 chemical compounds, garlic has been a crucial contributor to the curative effects of the Mediterranean diet. So, how about going back to the basics and put some garlic in your life as a preventive measure?

 

 

 

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www.mediterranean-diet-recipes.info This link provides access to a free in-depth Mediterranean diet report and other information referred to on the video. In essence, it’s a promo for the monthly delivery of healthy Mediterranean diet recipes via email. They are designed to assist with weight loss, minimizing the risk if disease and are for those seeking nutritious tasty recipes. Make sure you download the free Mediterranean diet report at the very least.

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For centuries, legumes or dry beans, as they are commonly known, have been a staple food in the Mediterranean countries where they have played an important part in the fight against heart disease.

 

Why?  Because…

 

- Legumes contain essential minerals and vitamins such as iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, zinc, potassium, folic acid, and some of the B-complex vitamins.

- They are low in fat and sodium which make them an ideal food to keep high cholesterol and high blood pressure at bay.

- Legumes are also high in soluble fiber, the kind that lowers cholesterol.

- They can help balance your budget because they are very inexpensive.

 

As you can see, dry beans are an almost perfect food.

 

In the past few years, research has paid a lot of attention to the connection between regular legume consumption and a lower incidence of heart disease. The studies have shown that the people who eat dry beans regularly have a lower risk of suffering from heart attacks than the ones who barely eat them.

 

One study examined the relationship between soluble fiber intake and the risk of heart disease on 9,632 men and women over a period of 19 years. It showed that consuming legumes four times or more per week, compared with less than once a week, lowered the risk of heart disease by 22 percent1  

 

How Eating Legumes Can Help You Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease?

        

1. Dry beans contain high amounts of soluble fiber

 

Fiber is what gives plants its structure. It’s found mainly in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, as well as whole grains. It is the portion of plants that our system can not break down because it doesn’t have the appropriate mechanisms to do it. Consequently, our cells have very little use for fiber. Fiber can be soluble and insoluble, and most plant foods contain a combination of both.

 

Soluble fiber means that the fiber dissolves in water and forms a jelly-like paste with other foods in the intestine. This feature is very important because it reduces the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood. Soluble fiber not only lowers LDL cholesterol, the “bad” guy, but it also raises HDL cholesterol, the “good” guy.   

 

Insoluble fiber does not have any effect on cholesterol but it is very beneficial for our whole body because it acts as a natural laxative

 

2. Dry beans help remove cholesterol from your system.   

 

Bile, produced by the liver, is a substance necessary to break down the fat we ingest in food. To produce bile, the liver grabs the cholesterol from the blood, converts it into bile, and sends it to the gallbladder where it’s stored until needed. Then, when we eat, the gallbladder sends the bile to the intestines to help break down the fat portion of the food. Once the bile has done its job in the intestines, one of two things can happen:

 

- If our meal has enough soluble fiber, the fiber grabs the bile and takes it out of the body through the feces. Once the bile is eliminated, the liver responds by drawing more cholesterol from the blood to make new bile. The result is less cholesterol circulating in our system.

 

- If our meal does not have enough soluble fiber, the bile is not taken out of the body. In this case, the liver doesn’t need to draw more cholesterol from the blood to produce more bile because there is plenty available in the system. The result is more cholesterol navigating in our blood vessels.

 

3. Dry beans stop cholesterol from even forming

 

When our meal includes soluble fiber, bacteria in the colon ferment it. This fermentation produces certain compounds that prevent the formation of cholesterol. This results in lower levels of cholesterol circulating in your blood vessels.

        

4. Dry beans can stop homocysteine from causing heart attacks or strokes

 

Homocysteine is a substance the body needs to produce certain compounds vital for our organs to function properly. To produce homocysteine, the body needs adequate amounts of vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid. However, when any of these vitamins is lacking, homocysteine is not converted into the necessary compounds. It then spills into circulation.

 

Many studies have shown that when homocysteine accumulates in our system, it becomes toxic. Even in small amounts, it will dramatically increase your risk of heart disease. High levels of homocysteine concentrations in the blood may cause a heart attack or a stroke, even among people who have normal cholesterol levels.

 

How can homocysteine cause heart attacks or strokes?

 

Abnormal levels of homocysteine appear to:

- Damage the inner lining of the arteries and blood vessels

- Promote blood clots

- Oxidize LDL cholesterol

 

How can you prevent homocysteine from accumulating in your blood?

 

Eat foods that contain folate as well as vitamins B6 and B12. Legumes are an excellent source of folate and contain moderate amounts of B6. Recent data show that the practice of fortifying foods with folate has reduced the average level of homocysteine in the U.S. population.

 

Conclusion

You don’t have to eat dry beans every day but based on studies conducted during more than 25 years, nutrition experts at the Michigan State University have concluded that eating 2 to 4 cups of cooked dry beans every week can protect us against heart disease2. Try to include a variety of legumes such as dry beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils several times a week. Mediterraneans follow this practice and are notorious for having a low incidence of heart attacks and strokes.

 

References:

1.Bazzano L, He J, Ogden L, Loria C, Suma Vupputuri S, Myers L, Whelton P, Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2001;161:2573–2578 (a).

2. www.michiganstateuniversity.org.

 

 

About the Author:

With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, American Dietetic Association Registered Dietitian Emilia Klapp has helped thousands of people just like you lower high blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels and remove the risk of heart disease. For more information on the book and to obtain a free especial report of the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://www.mediterraneanheart.com

 

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Healthy Mediterranean Diet Weightloss Without The Need For Fad Diets. Mediterranean Diet Recipes. Mediterranean Diet Information.
Mediterranean Diet Secrets.

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“The history of diet plan dated from the moment that the first monkey evoluted to be a lady”. My confidant jessica always says so. Wow, you may get the point. Just as what she says, her “process of becoming beauty” turns out to be a long long road like the human being evolution history.
When we were sophomore, I had to catch her back to our dormitory from square, because this guy actually asked me such questions, “wil, why are there so much candy floating on ground? Are they sweety? Could I have them?”. Well, you couldn’t eat them until you became transformer. I told myself. What could I do? The only thing was to buy real candy and huge hamburgs feeding this extreme hungry girl having no food for three days!
Then the next time, I saved her life from endless jogging and aerobic training. After that, jessica experiences differential “keep-fit” programs, and I go through kinds of rescue stories.
The only result I get from jessica’s lession is that losing weight is really really hard, and beauty is cruel. I comfort myselt that it is not bad to be Ugly Betty, at least I could be safe and I am alive.
Yet one day, jessica turns up again, glamorously and brightly. No baby fat, no laziness, but body tight and healthy!
I even couldn’t believe my eyes. What have you met? A generous orthopedic surgeon?
She smiles mysteriously, and gives me the data. What is it? I read it with suspicion at first. Yet during the process of reading, I am really convinced of by Isabel De Rios. Yes, that is the truth of beauty—no harm for health, and be energetic.
Then I do some detailed study on The Diet Solution Program, Isabel De Rios’ theory. I find that two new viewpoints bright Diet Solution Program.
The first is that you are what you eat. Of course we eat everyday, and acquire energy from food. Yet maybe people don’t know that some food are good—nutritional for them; some food are bad—harmful for them. The Diet Solution Program tells people how to choose food, and what and when to eat.
The second is to free people’s nature, so they could design their own diet plans on different circumstances. It means that people will not obey strict rules, for example people could only have one apple a day, or the calories is less than 100. Otherwise the diet plan would be failed!
To be frank, I have never met such easy and useful the diet solution program. Only a few days later. I feel the whole body is full of energy, the fat disappears, even the pores on face is smaller.
What a magic program! You could read the ebook here , and another beautiful one for yourself.

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Free Mediterranean Diet Recipes & Exercise Reports mediterranean-diet-recipes.info This is the link to register for the free reports below; 1. Walking as an Exercise Report You can also pick up your ID code to invite three friends too so you can also have these reports below at no charge; 2. Exercising from Home Report and… 3. A Mediterrannenan diet recipes collection The video is not in any way a briliant production but I think it gets the instructions across clearly. I hope you enjoy the reports as much as I enjoyed researching and compiling them for you. This is my way of spreading the word about the Mediterranean diet and giving you a kind of toe in the water to the Mediterranean diet recipes club. You can join that anytime you like. For now, just get the FREE reports and enjoy the recipes. Remember, there is NO charge for these reports. …keep well, Ray Darken

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Probably the most famous diet nowadays is the Mediterranean diet, which requires eating different kinds of fresh foods. Mediterranean region is blessed with great natural resources. People in this region can easily acquire fresh fruits and vegetables. If you want to have a healthy living and follow a Mediterranean diet plan, you have to adapt to the Mediterranean lifestyle.

Mediterranean diet plan is very simple. It has a pattern of limited intake of animal protein, plenty of fresh plant foods and small amount of saturated fats. Mediterranean diet plan consists of healthy and natural foods including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds, whole grains, pasta, cereals and olive oil. Fish should be consumed in a moderate amount as well as poultry products such as eggs and dairy that is low in fat. Red meat must be avoided. Moreover, alcohol intake should be limited although red wine is always present during lunch and dinner.

People from the Mediterranean region generally have an active lifestyle. They enjoy their lives by taking pleasure in every meal. Eating healthy foods is a part of their daily routine and they eat plenty of natural fresh foods as well as healthy fats. Weight is never a problem to them because they consume good and healthy foods as well as maintain an active lifestyle.

To be healthy, you must adapt the Mediterranean healthy lifestyle. You can do this by choosing the right kinds of food. Choose whole grains for your cereals, starches and breads. You must include fish, poultry, nuts, low-fat dairy and legumes in your diet so that you can get the proteins required for your body. Have fresh vegetables and reduce saturated fat in your regular diet. Instead of butter, use canola oil or olive oil.

Though olive oil has many benefits, it is not good for your waistline. This is one of the many downsides of Mediterranean diet plan. With Mediterranean diet plan, women can include one serving of wine every day while men can include two servings of wine each day. You cannot have too much alcohol or else you will break the diet.

Another downside of Mediterranean diet plan is the fact that it includes pasta and bread in the daily plan. If you consume too much bread or pasta, you may have the tendency to gain more weight.

Mediterranean diet is not applicable for everybody. For those who want to lose weight more effectively, you should not use Mediterranean diet plan. This diet plan is not intended for losing weight. Besides being complicated with its guidelines of different fresh foods to take, Mediterranean diet can be very expensive. You need to have a complete list of necessary foods, which may be difficult to get. If you do not live in the Mediterranean, forget it.

Mediterranean diet may have various benefits such as prevention of heart disease and other illnesses and enjoy a wide range of delicious foods while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, Mediterranean diet cannot provide immediate weight loss. Losing weight requires low-fat diet and Mediterranean diet includes milk, pasta and bread, which can be factors in gaining weight.

If you are looking for the best weight loss program, do not use the Mediterranean diet plan. What you need is a plan that can give the desired weight in a matter of days. Fat Loss For Idiots is the only weight loss plan that can assure you to lose eleven pounds in just 9 days.

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The holidays are gone and you are left with plenty of wonderful memories: time spent with your family and friends, sharing presents with your loved ones, lots of parties, and as part of all those gatherings, why not, memories of mouthwatering meals and desserts such as cakes, tarts, pies, pastries, chocolate, ice cream and cookies among others.

However, as a new year begins, the thought of all those “goodies” you ate starts to make you a little uneasy because deep inside, you have a feeling they were not the healthiest foods for you. And you know you ate a lot of them!

Don’t worry; it’s no good crying over spilt milk. It is true that these types of goods may contain large amounts of saturated fat and trans fats, a potential risk for your arteries, but what you want to do now is reverse gears and do some “damage control”. How? By eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables can decrease damage in your arteries

The biggest payoff of eating fruits and vegetables is for your arteries. The Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Studies followed up with about 110,000 men and women for 14 years. The results of the studies showed that compared with the people who ate less than 1.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, those who ate 8 or more servings a day were 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. The studies also showed that for every extra serving of fruit and vegetables participants added to their diets, their risk of heart disease dropped by 4 percent?. The protective effect of fruits and vegetables was attributed to a category of compounds named phytochemicals.

What are phytochemicals?

The word “phyto” means “plant” in Greek. Phytochemicals are nonnutritive chemicals found in plant foods that protect their host plants from infections and microbial invasions. Recently, however, we have learned that phytochemicals are also crucial in protecting humans against disease. Researchers estimate there are more than 100 different phytochemicals in one serving of fruit or vegetables.

How can phytochemicals protect you?

Phytochemicals perform many functions in our bodies and are involved in many activities. They:

• Act as antioxidants

• Keep the walls of small blood vessels healthy

• Make our small blood vessels stronger

• Prevent platelets from becoming sticky and piling up

• Block specific enzymes that raise blood pressure

Where can you find some of the main phytochemicals?

In every single fruit and vegetable. Here are some examples:

1. Carotenoids: Beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These phytochemicals protect fat cells, blood, and other body fluids from assault by radicals. Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for the colors of many red, green, yellow, and orange found in fruits and vegetables. They are found in:

• Apricots, cantaloupe, kiwifruit, mangoes, papayas

• Pink grapefruit, watermelon, broccoli, carrots, kale, pumpkin, spinach

• Sweet potatoes, winter squash, collard greens, corn, red peppers, romaine lettuce

• Swiss chard, tomatoes

2. Flavonoids: Resveratrol, anthocyanin, quartering, hesperidin, tangeritin. Flavonoids are one large family of protective antioxidants commonly seen in foods rich vitamin C. The activities of flavonoids in our bodies include:

• Acting against inflammation, fighting free radicals, and preventing platelets from sticking together.

• Blocking the enzymes (proteins that help biochemical reactions to happen) that raise blood pressure.

• Protecting and strengthening small blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to all body cells.

Flavonoids are found in:

• Apples, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, kiwifruit

• Limes, oranges, grapefruit, pears, plums, red grapes

• Tangerines, broccoli, garlic, kale, lettuce, onions

3. Ellagic Acid. This phytochemical protect us by decreasing cholesterol levels. It also has potent antioxidant properties. It is found in:

• Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries

• Currants, kiwifruit, red grapes

4. Allium compounds. Allium compounds protect the immune and cardiovascular system. The allelic sulfides in these plants are released when the plants are cut or smashed. They are found in:

• Chives, garlic, leeks, onions, scallions

Final Thoughts

As you can see, fruits and vegetables are a must in keeping our arteries healthy. If you are looking for a New Year’s resolution, how about choosing this one: to eat three or more pieces of fruit and five portions of vegetables a day for the rest of the year. Even better, for the rest of your life.

Note: If you are diabetic do not exceed three pieces of fruit a day.

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