New Year’s Resolution to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables!

Another reason to keep that New Year’s Resolution to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

 See also:  Total Antioxidant Capacity of Diet and Risk of Stroke                      

and: Delay of Stroke Onset by Milk Proteins in Stroke-Prone 

Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

High consumption of antioxidant rich food seems to lower stroke risk for women with no previous stroke and women who have had a hemorrhagic stroke.

In a brand new study in the journal Stroke, women with higher total antioxidant capacity had fewer strokes.  This study measured total antioxidant capacity, which considers all antioxidants and the synergistic effects between them, not just one antioxidant like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, or Lutein found in leafy green vegetables.

Why do we need antioxidants?
In the 1950’s scientist Denman Harman theorized that oxygen free radicals produced during normal respiration would cell damage which eventually leads to age related diseases and eventually death. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Antioxidant substances include: Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. There are many others:  carotenoids (zeaxanthin) and flavanoids (rutin, resveratrol, quercetin)

Where do we get antioxidants?
Antioxidant chemicals are found in many foods: fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, and some meats, poultry and fish, but vegetables and fruits are particularly rich in a variety of antioxidants.

Foods are considered to be the preferred way of boosting antioxidant levels because foods contain a wide variety of antioxidants that have NATURAL  synergistic effects between them . Many of the foods high in antioxidants are also high in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

For the different types of antioxidants, choose VARIETY-- foods of with different colors and textures.

Red Fruits and Vegetables Contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin, to name a few. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support join tissue in arthritis cases.

Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macular degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Green vegetables and Fruit

Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.

 

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables

Contain nutrients which include lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. Similar to the previous nutrients, these nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.

White fruits and vegetables

Contain nutrients such as beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers. For more information: Disabled World - Disability News for all the Family: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml#ixzz1iEgvlUTI

Keeping with a New Year’s Tradition of Top 10 lists!

 A USDA study analyzed the antioxidant content of commonly consumed foods. Of the 100 foods tested, this is the top 20 fruits, vegetables and nuts:

1. Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup
2. Wild blueberry, 1 cup
3. Red kidney bean (dried), 1/2 cup[br[
4. Pinto bean, 1/2 cup
5. Blueberry (cultivated), 1 cup
6. Cranberry, 1 cup (whole)
7. Artichoke (cooked hearts), 1 cup
8. Blackberry, 1 cup
9. Prune, 1/2 cup
10. Raspberry, 1 cup
11. Strawberry, 1 cup
12. Red delicious apple, 1
13. Granny Smith apple, 1
14. Pecan, 1 ounce
15. Sweet cherry, 1 cup
16. Black plum, 1
17. Russet potato, 1 cooked
18. Black bean (dried), 1/2 cup
19. Plum, 1
20. Gala apple, 1

References:

Free Radical Theory of Aging: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-radical_theory_of_aging

Muller FL, Lustgarten MS, Jang Y, Richardson A, Van Remmen H.(2007). Trends in oxidative aging theories. Free Radic Biol Med. 43(4):477-503.

Rautiainien, S., Larsson, S., Virtamo, J., Wolk, A. (2011).Total Antioxidant Capacity of Diet and Risk of Stroke: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort of Women STROKEAHA.111.635557 Published online before print December 1, 2011, doi: 10.1161/​STROKEAHA.111.635557