I've been trying to work on eating healthier for a number of years. I'm not a nut about it but I try. One thing I'm trying to do is add more fruits and vegetables to my diet, especially the bright and deeply colored ones. I like fruits and vegetables so eating them is not a problem in itself. I do have problems at times remembering to choose them over less nutritious foods.
I, also, have problems with remembering to eat them all before they turn into biology projects in my refrigerator. (You know those gray, fuzzy, or slimy, hard-to-identify objects that seem to magically appear in your refrigerator? Come on be honest, I can't be the only one that has those.) Anyway, I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and cut down on the biology projects.
More and more research is finding that deeper, brighter colored fruits and vegetables have many health benefits. The research coming out on beneficial substances found in plants (phytonutrients) is amazing.
Glancing at my homepage today, I noticed an article in health news on the connection between some substances (anthocyanins) found in black raspberries and cancer prevention. The study discussed in the article found strong evidence that anthocyanins are important for cancer prevention. They discovered that anthocyanins decreased the growth of cancer cells and 'encouraged' them to die.
Anthocyanins are substances that give certain fruits and vegetables their red, blue, or purple coloring. They are powerful antioxidants. Anthocyanins are found naturally in blueberries, cranberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, black currants, cherries, eggplant peel, black rice,concord grapes, blood oranges, and red cabbage. They are also found in specialty vegetables like blue corn; red or blue fleshed potatoes; and purple or red broccoli and cauliflower.
Anthocyanins are being found to prevent or improve many diseases and health conditions. They are being shown to lower the risk of various forms of cancer, heart disease, and some degenerative and neurological diseases. They may also hinder inflammation, obesity, and diabetes.
Anthocyanins are just one reason to include brightly colored fruits and vegetables in your diet. Other colorful fruits and vegetables contain different substances that give them their colors and health benefits. We should include them in our diet, too.
More and more, when there is a choice between a colorful and a pale fruit or vegetable, I try to choose the deeper, brighter colored one. it's just one easy way I can try to improve my health and my life. A side benefit is that those colorful fruits and vegetables are so pretty and visually appealing. They are like living artwork. I love things that appeal to my senses!
Note: If you are interested in reading the article I mentioned for yourself the link is
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108082529.htm
There are lots more articles there at ScienceDaily.com looking at the effect of anthocyanins on health and disease prevention, as well.
The Science Daily website ( www.sciencedaily.com ) is a favorite of mine. I highly recommend it. It has all the latest research news (and archives of older research) in all areas of science. It's a huge site...you could spend days reading and never cover it all!
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