This is the season for fresh fruits and vegetables to be in abundance. Whether you grow it yourself or purchase from a road-side market or farmers market, you can use your fresh foods to boost your health! Such an easy thing to do, but are there choices that are better suited to your health needs? Of course, there are!
Red is a great color for heart health. As the old saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" Apples are a great tasting fiber food that benefits cholesterol and diminishes bone loss. And of course, fiber is great for colon health too, so enjoy your apple a day and the benefits that go along with it. Tomatoes are another wonderful red food that goes so well with all sorts of meals. Dice it up with your breakfast omelet, include a slice in your lunchtime sandwich, or enjoy whole cherry tomatoes in your side salad at suppertime. And while you're eating so richly, you'll also be feeding your heart!
Yellow foods are mood motivators. Studies have found that people suffering from depression reported feeling better after eating a banana--perhaps because bananas contain tryptophan, a natural chemical that boosts production of the feel-good hormone serotonin! Bananas contain iron as well, and a little iron can make a difference in energy, which of course contributes to improved moods too. Butternut squash doesn't have to be a "one time a year" food either. It can be grilled and enjoyed at anytime, and by enjoying it more often, you get the carotenoids that also reduce the risk of lung cancer. Weightloss on your mind? Drinking fresh grapefruit juice can motivate your body to drop pounds, and what a delicious way to go!
Greens are loaded with nutrients. Spinach, broccoli, green peppers and kale are loaded with fiber and fiber helps the body to detoxify. Detoxification in a natural way helps to prevent cancers. Keep your body's elimination systems moving steady to increase their strength and ability to fight for you.
Orange makes us think of the orange fruit. Oranges are abundant in vitamin C, which brings improvement to inflammation that can lead to asthma, arthritis, allergies, heart disease and cancer. If you enjoy making your own fresh orange juice, toss in a piece of the orange peel too. The peel is loaded with hesperidin, a molecule shown to lower high blood pressure as well as cholesterol. You can also grate the peel into salads, stir-fries and even desserts. Sweet potatoes are another orange food that is filled with vitamins and minerals we need every day. One of these is vitamin E, essential to a good memory. *Did you know... if you eat a raw carrot, you absorb only 4% of the beta carotene it contains. Drink the juice and absorb 90%!
Blue and purple foods keep you alert and are rich in antioxidants. So enjoy blueberries, grapes and purple cabbage and see benefits in improved motor skills, learning capacity and memory, not to mention the cancer prevention ability.
Of course, the more colors involved in your meals, the more appealing the meal is and the more nutrients you get benefits from. Fresh is generally best, and fresh juicing is ideal. Your body will love being fed these foods and you'll find your energy levels greatly improve.
As 'they' say.... "Taste the Rainbow!"
Much of the information included in this posting was printed by Woman's World, 6/13/2006 /all rights reserved/
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