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interesting stuff about foods and nutrients. For the newbies....

By Gwen Schoen -- Bee Staff Writer - Sacramento Bee
January 09, 2002

Nutrition used to be so simple.

Fish makes you smart.
Broccoli makes you pretty.
Carrots improve your vision.
Spinach makes you strong.

Who could argue with those words of wisdom from Mom when she was trying to coax you into eating something that was good for you?

Now at every turn, we hear such words as lycopene, phytochemicals, flavonoids and free radicals.

Mom's simple approach toward nutrition was certainly much easier to understand and follow.

In a nutshell, if your goal is to improve your diet this year, eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fish, says JoAnn Hattner.

"Overall, place more emphasis on plant-based foods," says Hattner, a registered dietitian in Palo Alto and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"Free radicals are the things you want to prevent. Basically they are the things that are thought to destroy cell membranes. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants -- what I like to think of as the A-team. They are the army that fights the free radicals."

How many and which are best? The jury is out, but Hattner says you should try to eat a minimum of five servings from the fruit and vegetable category every day.

"Some researchers suggest that if you are at risk for cancer, you should eat as many as nine servings a day. The problem is, we haven't gotten the general American population up to five yet," Hattner says.

Eating the recommended servings each day is not as difficult as one might think. A "serving" is small:

* One-half cup of cooked vegetables;

* One cup of raw vegetables;

* One medium piece of fruit;

* Three-quarters cup of fruit juice (six ounces);

* One-half cup of cut up fresh fruit;

* One-quarter cup of dried fruit.

Eat a good-size salad and you've probably eaten three servings. Add a piece of fruit to your breakfast and another piece as an afternoon snack, and you've met your goal.

It doesn't matter what combination you eat, according to Hattner. You might have all vegetables one day, all fruit the next, or a combination. Variety is the best approach.

Why are fruits and vegetables so important? Much of the research in the past couple of years has centered on phytochemicals (also called phytonutrients) found in plant-based foods.

"We don't have human trials yet," Hattner says, "but we are becoming more and more enlightened with every research project. We do know that fruits and vegetables have protective characteristics found in phytochemicals. There are some trials in cancer research that may show eating more fruits and vegetables may be beneficial in treatment and preventing recurrence."

One of the most promising phyto-chemicals is lycopene, which may protect against cancer, Hattner says. Lycopene is in most red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and red peppers.

Flavonoids are other beneficial plant compounds found in fruits, tea, citrus and vegetables. They have a role in neutralizing free radicals and are therefore considered protective.

"Besides fruits and vegetables, the next-most-important group is grains," Hattner says. "That includes foods like brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, high-fiber cereals. When you have a choice between white or whole-wheat bread, choose the whole wheat."

This is sound advice, but most people don't want to be bothered with reading the nutrition labels. So we asked nutrition experts to give us, based on recent research, a list of the most-beneficial foods to include on the menu this year.

Broccoli and greens

Eat more dark green and leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, collard, kale, chard and mustard greens, says Cassius Lockett, who has a doctorate in nutrition and is the epidemiology program manager for Sacramento County.

"They are rich in folic acid," he says. Studies suggest folic acid may prevent some birth defects and may be beneficial in warding off heart disease, strokes and some cancers.

"Broccoli also gives us protective phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phytoestrogens," writes Elaine Magee, a registered dietitian and author of "Tell Me What To Eat To Help Prevent Breast Cancer" (Career Press).

"Broccoli and other cabbage-family vegetables give us a phytochemical that acts as an active chemopreventive. So far, studies have linked this phytochemical to a lower risk of cervical and prostate cancer," writes Magee. Tomatoes

All red fruits and vegetables -- such as watermelon, strawberries, red peppers, pink grapefruit and tomatoes -- are good choices. The darker the red, the more lycopene the food contains. Some studies show that lycopene may reduce risk of prostate and some other cancers, says Carolyn O'Neil, a registered dietitian in Atlanta who writes for Cooking Light magazine and reports on food and nutrition for CNN.

A Harvard study of 48,000 men found that those who regularly ate lycopene-rich tomato products reduced their risk of prostate cancer by as much as 34 percent compared with men who ate processed tomatoes less frequently. Another large study found that men who consumed the most lycopene had half as many heart attacks as men who consumed the least.

Here's some good news: Pizza sauce counts as a red food.

Oatmeal

"Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates and supplies the body with a constant flow of energy," Lockett says. "The type of fiber it contains actually sticks to cholesterol in the blood and helps the body eliminate it. However, it must be a part of your regular diet to see any results."

Fish

"Eat more fish and less organ meats," Lockett says. "Fish contains omega 3 fatty acids. These are the good guys that can reduce the potential of developing cardiovascular disease." These omega 3 fatty acids are thought to help lower the risk of heart disease by preventing blood platelets from clotting and sticking to artery walls.

The best sources of omega 3 are salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines and lake trout.

Apples

It is true: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. It may also keep the dentist at bay, according to Lockett.

"Apples are a powerful antioxidant," he says. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals and therefore may suppress cancer growth.

"They are also full of fiber and help clean your teeth, which reduces the potential for dental caries."

Blueberries

A study published by the USDA in September linked blueberry extract and blueberries to improved memory and balance. According to Lockett, the study was done on rats with an equivalent age of 65 to 70 years in humans. The study included strawberries, spinach extract and blueberries.

"All three foods improved short-term memory. Blueberries, however, in addition to memory, also improved balance and coordination," Lockett says. "What they used was equivalent to one-half cup of blueberries a day." Breakfast cereals

Choose those with whole grains that are low in sugar and fortified with extra nutrients. "This is a quick and easy way to make sure you are getting an adequate intake of vitamins," Lockett says.

Grape juice

"Purple grape juice contains a high amount of folic compounds that are antioxidants," Lockett says. Folic compounds reduce the amount of harmful substances in your body that can cause cancer and other diseases.

In a study of 15 older men and women, University of Wisconsin Medical School researchers discovered that drinking grape juice daily lowered their "bad" cholesterol and significantly improved their arteries' capacity for blood flow.

Soy protein

Good sources of soy protein are soy nuts, soy milk, tofu, edamame (soy beans), soy burgers and miso.

Studies so convincingly have shown that soy protein helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease that FDA officials gave food manufacturers the go-ahead to boast of its benefits on packaging. For soy protein to lower blood cholesterol significantly, you've got to eat at least 25 grams a day, every day. Olive oil

Olive oil may reduce colorectal cancer risk, suggest researchers at University of Oxford. They compared diets with cancer incidences in 28 countries. Olive oil consumption was linked to lower cancer rate. Orange juice

Nutrition and medical researchers examined the cardiovascular benefits of orange juice during the Food Expo 2001 in New Orleans. The findings: Orange juice is better for us than we thought, says Florida's Department of Citrus.

"In our prospective studies of 75,000 female nurses and 38,000 male health professionals, higher intakes of citrus fruit, citrus juice and cruciferous vegetables were related to the lowest risks of ischemic stroke. Higher intake of fruits was also associated with reduced risk of hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Frank Speizer of Harvard Medical School.

"There is also evidence that some nutrients found in orange juice, specifically potassium, folic acid and vitamin C, may provide cardiovascular protection," Speizer said.

Whole grains, nuts, legumes

Dietitian Judy Fields of Fair Oaks recommends adding whole grains to your diet daily. "They provide minerals, vitamins and fiber, as well as trace minerals such as copper and zinc. Fiber is important for maintaining proper bowel function," Fields says. Fiber also makes you feel sated so you don't get hungry as quickly. Fields says the recommended amount of whole grains is 25 to 35 grams a day. The typical American diet contains about half that.

Sources: "The New York Times Book of Health" by Jane E. Brody; "The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition" by Dr. Sheldon Margen and the editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter; "Tell Me What To Eat To Help Prevent Breast Cancer" (Career Press) by Elaine Magee; and the "Environmental Nutrition" newsletter published by Environmental Nutrition Inc.
 
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