Posted by Janis Jibrin on Fri, Oct 23, 2009
Before I even had time to miss the peaches, blueberries and other summer fruit that had become my breakfast and snacking staples for the past few months, in came the wonderful fall fruit offerings. When you think of fruit, fall probably isn't the first season that comes to mind, but you'd be surprised by how many flavorful choices you have: Apples, pears, citrus, and grapes are all at their peak right now.
You can count on these fresh picks to deliver loads of flavor—whether you're adding them to salads, snacking on them right out of the crisper, or incorporating them into your recipes. Plus, they also can help keep you healthy. Take a look below to see what each offers.
Apples: They're a good source of a beneficial compound called quercetin, which helps fight cancer. Quercetin seems to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Not to mention, apples are high in fiber. You'll get three grams for a medium, 75-calorie apple.
Pears: Eat the skin, not only for its fiber (six grams for a medium pear), but also because USDA research shows that the different varieties of pears contain different types of antioxidants in their skins.
Grapefruit: Just ½ grapefruit (40 calories) covers about half
your vitamin C requirement for the day, and if you're eating a red or
pink variety, you'll also score 30 percent of your day's vitamin A
needs. Grapefruit's two main bioflavonoids are naringin and naringenin,
antioxidants that help prevent chronic disease. (Remember, grapefruit
can interfere with a variety of medications, so check with your doctor
to make sure it's OK to eat it.)
Grapes: You've likely heard about the phytonutrients (resveratrol, in particular) in red wine. That compound, of course, comes from grapes. And it's not just red grapes: Grapes of all colors are rich in resveratrol, an antioxidant that promotes heart health and also helps stave off cancer. Red and black grapes get their color from anthocyanins, another beneficial antioxidant.
Oranges: For just 60 calories, an orange delivers 93 percent the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, three grams of fiber, and 10 percent of the DV for folate, a B vitamin that helps fight cancer and birth defects. Oranges also contain powerful antioxidants called citrus bioflavonoids.
For more health-eating tips, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Willow Jarosh on Wed, Jun 24, 2009
I always tell my clients that if they eat the exact same things day after day, week after week, they'll miss out on nutrients. On the other hand, if you aim for a variety of foods in your diet, you ensure that you're getting a variety of nutrients.
Of course, you can take a multivitamin, but a multivitamin should fill in any tiny gaps in your diet—not serve as a replacement for a varied, healthy diet! Plus, many real foods contain phytonutrients, special compounds found in plant-based foods that offer a number of health benefits. Each of the different color fruits and veggies (and grains, too) is correlated to a different phytonutrient, so the more variety of colors you eat, the more variety of phytonutrients you get.
I play a game with myself each week that helps me increase my variety: I try something new from at least one food group. So, this week, I tried a type of cheese I'd never seen before. Last week, I bought sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. Other times, I'll experiment with a new veggie or fruit. Not only does my little game help expand my dietary variety, it also makes eating a lot more fun!