While many believe that an apple a day could keep the doctor away, the same can be held true for people, who have apple juice daily. This is the finding of a new research done in this field by a team of researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine in the US. They further state that drinking apple juice can prove even prevent a person from various heart diseases. Thanks to the beneficial compounds present in apples and apple juice- phytonutrients that act in the way similar to red wine or tea. These compounds immediately break down LDL or “bad” cholesterol and help in person feeling healthy.

With the oxidation of LDL, plaque is stored along the walls of the coronary artery, which leads to atherosclerosis or a dangerous clotting of the artery. People having small to moderate quantity of apple juice face a reduced risk for heart disease within a short span of 4-6 weeks.

When you can safeguard yourself from such fatal diseases by paying a very small cost, doesn’t it make sense to include fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy body?

Apple juice is an economical way to improve your overall health. Apples juice is a wonderful way to get a great deal of nutrition. In addition, apples provide a main source of soluble and insoluble fibers. Apples make a good source of energy. This is because the fruit contains natural sugars, which immediately break down to provide energy. Not only apples taste good, but they make ideal snack for children and young ones due to their rich taste. Apple juice cleanses the body and is highly recommended to people suffering with arthritis and rheumatism.

Here is your Healthy Food Guide to the Dirty Dozen Foods as complied by the Environmental Working group. The organization takes the government data and identifies which types of produce have the most chemicals and pesticide residue. They then publish the list of the Dirty Dozen Foods that perhaps you would be safer if you picked the Organic variety.

Celery tops the list. Celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off any chemicals. While you could peel the outer side of the celery, you can’t peel the inner side. If you need celery, consider organic.

Peaches, Multiple pesticides (as many as 62 of them by some reports) are applied to this fruit in the orchard. Because they start to apply these chemicals while the peach is still a flower, the pesticides can be on the inside as well as the outside of the peach.

Strawberries, the pesticides are applied to these plants while the berry is still a flower, as much as 59 pesticides have been detected on strawberries. Imported strawberries have even less stringent regulations for pesticides so you might want to avoid strawberries altogether during the off season.

Apples, typically grown with poisons to kill pests such as insects and fungi, you can often see the chemicals being sprayed on the fruit while it is one the tree.They use up to 42 different pesticides on apples. Peeling and scrubbing does not remove all the pesticides but it does remove a lot of the beneficial nutrients found in the skin of the apple.

Blueberries are new to the dirty dozen for this year. They are treated with as many as 52 pesticides which makes them one of the dirtiest of all the berries on the market. Because blueberries are so good for the heart, you really want to go organic and keep blueberries as part of your diet.

Nectarines are up there with apples and peaches as dirty tree fruit because tree fruit is sprayed while the fruit is still in flower, the pesticides get inside the fruit.

Bell peppers are often sprayed with insecticides and their skins don’t offer much of a barrier to protect the inside of the pepper.

Cherries have been found to contain up to 42 different pesticides, and those in the U.S. Often have much more than imported cherries.

Spinach is new to the list this year. It has been found to have up to 48 different pesticides making in high on the list.

Kale is a hardy vegetable that does not suffer from pests and disease but this year it is found to contain a large amount of pesticides anyway.

Potatoes, a household staple is back on the list with up to 37 different pesticides.

Grapes complete the list. Imported grapes are on the list this year. You can not wash or peel off the pesticides. When you think of organic grapes, think of organic wine also. The pesticides that are found in the grape can make it into the wines we drink.

That completes the list of the Dirty Dozen Fruits and Vegetables. When you can, it is wise to purchase the organic produce for better health. If and how badly these pesticides can effect us is still unknown. There are those that will tell you that there isn’t enough pesticides on a grape or two to hurt you. When you eat the required servings of fruits and vegetables that amount can add up quickly. It is your Health, so you must make the choice. This report is just to make you aware of the possibilities and not to advise you on what to eat.

The best way to lose weight is by restricting your carb consumption. The simple carbohydrates that are taken unnecessarily are termed as bad carbs. The way the body processes carbs makes them good or bad. Your body doesn’t need fiber to process simple carbohydrates and so it metabolizes them easily and quickly.

Corn syrup, maple syrup, fruit juices, molasses, soda, honey, granulated sugar, white bread, soda, pasta are some of the food items which have simple carbs or carbohydrates, whereas whole grain bread, cereals, fruits, vegetables, brown rice, bulgur, legumes, dried fruit, and whole wheat pasta contain complex carbohydrates.

You need to reduce your bad carb consumption as these bad carbs lead to a rise in the levels of sugar in the blood which will in turn release a hormone called insulin. Insulin’s main function is to decrease the sugar level in the blood and carry fat throughout the body. If you consume a lot of fat, then your body will have to produce lot of insulin to combat that carb and maintain a low sugar level in the blood. Thus, you feel hungry after eating something like pasta, which leads to low blood sugar levels signaling hunger to the body.

So, you need to always try avoiding simple carbohydrates, especially when you are in the process of losing weight. Of course, sugar tastes good but you must always remember that the results on the body are not worth it. If you really want something sweet, then you can go ahead with fresh fruit juice which is healthy, since it contains fiber and at the same time, satisfies your hunger for sweet. Also, try to have fresh fruit juice and not packed ones as they are also loaded with sugar.

Having bad carbs is just like having wine wherein the one glass leads to another glass. Thus, consumption of bad carbs leads to having more bad carbs. So, if you try to have simple carbohydrates, then you will yourself feel the difference that you will no longer crave for bad carbs. When you feel hungry, try consuming vegetables, especially those which you like. You can also try making the vegetables tasty. For example, if you like cucumbers, you can cut them into small pieces, add a little red wine vinegar and some pepper and voila you have a great tasty dish in hand! Although you will be consuming some calories, you will be eating something that has fiber, good water content, and that fills the stomach quickly.

The best thing about a low carb diet is that you no longer have to keep a check on the number of calories that you take. You can eat some of the foodstuffs that you like as much as you want and still lose weight without even doing anything!

However, in doing so, you will have to change your mind set about how you approach food. Most of the people are tuned to having carbohydrates as their main ‘fast’ food, toast with marmalade as their breakfast, morning starts with pastries or biscuits, fried food for lunch, and pasta or potatoes in the evening. These foodstuffs are self-serving. As mentioned earlier, these foodstuffs will again increase you hunger towards the same food items. Instead of having carbohydrates as your main meal, you must try including meat, poultry, fish, and more vegetables in your diet.

The trick to weight loss is the right kind of foods that are taking inside your body. It is a big thing that you bring the best of your body by extending your choices for foods. Losing weight does not mean cutting a great deal of your food diet. Rather, weight loss is the science of using foods to lose weight.

It is very important to have the right kinds of nutrients and minerals that will keep your body working. But you cannot get the best of nutrients by just eating certain kind of foods or limiting yourself to a set of food diet. The best nutrients that you can bring into your body provides body support; nutrients keep your body in the right track without much problems in health.

Fruits can give you the needed nutrient requirement that you need. If you can eat five kinds of foods a day, you are assured to have an almost complete nutrient need. However, choosing the right kind of fruits for your weight loss program is an important matter that must not be disregarded.

The benefits of fruits for weight loss:

The low level of calories in fruits help your body to control its weight for the best. Yes, the lesser calories your body intakes, the better your way to success in losing weight. With fruits, your body will have the right kinds and supply of vitamins and minerals without giving you a problem of weight gain.

On the other hand, the load of vitamins and minerals in your body will give you a far better energy to use for body exercises. Doing exercises can greatly help your body to lose weight but you need the energy to do it. Instead of depending on fats and carbs for energy, vitamins and minerals in fruits can help you that much.

Moreover, with fruits you will be assured to have a perfect body health. It will reduce the risk of cardio vascular problems. It will enhance your body and give you a stronger immune system to fight harmful radicals from the environment and other factors.

Here are some practical tips to gain the advantages of eating fruits:

Instead of eating junk foods, it is good to have a slice of apple a day. It is a great way to suppress your appetite for other foods. Or instead of satisfying yourself with ice cream, it is good to eat fruits alone without the fatty dairy products that are added to the ice cream.

If you really want to drink some sweets, it is good to go for low- sugar fruit juices that you can get in the market. Fruit juices contain fiber and acid which helps to digest food. It will be a great help for your body to lose weight. You should not go for beverages and wines.

The craving for food will always be there. You need to add fruit factor to you diet. Say, if you can’t stop yourself in eating meat, then try to eat yogurt or granola. It is a big thing to complement fatty foods with healthy fruits snacks or fruits.

Losing weight can be very hard to reach. But if you know what foods to eat and what to avoid, you will surely make things easy. It is very important for you to make things for the best by extending your best way in eating fruits as part of your diet.

Many people eat genetically modified foods without being consciously aware of it. But the question is are genetically modified foods safe for human consumption? Many of the processed foods that we buy from the market have genetically changed ingredients. The most common genetically modified foods are derived from plants – soybean, corn, canola and cotton seed oil. So many foods unknowingly consumed by us like cereals, snacks, foods consisting of soybeans, cottonseed and canola oils may have genetically modified components. Even tomatoes and potatoes are genetically modified.

What does genetically modified food mean? Is it safe for us to consume? Also referred to as Biotech or genetically engineered food, it refers to food items that have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering. The plants are modified in the lab to improve their desirable qualities and food value. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified food:

The disadvantages are:

Damage to health due to unnatural foods
Contamination of food and water supply due to use of chemicals on crops
The creation of herbicide-resistant weeds
Loss of bio-diversity in crops
The disturbance of ecological balance
The advantages on the other hand are few:
Resistance to pests and diseases
Increase in availability of food

We can see that the damage to health and environment caused by these genetically engineered foods far outweighs their advantages. Genetically engineered products carry more risks than traditional foods.So what is a better alternative? Organic food is a much better and healthier option. A raw vegetarian diet rich in fruits, nuts and vegetables is one of the safest and best ways to keep your immune system strong and prevent diseases. These super foods contain immune-boosting antioxidants – vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that protect and repair cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Some foods are higher in antioxidants than others. The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. To get the maximum benefits of antioxidants, eat these superfoods which are power-packed with all the possible vitamins and minerals necessary for the body. Raw Cacao Bean has a very high antioxidant content, many times better than Green Tea, Red Wine and Blueberries. It has the highest Vitamin C content in its raw natural form and is rich in minerals. Raw Maca has fatty acids, 20 different amino acids and unique minerals. Marine Phytoplankton is a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, amino acids, chlorophyll and minerals.

With a wide array of completely healthy vegetarian superfoods such as these and many more available in the market, why go for genetically modified foods?

To lower your blood pressure, follow the DASH diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) that was made by researchers from Harvard University. Here are the basic guidelines in the program:

~ seven to eight servings of grains or grain products, such as whole wheat bread and whole wheat past (in pasta, I recommend Full Circle 100% organic Capellini, whole wheat)

~ four to seven servings of vegetables

~ four to five servings of fruit

~ two to three servings of low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Make sure you include low or non-fat yogurt – one that is not high in sugar – Dannon Fit and Healthy is an excellent choice.

~one to two servings of red meat, poultry or fish (a serving is 3 ounces).

~one serving of nuts or legumes

Here are some more tips to help lower your blood pressure:

1. Eat lots of fruits that are high in potassium, which causes your body to excrete sodium through your urine, thereby helping to control blood pressure. Researchers at John Hopkins University have found that low potassium intake was associated with high blood pressure. This goes to show that if you increase your levels of potassium your blood pressure should go down.
Foods that are high in potassium are: apricots, bananas, peaches, prunes, oranges, cantaloupe, lima beans, stewed tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, catfish, lean pork, lean veal, cod, flounder, trout, skim milk and yogurt.

2. Make sure you get enough calcium and magnesium. There is evidence that these minerals may help lower blood pressure. Magnesium rich foods are wheat germ, fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, halibut, mackerel, spinach and most nuts. As far as calcium is concerned, dairy products will do the trick, as you know, and also dark green veggies. Isagenix now offers a green foods drink for those who don’t eat enough greens – you might want to try it.

3. Eat more fish. Studies suggest that large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids lower hypertension. Cold-water fish are the highest sources of these fatty acids. If you don’t like fish, or are allergic to it like I am, I highly recommend that you purchase Young Living’s Omega Blue, which contains pure fish oil and omega enhance. It is heavy-metal, PCB and dioxin free and still maintains natural Omega-3 ratios and mild flavor.

4. Watch your drinking. Alcohol is fine in moderation. This means drinking no more than one ounce of alcohol a day, the amount in a 24 oz. beer can, 10 ounces of wine, or one mixed drink. Women should only drink half of that since their body frames are smaller and metabolize alcohol slower. If you drink anymore than that, not only does your blood pressure increase, but you cause severe problems to your liver and you are at higher risk for a stroke.

5. Watch your weight. Being overweight makes you up to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure than if your weight were optimal, and especially if most of this weight is around your waist. For tips on losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle, please go to my Health4U website (see link below)

In summary, to lower your blood pressure, follow a healthy diet. Eat only wholegrain breads and pasta, eat lots of fruits that are high in potassium, make sure you get your calcium and magnesium every day, get your omega-3 oils (whether it be by eating fish or my taking a good supplement), drink alcohol in moderation, and make sure you are a healthy weight.

Cancer can affect anybody, and despite all the cancer research there is still no real cure for it. That is why it is so important for everybody, to take some preventive measures against cancer. The best way to prevent cancer is to include antioxidant vitamins into your everyday diet.

We all know how bad free radicals can be for our health. But what are they? To put it simply, free radicals are particles that allow extra oxygen into human cells, which causes the cells to break. Antioxidant vitamins can stop this distractive process.

Foods high in antioxidant vitamins

All doctors recommend including a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet. These bring many benefits to your health, being low in fat and high in fiber. But they are also very rich in antioxidants. Brightly colored vegetables and fruits contain the most antioxidants. So including beetroot, carrots and red capsicum in your everyday menu, would serve you a reasonable amount of antioxidants.

• cherries,
• blackberry,
• strawberry,
• blueberry,
• red grape
• walnuts
• sunflower seeds
• ginger
• spices
• green tea
• coffee without milk

Common vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E are all powerful antioxidants, so all fruits rich in these vitamins should be included. But there are many more, for example red wine and red grape contains Reservatrol, an important antioxidant. Another great antioxidant Flavonoid can be found in green tea. So, the most sensible thing to do is to include a wide variety of different fruits, vegetables and berries in your diet. Berries are particularly good, because they all contain large quantities of antioxidant vitamins.

And there is one more source of antioxidants, a food that is usually on a “bad for you” list – chocolate. But it has to be dark chocolate; milk chocolate doesn’t have antioxidant properties. When you eat chocolate, or any antioxidant food, avoid drinking milk at the same time. Milk significantly reduces the effect of antioxidants.

Antioxidant vitamin supplements

Getting vitamins and antioxidants from natural sources is of cause the best. However, with our busy lives many people can’t eat as much fresh produce as they would like. Also bear in mind that when you buy vegetables and fruits during winter months, their antioxidant value is very low. Most vitamins are easily destroyed by light and storage, so tomatoes that are sold in a supermarket in December give you almost no health benefits, even though in general a tomato is considered a good source of antioxidants.

In this case antioxidant supplements can be beneficial. There are plenty of vitamins and dietary supplements on the market. Some of them are specifically marketed as “antioxidant supplements” others are just a variety of vitamins. Many multivitamins contains 100% of all essential vitamins for your health. Also remember, that Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and multivitamins usually don’t contain enough of Vitamin C. So it makes since to take additional Vitamin C supplements.

Whether or not vitamin supplements are as good for you as antioxidants from natural sources is debatable. Some doctors say that by taking antioxidant supplements you can meet most of your antioxidant needs. Others argue that supplements are not as beneficial as vitamins you get from food.

The problem is that vitamins in a pill are not as easily absorbed by our bodies as nutrients we get from food. So eating mostly fast food and taking antioxidant vitamin supplements to compensate is not such a good idea after all.

You can also get natural antioxidant supplements, like grape seed extract. These are absorbed better, than synthetic vitamins.

Other benefits of antioxidants

Doctors emphasize the importance of antioxidants because of their ability to prevent and fight cancer. But there are many other health benefits – antioxidants boost your immune system, helping you feel and look young. If consumed regularly, antioxidant vitamins have an amazing anti-aging effect.

Researchers today are discovering people who eat lots of fruit and vegetables are less likely to develop cancer and heart disease. Hippocrates said more than 2,500 years ago “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

With our current technology laboratory scientists have isolated what the foods we eat contain. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with active compounds. Some lower blood pressure while others keep us safe from more common infections.

Other foods with medicinal benefits include rice, tea, yogurt and even a glass of wine. Paul LaChance, professor of food science at Rutgers said “choosing the right foods can cut the risk of some forms of cancer by as much as half.” He goes on to say “diet is the key to a healthy heart and strong immune system. It’s turning out to be the cornerstone of preventive medicine.”

The benefits of many foods have been known for ages. Their actual benefits may not be the same as thought of at the time.

Take fish for example. Fish was always touted as a “brain food”. Recent findings show its true benefits to be for a healthy heart. Researchers say eating two servings of fish a week can significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack by a) lowering blood pressure and b) levels of blood-clotting substances.

Other fish besides tuna (the most popular fish) are high in omega-3′s are herring, sardines, mackerel and of course salmon.

Other benefits have been found by incorporating a regular serving of fish in the diet. It may help prevent colon and breast cancer. Fish may help with the pain of arthritis that sufferers have. Respiratory ailments such as bronchitis are affected by consumption of fish.

Many other foods are prized for their contributions to a healthy body and immune system. Tomatoes are one of the healthiest vegetables to be found. They contain p-coumaric and chlorogenic acids which hook onto the nitrates in foods and allow the body to eliminate them. They also are packed with the antioxidant lycopene. It is thought to protect against cancers of the bladder and colon.

Other fruits and vegetables containing lycopene:

• grapefruits
• watermelons
• carrots

P-coumaric and chlorogenic acids can be found in:

• strawberries
• carrots
• green peppers

Other heart disease benefits from tomatoes are derived from the rich source of vitamins they contain. They contain potassium and the ever important beta-carotene.

Please visit the author’s site for more information.

As I write this my husband Graeme is recounting vivid memories of his introduction to gooseberries.  He was a 10 year old, starting boarding school in Perthshire, Scotland.  That experience alone subjected him to a wide variety of unfamiliar foods as well as the trauma of being confronted with rhubarb and gooseberries in his first week of term.   It was one of those schools where you weren’t allowed to leave any food on the plate other than bones.  What helped him survive those years were the accompanying spoonfuls of crumble and custard.  Little did he know how beneficial gooseberries were for a school full of growing lads.
 
Although for years he cursed the fact that gooseberries would even grow in Scotland, it turns out that they are easy to cultivate in most climates and well-drained soils.  Gooseberries are one of the earliest fruits of the year, appearing in June and July.   Although not a native plant of Britain, the English passion for gooseberries dates back hundreds of years; in British colonial days gooseberry puddings and pies were very popular as well as gooseberry wines.  Outside Europe they were introduced to the United States by the first settlers and are cultivated in tropical zones such as Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. 
 
Early pagan cultures believed that fairies would shelter from danger in the prickly bushes and hence gooseberries became known as ‘fayberries.’ Around Europe they are also known as Stachelbeere (German), Uva Spina (Italian), Stekbes (Flemish) and Groseille a Maquereaux (French). 
 
Although I have read that gooseberries got their name from being used as a sauce for goose, this is unlikely as geese come into season after Michaelmas, well after the gooseberry season is over.  The name is more likely to be a corruption of the French word groseille, the generic name for redcurrants and gooseberries. ‘Grosberry’ is another English name for the fruit.
 
Little known facts about gooseberries:
- The gooseberry has been found to be the most abundant source of Vitamin C in the plant kingdom - up to an impressive twenty times that of an orange. 
- The vitamin C content in gooseberries does not reduce with cooking.
- Gooseberries have been used since ancient times and were indispensable to Unani and Ayruvedic medicine.  They were also used as a medicine to treat fevers and in the sixteenth century were recommended to treat plague victims.
- Gooseberry sauces can be used to accompany meat dishes, fowl stuffing and seafood, especially crab and mackerel.
 Like Graeme, I was never really a big fan of gooseberries until I moved to an old farmhouse in Gloucestershire which had a well established fruit orchard.  It was so abundant I could not help but perceive it as a blessing from Heaven.

Not one to waste these gifts I set myself the task of making the best use of all we had available.  There were ‘Dymock’ plums named after the village we lived in, raspberries, cherry trees, many different apple and pear trees, including my favourite Bramleys for making stewed apple, apple crumbles and pies – beyond comparison to any shop bought varieties.  There were also a couple of gooseberry bushes which I would hide in mixed fruit fools or smoothies.  One day we were given an ice cream maker and I started using the fruit in ice creams.  The two that worked very well were the plums and the gooseberries.  At last these gooseberries had found the expression of their true qualities! We would also buy raw milk and raw cream from a nearby farm so it was easy:

Gooseberry Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 kg/2lbs fresh gooseberries
Natural sweetener eg: honey, agave syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup
1 litre/2 pints double cream
¼ tsp Fleur de Sel

(Amounts of gooseberries, cream and syrup/honey can vary according to your own personal taste – remember tasting is the key to being a top chef!)

1.      Put the gooseberries into a large pan with a small amount of water. 
2.      When the water comes to the boil turn the heat to low and let them simmer until they are soft. 
3.      Add enough honey, agave syrup or rice syrup to sweeten according to taste.  Honey works well with ice cream.
4.      Add ¼ teaspoon Fleur de Sel.
5.      Blend the gooseberry mixture until it is smooth.
6.      In a large mixing bowl, lightly whip the double cream – not too stiff
7.      Add the blended gooseberries to the cream and mix until well blended together.
8.      Use according to the instructions on your ice-cream machine.

If you don’t have an ice-cream machine you can still make delicious ice cream with this kind of mixture. Put the container with the ice cream mixture into the deep freeze and every hour beat it up again for ten minutes or so until the frozen mixture becomes creamy.   You may have to do this about three or four times as it crystallises a little as it sets.  A machine keeps churning it while it freezes to prevent the crystallisation.  When it is smooth, just keep it in a container in the deep freeze so you can use it when required.

This is a wonderful way of using up any soft fruits if you have a bumper crop.  One way we loved to eat the ice cream was with brandy snaps which are easy and fun to make:
 
Brandy Snaps – this makes a small amount but they are easy to make and worth making fresh when you need them.

Ingredients
50g/2oz butter

50g/2oz caster sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

50g/2oz plain flour

½ tsp ground ginger

grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch  Fleur de Sel
150ml/1/4  pint double/whipping cream
Brandy to add to cream (optional)
 
Method:
 
Brandy snaps
1.      Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
2.      Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and oil the handle of a wooden spoon.
3.      Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan.  Let it soften and mix it well, then let it cool.
4.      Stir in the flour, ginger, Fleur de Sel, and grated lemon zest.
5.      Put small spoonfuls on a baking tray.  Only put a few on to start with as they will spread into circles
6.      Put the tray in the oven and bake until small bubbles appear and they have spread, about 5 minutes.
7.      When they are ready take them out, cool them slightly and wrap each one around the handle of a wooden spoon. 
8.      Keep on doing this with small batches, returning to the oven to soften if they become too hard to wrap.
9.      Whip the cream, with the brandy if you choose, and spoon it into each brandy snap.
 
Lovely for when you have friends round.
 
Phylipa Dinnen

These days it almost seems that fast food and packaged convenience foods have become the norm. Our busy lives just contribute to the fact that we often choose convenience over nutrition. However, if we want to preserve our health over the long term we would be wise to consider what we eat.

Most people are aware that what we eat contributes to our good health but it goes even deeper than that. The food we eat can not only help us maintain our good health but it can actually promote our good health, help prevent disease, reverse the problems of aging and help us to live longer, healthier and more vibrant lives.

The foods found in nature should be the basis for our complete nutrition plan. This means the food that our great-grandparents ate, the food that grows in the ground, on trees and vines and in our gardens, the stuff that you find at the farmers market and in the produce section of your favorite supermarket. There is a place for meat, poultry and fish if you choose to eat those things but a truly healthy diet has the basis in plant-based foods.

Recent research into the study of antioxidants has uncovered a wealth of potential health benefits from a variety of foods. There are carotenoids and flavonoids and polyphenols. There is selenium, folic acid, lutein, lycopene. Recently you may have heard about an outstanding nutrient called resveratol. The names go on and on and it can get to be very confusing if you read all of the data.

However, it is actually quite easy to include all of the nutrients you need in your diet. You just need to look for the most colorful fruits and vegetables, make sure that the grains you eat are whole and never processed, eat beans frequently as a great source of protein and fiber, include some nuts and seeds for the best snacks. You can even sneak in one glass of red wine and a small chocolate treat as often as everyday so long as you stick with the dark chocolate and don’t eat more than about an ounce.

Look for orange foods like pumpkin, orange bell peppers, butternut squash, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and carrots. The orange foods provide many of the carotenoids and other vital nutrients. Eat plenty of orange foods. Also include the red foods like tomatoes and watermelon. The only white foods you should probably eat at all would be cauliflower and jicama.

Look for green foods like spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy and romaine lettuce. Green foods provide an abundance of different nutrients that are all beneficial to our health. They are also low in calories and high is fiber, which makes them an almost perfect diet food. The deep blue to deep purple foods provide some of the best antioxidant capacities on the planet. That would be the berries, especially blueberries, cranberries and the acai berry.

If you want to not just maintain your health but actually promote your health and prevent many of the problems of aging and disease, make your diet as colorful as possible.