fruits

If you could do something to prevent cancer, would you do it? You might say “yes,” but unfortunately you might not actually do it. How’s this for an alarming fact?

At least one-third of annual cancer deaths in the United States are related to dietary factors. Increased fruit and vegetable consumption can reduce cancer risk, but less than one-third of U.S. adults eat the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eating healthy, including fruits and vegetables loaded with phytochemicals (powerful antioxidants), and following a low fat diet helps people manage weight and prevent disease! Think about it, every day you have choices of what to eat. You have the power to keep yourself healthy from the inside out.

Now that fall is on its way, the fresh summer bounty is dwindling down; but the truth is your diet doesn’t have to hibernate for the winter. You can get lots of great foods in the canned and frozen food aisles that are full of nutrition at a price that will have you dancing to the cash register. In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite picks and recipe ideas.

Canned beans

Not just the “musical fruit,” beans provide complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. In fact, a one-cup serving provides one-third of your day’s protein needs, half your fiber needs, and 65% of your folate needs (an important B-complex vitamin that helps prevent osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, anemia, and homocysteine buildup in the blood). For less than a dollar a can, you can-not go wrong! Try cannelini beans, black beans, kidney beans, lentils and black-eyed peas. You can buy them with no salt added, low sodium, or rinse them before use to remove about half the salt.

Recipe ideas: add to salads, home-made bean dip, three bean chili, and breakfast burritos.

July is national berry month. This is the time to enjoy nature’s candy! They’re super-sweet this time of year. If you need a reason to love berries, I’ll give you three: berries are are portable, palate pleasing and packed with nutrition. What’s not to love? Even better, berries antioxidant power can help prevent disease.

Antioxidants protect our cells from oxidative damage and inflammation, and they have been linked to heart and brain health, supporting a healthy immune system and protection against certain cancers.

It’s easy to add in berries to healthy foods you already enjoy. Here’s a few ideas for bumping up your berry intake this month.

Ahhh… summer… the long, hot days, the ice cold drinks, and watermelon out the wazoo! Watermelon is great after a long run (I tell all my athlete clients to eat up after a sweat fest). It has 92% water. But it’s not the water that’s the winning ingredient in this super-yummy health food, it’s the 8% lycopene. Lycopene is a phytochemical that protects your heart, prostate and skin health. Sounds good to me!

The latest scientific info on watermelon is probably the most interesting… Researchers at the Indian Association of Urologists say it can help men make babies! After conducting numerous research studies, they claim that lycopene has been found to enhance male fertility by improving both sperm concentration and motility.

What is Potassium?
It’s an element and an electrolyte.  Your body needs potassium for proper growth and maintenance; it helps keep water balance between cells and body fluids, plays an essential role in response of nerves to stimulation and contraction of muscles.  Potassium is crucial in proper heart function, put simply it triggers your heart to beat and pump blood through your body.  Lower levels of potassium have been linked to increased or high blood pressure. Research has shown that individuals that consume adequate amounts of potassium have a lower risk of having a stroke. Also, there has been no clear link between potassium and lower cholesterol, but cholesterol–lowering diets that contain high amounts of potassium have been shown to be beneficial.