Fruits and Vegetables Are Medicine

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.

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