Introduction to the Hidden Nutrition of Fruits and Veggies

How healthy are you?  How young do you feel? 

 

Eating in an unhealthy way can cause weight gain, promote the onset of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and cause general fatigue and a host of other health-related problems.  In my professional experience, patients with diabetes have marveled at how good they felt after getting their blood sugars under control by changing their lifestyles and eating properly.  Heart patients have been surprised at how much lighter they felt after changing their eating habits.  Many people think feeling badly is just a part of aging.  Good nutrition or healthy eating can make you healthier and feel younger!

 

What is Good Nutrition?

For most people, good nutrition involves eating more “whole” or “natural” foods.  I place  quotation marks around these words because they have no legal or food industry established meanings, but each of us has an idea about what they mean.  Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are some of what most people would call whole or natural foods. 

 

Why was grandma always right when she said you should eat your fruits and vegetables?  Just WHY are fruits and vegetables SO GOOD for you?  It is my goal to explain why fruits and vegetables are good for you in a series of postings on this blog.  Believe me, it goes WAY beyond the vitamins and minerals they provide.  I promise that the information I post will be based on scientific evidence, much of it may be somewhat surprising, and all will have the potential to be beneficial to you or someone you know and love. 

 

What Else Is In Fruits and Vegetables?

Have you ever heard of phytochemicals?  “Phyto” means “plant.”  The “chemical” part?  Well, in this case, chemicals are just natural components within foods.  These natural food components in general are not recognized as providing nutritional value but are known to possess health-protective benefits.  These chemicals are naturally in all plant foods – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, herbs, and spices.  I hereby dub them as “phytos” for simplicity.  I will be writing about them for weeks to come.

 

Why are Phytos Important? 

Let’s see, what are the 2 biggest killers in most industrialized countries?  The answer is heart disease and cancer.   Many phytos are antioxidants, which have the ability to squelch “free radicals” that damage cells in the body.  This action can ward off cancer or the build-up of plaque that leads to heart disease.   

 

Numerous phytos have been shown to decrease cholesterol production in the body and to decrease the production of growth factors needed by cancer cells (1, 2).  Cancer cells need these growth factors to grow rapidly and be healthy.  Okay, now WHAT do phytos do?  They decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.  Why?  Because they can decrease cholesterol in the blood and growth factors needed by cancer cells.  WOW!!!  How many people could benefit from eating more of these natural food components (eating more plant foods such as fruits and vegetables)?  I would say, “A BUNCH.”  Because of the incidence of heart disease and cancer in the United States, most people have at least one close relative that has had or will have heart disease or cancer.  Many developed nations have the same plight with heart disease and cancer.

 

How Do Fruits and Vegetables Fit in Again?

These killers could be avoided or postponed in many people if they adopted a healthy lifestyle.  I think most people know what a healthy lifestyle is – eating well, exercising regularly, not smoking, not drinking too much if at all, etc.  According to the Dietary Guidelines, Americans are not eating the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (plant foods) (3).  According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, a report based on over 4500 scientific studies indicates that 30-40% of all cancers could be prevented by changing how we eat and incorporating an exercise routine.  The same research suggests that the one dietary change of eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day could prevent as much as 20% of all cancers (4).

 

Different phytos are in different fruits and vegetables and are often associated with colors of the foods (5).  This is why you may have heard that you should have a rainbow of colors on your plate.  Phytos are often more effective when you eat several different kinds together.  Some are ADDITIVE in their effects on cancer cells, meaning that if one kills 50% of the cancer cells and another kills 50%, both of them together kill 100%.  Some phytos are SYNERGISTIC in their effects, meaning that if one kills 30% and another kills 40%, both of them together might kill 100% (for instance).  These additive and synergistic effects are great reasons to eat a large variety of fruits and vegetables.  The more phytos you eat, the greater your chances are to prevent diseases such as heart disease or cancer.  I would say, “Eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables whenever possible!”

 

Why Not Just Take a Supplement?

At this time, most phytos are not available in supplement form.  Even if they were available, many supplements can be harmful and some are even fatal if taken in excess.  The supplement industry is currently not regulated by the FDA like medications and foods are.  Supplements may not even contain an ingredient as advertised on the label, may contain only a minute amount, or may contain too much.  Many people assume that if a supplement is from a “natural” substance, that it is safe.  Of course, this is not necessarily true (6).  Remember that poisonous mushrooms are “natural.”  Also, quite a few people have died from taking supplements which were considered “natural”.

 

In the Coming Weeks

I will be posting information about selected plant foods and their particular phytos, how those natural plant chemicals have been shown to be effective in fighting disease, and practical information of how to incorporate them into your diet along with a few simple recipes.

 

One thing you should know about me is that I am a “just give me the facts ma’am type of person,” so I may not elaborate as much as I should.  Please give me feedback or ask any questions concerning the material posted.