fitness - health: April 2010

Tea
There have been several studies that suggest drinking tea is good for your heart. According to a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, people who drink one or more cups of black tea each day were 44 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack than those that didn't drink tea. The apparent reason is the abundance of flavonoids in tea; flavonoids are believed to reduce the risk of heart attack because they help keep the blood from clotting. Some researchers believe it takes several more than 1-2 cups a day to achieve the heart-healthy effect. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants (polyphenols) that may also prevent certain diseases such as arthritis and some cancers.

Wild Salmon
High in omega-3 fats, salmon can help you reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. In general, wild-caught salmon has less contaminants than farmed salmon.

Broccoli
Eat your broccoli no matter what former president George Bush likes. Broccoli is a super food with lots of B vitamin folacin and calcium. Cooked broccoli offers more benefits than raw broccoli.

Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are well known to be beneficial because of the high levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, fiber and potassium. And, they are touted as, "A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat." (Center for Science in the Public Interest). But, leave out the butter and sour cream; consider baked sweet potatoes with unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for sweetness.

Tomato
Tomatoes contain the carotenoid known as lycopene; it is believed to help prevent certain cancers (breast, pancreas, prostate, and colon) and cardiovascular diseases. It is now well known that Mediterranean populations generally eat a lot of cooked tomatoes and they have a low incidence of these chronic diseases. Cooking your tomatoes is better than eating them raw because the cooking process releases the lycopene, which makes them easier for your body to absorb.

Soy
Soy is also a good source of protein, calcium, and fiber. Eastern cultures have reaped the benefits of a diet rich in soy protein for centuries. Soy is rich in isoflavones, which are natural compounds that can lower blood cholesterol as well as help prevent hormone-related cancers.

Blueberries
Here's an excerpt from a recent FitClick newsletter article concerning blueberries:

Not since Fats Domino's classic song topped the charts has this vibrant fruit garnered so much attention. In a recent Tufts University study, elderly rats (about 70 in human years) were fed a diet rich in blueberries (approximately one cup a day), which radically improved their declining balance and coordination skills. "I've never seen anything like it," says the study's leader, Jim Joseph, Ph.D., chief of the neuroscience lab at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. The fruit's polyphenolic compounds (the antioxidants that give blueberries their color) are natural anti-inflammatories, says Joseph. Cooking the berries or freezing them right after picking increases their antioxidant properties.

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