A Medley of Healthy Summer Foods ...

With summer comes a bounty of delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating a wide variety of them is always wise to be sure you're getting the diverse array of nutrients and phytochemcials they offer - from fiber to antioxidants and more. Here are a few suggestions for choosing some that are packed with health promoting compounds.

Bring on The Berries
Colorful berries contain powerful antioxidant flavonoids to help squelch free radicals thought to diminish brain function as we grow older (1). Berries also provide a phenolic compound called ellagic acid, which seems to play a role in triggering apoptosis - or natural cell death - in prostate cancer cells. Ellagic acid is found in raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, and dark cherries.

A recent, preliminary study also found that consuming two servings of dark, sweet Bing cherries daily lowered levels of urate (uric acid) and markers of inflammation in the plasma of healthy young women (2). These findings support the reputed "anti-gout" effect of cherries, as this form of inflammatory arthritis is caused by excessive uric acid in the body.

Go for The Greens
The darker the green, the more nutritious. So when tossing your next summer salad, try adding some tender young spinach leaves, endive, or parsley to that iceberg lettuce. All of these greens provide heart-healthy folic acid, and spinach in particular is rich in the eye-healthy pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.

But did you know that spinach and other greens like parsley and dark-leaf lettuce helps bones stay strong? That's because they are chocked full of vitamin K - a vitamin that falls short in many diets according to a survey conducted by Tuft's University. Vitamin K is known for its role in helping blood to clot, but it also promotes bone strength by allowing a specific mineral-binding protein to take its place within the skeletal structure. A wealth of evidence from population studies suggests that women with higher intakes of this vitamin experience greater bone density than those getting smaller amounts (3).

Choose Healthful Beverages
Some people, teens especially, reach for a can of soda to quench their thirst in the hot summer months. But consider healthier alternatives to the sugar-laden, empty calorie soda: cranberry, orange, and tomato juice. Cranberry juice is known help prevent urinary tract infections in women by thwarting bacteria's ability to stick to the lining of the tract (4). But cranberry juice may also be a cocktail for the heart. Researchers report that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice daily (the 27% juice, commonly available in supermarkets) increases beneficial HDL cholesterol in people with elevated cholesterol levels (5).

Increasing potassium intake helps tame hypertension and reduce the risk of stroke (6,7) .Orange juice is usually cited as an excellent source of potassium, but tomato juice is often overlooked. Try tomato juice spiced with a squeeze of lemon and dash of Worcestershire sauce, for a potassium-packed drink. It also provides lycopene as an added bonus, for prostate health support.

References

1. Staying Healthy Anthocyanins: The Color Purple, February 2002.
2. Jacob RA et al. Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women. J Nutr. 133:1826-29, 2003.
3. Weber P. Review: Vitamin K and bone health. Nutrition 17:880-7, 2001.
4. Howell AB. Cranberry juice and adhesion of antibiotic-resistant uropathogens. JAMA 287: Research letters, June, 2002.
5. Vinson JA et al. Single dose and supplementation studies with cranberry juice relevant to its role in heart disease as an antioxidant. American Chemical Society, New Orleans, March, 2003.
6. Staying Healthy Potassium and Risk of Stroke, December 2002.
7. He FJ et al. Review: Beneficial effects of potassium. BMJ 323:497-501, 2001.