More Fruits and Veggies, Please?. Quick and Fresh!
Now?s the season when your local farmers? markets are over flowing with fruits and vegetables at their best. Take your pick? from shiny bell peppers, deep green broccoli and herbs to the reddest tomatoes and strawberries, brimming with health-protecting antioxidants. Enjoy them tossed in salads, grilled on the barbecue, dipped in salsa, or warmed in a cobbler. Many fruits and vegetables grown and harvested locally are superior for taste, size and quality. But with the growing demand for produce nationwide, we can readily find most of our favorite crops stocked year round in local grocers.
Why is produce so popular?
Science has shown that a diet rich in fruits and veggies may help keep us younger longer and fight several serious medical conditions ? including heart disease, stroke, cancer, macular degeneration and diabetes. Just about all fruits and vegetables can help protect your heart, according to the late Dr. Christian Barnard, famed heart surgeon and author of 50 ways to a Healthy Heart. Produce also reduces your risk of cancer.
An international panel of experts convened by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center had this conclusion after reviewing 200+ studies: Vegetables consistently helped reduce cancer risk. The biggest impact was seen with carrots, green vegetables, tomatoes, and crucifers like broccoli and cabbage. If everyone ate at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, that alone would reduce cancer incidence by as much as 20%, advises the American Institute of Cancer Research.
Author: Dots Rego
