Antioxidants are 'Berry' Good For You

Antioxidants are natural substances found in plants, which are known to aid in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Berries have an especially high level of antioxidants, according to a recent study published in the journal BioFactors Vol. 23, pages 197-205). The pigments that give berries their rich red to blue, black and purple colors are a type of
phytochemical that has been shown to have significant disease-fighting, cell-protecting antioxidant capacity. In addition to boosting your immune system, these valuable compounds are also known to slow the effects of aging by improving things like memory, balance, coordination and motor skills.

The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC Value) of foods is a measurement of the Antioxidant levels. The higher the ORAC Value, the more Antioxidants a food has. It's believed that foods high in these powerful nutrients give the body its greatest protection.

Berries are some of the most delicious and powerful disease-fighting foods available. Blueberries are among fruits and vegetables with the highest Antioxidant levels with an ORAC Value of 5486. Right behind blueberries are blackberries with an ORAC
Value of 4654; strawberries at 3520 and raspberries, 2789. Berry ORAC levels top that of many other fruits and vegetables such as oranges, grapefruit, cherries, plums, brussell sprouts, broccoli and spinach.

Single servings of fresh or freshly cooked fruits and vegetables supply an average of 600-800 ORAC units. Scientists believe that increasing intake of foods that provide 2000-5000 units per day may be needed to increase serum and tissue antioxidant activity
sufficiently to improve health outcomes. This is why it’s important to eat 5 to 9 servings daily of fruits and vegetables.

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Why is Dietary Fiber Important?

Whole foods contain two types of Dietary fiber, or roughage that is very beneficial for your body. The two types are soluble and insoluble and are found only in the cell walls of plant food.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water and is found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. It cuts cholesterol and adds to your feeling of fullness.

Good sources of Soluble fiber are oats, oat bran, oatmeal, apples, citrus fruits, strawberries, dried beans, barley, rye flour, potatoes, raw cabbage, and pasta.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is found in whole grain brans, fruit pulp, and vegetable peels and skins.

Good sources of Insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole wheat products, cereals made from bran or shredded wheat, crunchy vegetables, barley, grains, whole wheat pasta, and rye flour.

Insoluble fiber is strongly linked to cancer protection and improved waste removal. Results have shown that increasing dietary fiber decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.

A New England Journal of Medicine Study (1999), suggests the protective effect on the colon may be due to fiber's tendency to add bulk to your digestive system, shortening the amount of time that wastes travel through the colon. As this waste often contains carcinogens, it is best if it is removed as quickly as possible. Thus, the claim, increasing fiber can decrease chances for your intestinal cells to be affected.

Please note, recent studies suggest that small increases in fiber, such as adding vegetables to a chicken stir-fry or having a hamburger on a whole wheat bun, though helpful, do not offer as much protection for the colon as would replacing high-fat, animal products such as chicken, fish, cheese, and eggs with plant foods. Eating plant foods boosts fiber to levels where real protection is possible.

Keep in mind, when bacteria in the lower intestine break down fiber, a substance called butyrate is produced which may inhibit the growth of tumors of the colon and rectum as reported in the Journal of Oncology Research in 2000.

The Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999) also reported that Dietary fiber may help protect against breast cancer, an effect noted especially with consumption of whole grains and wheat bran. Additionally, studies suggest that high amounts of fiber may also prevent breast cancer by binding to estrogen.

Dietary fiber may also have a protective effect against mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers according to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2001.

If you're like most North Americans, you take in only 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day. However, most studies have shown that optimal intake for cancer prevention is at least 30 to 35 grams per day.

To get the full range of the cancer-fighting phytochemicals that fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains contain it's best to choose fiber-rich foods over fiber supplements.

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