If you're going to have a martini, at least make it a
pomegranate one. This fall fruit has higher
antioxidant activity than red wine and green tea,
which may be why a number of studies show it may prevent
skin cancer and kill breast and
prostate
cancer cells. It also helps to:
Fight
Alzheimer's disease Researchers at Loma Linda University
found that mice who drank pomegranate juice experienced
50 percent less brain degeneration than animals that
consumed only sugar water. The pomegranate drinkers also
did better in mazes and tests as they aged.
Guard your arteries
A group of diabetics who drank about 2 ounces of
pomegranate juice a day for three months kept their
bodies from absorbing bad cholesterol into their immune
system cells (a major contributing factor to hardened
arteries), discovered Israeli researchers.
2. Kiwifruit
Don't judge this fruit by its cover: Under that bristly
brown peel you'll find a bright green star bursting with
antioxidants and full of fiber. Kiwifruit works to:
Protect against free radical
damage
A study from Rutgers University compared the 27 most
popular fruits and determined that kiwifruit was the
most nutritionally dense. Plus, it makes the short list
of fruits with substantial amounts of vitamin E, and
contains more vision-saving lutein than any other fruit
or vegetable, except for corn.
Lower blood-clot risk
In a 2004 study from the University of Oslo in Norway,
participants who ate two or three kiwis for 28 days
significantly reduced their potential to form
a clot. They also got a bonus benefit: Their
triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart
attack, dropped by 15 percent.
3. Barley
When some whole grains, such as wheat and oats, are
processed, they lose their fiber content. Not so with
barley, which is full of soluble beta-glucan fiber in
its whole kernel or refined flour form. Studies show
this particular fiber may:
Knock down bad cholesterol by as much as 17.4 percent,
according to USDA research.
A 2004 study found that adults with moderately high
cholesterol levels who went on a low-fat American Heart
Association diet began to see an improvement only when
barley was added to the menu.
Decrease blood sugar and insulin levels .That makes
barley a better choice for people with type 2 diabetes,
says a 2005 Agricultural Research Services study.
4. Cranberries
This born-and-bred American berry is among the top 10
antioxidant-rich foods, making it a potent cancer
protector. You know it helps prevent urinary tract
infection, and perhaps you heard it prevents
gum
disease, too, but did you know that these
beneficial berries may:
Eradicate E. coli
Compounds in the juice can actually alter
antibiotic-resistant strains, making it impossible for
the harmful bacteria to trigger an infection. A small
pilot study from Harvard Medical School and Rutgers
University found that eating about 1/3 cup of dried
cranberries yielded the same effect.
Help prevent strokes
Research on pigs with a genetic predisposition to
atherosclerosis-narrow, hardened arteries that may lead
to heart attack and stroke-found that those fed dried
cranberries or juice every day had healthier, more
flexible
blood vessels.
5. Broccoli sprouts
Yes, we've been through this: broccoli, good.
The
news: Broccoli sprouts are even better. At a mere 3 days
old, they contain at least 20 times as much of
disease-fighting sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS) as
their elders. SGS has
been shown to:
Kill tumors
The chemical triggers enzymes in the body that either
kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Just 1
ounce of sprouts has as much SGS as 1 1/4 pounds of
broccoli. That'll save you lots of chewing.
Protect your heart
A Japanese pilot study found people who ate about a half
cup a day of sprouts lowered their total cholesterol by
an average of 15 points. And women in the study raised
their good cholesterol by 8 points-in just 1 week.
Save your sight
Exposure to UV sunlight over time may lead to an eye
condition called
macular
degeneration, which is the number-one cause of
blindness in U.S. seniors. Researchers at Johns Hopkins
determined that broccoli sprouts can protect retinal
cells from ultraviolet light damage.
Kefir
This cultured milk drink stacks up in calcium-one
8-ounce serving contains 30 percent of the recommended
daily intake. It also contains more
beneficial bacteria than yogurt. It may also:
Reduce food allergies
Baby mice fed
kefir had a threefold reduction in the amount of an
antibody linked to food allergies, say researchers at an
agricultural university.
Battle breast cancer
Women age 50 and older who consumed fermented milk
products had a lower risk than those who ate little or
none.
Avoid triggering lactose
intolerance
Kefir contains lactase, the enzyme that people with
lactose intolerance are missing, say researchers at Ohio
State University. And the taste? Like plain yogurt, just
a little thinner.