Fruits & Vegetables – The Foundation Of A Healthy Diet

(CARLSBAD, CA) - You can’t open a magazine or listen to a health report on radio or television without hearing about the many benefits of fruits and vegetables, or so it seems. The truth is they pack a nutritional wallop while fending off many of today’s most life-threatening illnesses.

Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eating appropriate amounts daily can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer. Depending on your gender and level of physical activity, you should consume 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit per day and 2.5 to 4 cups of vegetables. (Visit www.mypyramid.gov to determine your personal needs.)

Why not just take supplements, you ask? Here’s the catch: you have to eat the foods to gain the benefits. Research indicates that supplements containing the same vitamins and nutrients do not have similar disease-fighting capabilities.

For example, an advisory issued by the American Heart Association stated that clinical trials failed to demonstrate a heart benefit from antioxidant dietary supplements, yet scientific evidence exists that a diet high in food sources of antioxidants reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

To insure that you’re getting a variety of vitamins and minerals, experts recommend consuming fruits and veggies that cover the color spectrum. Here are some suggestions:

Fruits

• Cover your plate with kiwi. Norwegian researchers found that study participants who consumed two to three kiwis a day lowered their triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease) by 15 percent.

• Berry, berry good for you. Take your pick, from blue to black to cran to straw they are filled with antioxidants, which fight cell-damaging free radicals that have been linked to heart disease and cancer.

• An apple a day keeps confusion away. Researchers at Cornell University found that the antioxidant quercetin, found in apples, may help protect against brain cell damage.

• All dried up. Dried fruits are a great option in the winter months when fresh fruits aren’t as plentiful. In addition to important vitamins, they offer fiber and potassium.

Vegetables

• You say tomato. Rich in the phytochemical lycopene, tomatoes may reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer and protect a woman’s heart as well, according to research from Harvard University.

• Nothing to spear. Asparagus is a great source of iron, vitamins A and C and folate, the latter of which lowers the risk of heart disease.

• Guacam–ole! Avocados are filled with magnesium, which helps control blood pressure, regulate nerve impulses and build strong bones. Magnesium may also help fight type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard University researchers.

Of course diet is only half of the health equation. Jazzercise founder Judi Sheppard Missett suggests exercise should be on your daily menu as well.  The following abdominal exercise, which uses a resistance ball to add some upper body work, targets your waist and back muscles.  If you do not have a resistance ball, you can use a beach ball or just reach your arms forward from your shoulders.

Sit on an exercise mat or other padded surface with your legs extended in front of you.  Place your feet shoulder width apart and allow your knees to bend so that you can sit up as tall as possible.  Hold the resistance ball between your hands and reach it out in front of you. 

Exhale and pull your abdominal muscles inward, curving your spine backward into a “C” shape.  Think of pulling your naval back toward your spine and hollowing out your mid-section.  Keep your shoulders relaxed and both hips/feet on the floor as you slowly twist to the right, reaching the ball down toward the floor.  Turn back to center and inhale as you sit up as straight as possible. Try not to lift your shoulders as you reach the ball forward.  Repeat the movements to the other side.  Continue alternating right and left for up to 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. 

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com