Eating to increase your Antioxidants

Today’s podcast looks at two studies published in the September, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The first study looked at 9,406 pre- and post-menopausal women and 8,282 men of the same age, taken from the NHANES III data. They wanted to find out if there was actually a relationship between intakes of salad, raw vegetables and salad dressings and blood levels of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene, and alpha- and beta- carotene. Each serving of salad was associated with a 165% higher likelihood to meet the Dietary Allowance for vitamin C in women and 119% higher for men.

What they found was the intake of a consistent diet high in salads resulted in more favorable blood levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, and carotinoids. What is important about this is these are antioxidants that have been shown to help fight diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Listen to previous podcasts to hear how adding high bulk foods can help with weight loss, also.

In the other study, researchers looked at the percentage of the US population that actually ate the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables per day by the newest food pyramid, MyPyramid. What researchers learned is that between 1999 and 2000 only 40% of Americans ate an average of 5 or more ½ cup servings of fruits or vegetables per day. But the most startling information is what is happening to our children.

Be sure to listen to the podcast for the statistics on how many kids eat enough fruits and vegetables, along with suggestions on how to add more of these foods to your diet on a daily basis.

To read about the NHANES III study, click here.

To read my article on the new MyPyramid, click here.

Listen here.