A good start to better
nutrition is to add healthy options. “Eating the rainbow” isn't really a ticket
on its own from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one, but it is a step in the
right direction, especially considering the focus on fresh produce.
The first color in the
rainbow is red: fruits such as watermelon,
strawberries, cherries, raspberries, pomegranates and apples; and vegetables
like tomatoes, red peppers, red onions, and red cabbage. Many red fruits and veggies are loaded with
powerful, healthy antioxidants -- such as lycopene and anthocyanins -- that may
do everything from fight heart disease and prostate cancer to decrease the risk
for stroke and macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in people
aged 60 and older). Antioxidants soak up damaging free radicals. Lycopene-rich foods also have been shown to
decrease symptoms of wheezing, asthma and shortness of breath in people when
they exercise.
Flash frozen fruits and
vegetables are budget friendly and preserve more nutrient than fresh produce
that has spent time in trucks, warehouses and supermarkets. Canned and cooked
tomatoes have more lycopene than fresh.
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