One color group of fruits and vegetables in the antioxidant family

We’ve all heard by now how important the role of antioxidants are to our overall health, well here’s just one color group of fruits and vegetables, the red ones, and the incredible health “gifts” they each have within them. Remember, every color group carries within them different health benefits!

Many red fruits and veggies are loaded with antioxidants such as lycopene and anthocyanins that may help fight everything from heart disease and prostrate cancer to decreasing the risk of stroke and macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 60 and above. Antioxidants have the ability to ‘soak’ up damaging free radicals before they can do bodily harm.

Beets – in season June through Oct.
What are their health benefits? Beets are one of the root vegetables, and are rich in folate, lycopene, and anthocyanins. A truly powerful antioxidant, anthocyanins "are not just present in all red foods, but also found in blue and purple foods as red and blue makes purple.
Get more by: Adding some beets to add color to plates as a side dish or in salads, soups, or stews. I always keep a container of ‘piclked’ beets in the fridge (I cook my beets, then peel & slice them, when cooled I put them in a container along with sliced onions, cider vinegar, & purified water. Since they will be ‘pickling’ they will keep til they’re gone!

Cherries – in season June & July
What are their health benefits? Their skins are high in fiber, in addition, they’re high in potassium, (good for maintaining a healthy blood pressure), as well as vitamin C.
When you can’t get them fresh, think of dried cherries, add them to a homemade trail mix for a healthy snack, or think frozen and add them to that “Smoothie”. When we buy any organic fresh fruit such as cherries, strawberries, raspberries, etc. when they are close to going beyond ‘perfect’ we always freeze them to add to our daily morning “smoothie”

Cranberries – in season Sept. to Dec.
What are their health benefits? In lab studies cranberries have been shown to facilitate “apoptosis” or cell death of certain cancer cells. They also contribute to urinary tract health by making it more difficult for bacteria to ‘stick’ to the urinary tract walls .Cranberries may even prevent H pylori, the bacteria responsible for many stomach ulcers, from sticking to the walls of the stomach; in addition, cranberries are also high in vitamin C.
Get more by: Having a glass of cranberry juice, or do as my husband and I do, and add them to your morning “smoothie” by putting them in a blender with 8 oz of your choice of “milk” (we prefer plant-based milks like almond, soy, rice or hemp milk), next we add a Tbsp or 2 of golden flax seeds for their “gift” of Omega 3 oils, and then add a scoop of meal replacement protein powder, (we use Juice Plus Complete meal replacement, because we know it has the added benefit of having additional fruits and vegetables in it as well as other beneficial ingredients). We also like to add a banana, then we blend it all together and Voila! It’s breakfast…or lunch….or a pre-sports drink!
And don’t’ forget to add dried cranberries to your fresh salads! If you want some great recipes, e-mail me at: JoiLin@JoiLin4Health.com If you’re a meat eater, try adding them to your stuffing.

Pink Grapefruit – in season May and Oct.
What are their health benefits? When you’re choosing grapefruit, go for color, because pink or red grapefruit have higher levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, they’re also rich in lycopene( where white grapefruit is not). In addition, they’re also a good source of pectin, which helps lower cholesterol.
Get more by: Having half a grapefruit or a glass of pink grapefruit juice with your breakfast, (just be certain to check with your doctor if you're on medication , as grapefruit juice does interfere with some meds. Or try putting grapefruit sections in your fresh salads.

Raspberries – in season Aug. through mid-Oct.
What are their health benefits? All berries contain a high level of antioxidants, and studies have shown that these antioxidants slow the aging process and help to prevent many of the diseases the American public is so prone to getting, including some cancers and heart disease. Red raspberries in particular contain substantial quantities of ellagic acid which is a phenolic compound that has become known as a potent anti-carcinogenic/anti-mutagenic compound. Dark red berries also help stabilize the collagen in the cartilage of major joints. Since we know that cartilage is natures ‘cushion’ in the joint, if we improve the integrity of the cartilage in the joints it makes sense to assume that this will help reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation associated with arthritis. Good news for so many who currently suffer with this disease. In addition these berries contain an abundance of fiber, vitamin C and folate. Fiber is not only good for our colon health, but it also provides health benefits that lower “bad”cholesterol, and stabilizes blood sugar as well. Folate has been shown to help protect against spina bifida, (a birth defect), in addition, studies are now showing that it lowers homocysteine, a protein by-product contributing to heart disease and stroke. And here’s some really good news, the health benefits of raspberries are not lost through cooking, so putting a spoonful or two of red raspberry jam on your whole grain toast in the morning will provide you with almost all the same health benefits as eating them raw…although, I have to admit, the taste of the cooked berries cannot begin to compare to that of the raw ones! These health dynamos also contain salicylic acid and is suspected of having the same protective effect against heart disease as taking an aspirin a day.
Wow! Pass the red raspberries, please!
Add them to: your cereal, your “smoothie”, or to some organic yogurt.

Red Pepper – in season all year round
What are their health benefits? Red peppers are an incredible source of vitamin A, which helps with skin, bones, and teeth. And most people don’t realize that they have as much vitamin C as an orange.
Add them to: salads, soups, and casseroles; try them with a healthy dip. I have a wonderful fresh broccoli salad that calls for red pepper…(e-mail above)

Strawberries – in season May and June
What are their health benefits? Well, to begin with, they’re a good source of folate that contributes to heart health and is especially benificial for women in their childbearing years, as folic acid is known to decrease the risk of certain birth defects, specifically spina bifida. In addition, strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, providing a boost for our immune system.
Try adding them to: Your cereal or to your morning “Smoothie”.
A note about strawberries or any thin-skinned berry: We caution our clients to eat only ORGANIC berries as their skin is such a thin membrane that the insecticides growers use go right through the “skin” and become systemic to the berry, so there is no possibility to “washing” the insecticide off.

Tomatoes – in season throughout the summer months
What are their health benefits? To begin with, they’re a great source of lycopene, contributing to prostate health and protection against prostate cancer; and there is some evidence that they may even help protect against breast cancer. They add to our Heart-healthy Arsenol as they are good sources of potassium and vitamin C as well.
Good ways to increase our tomato consumption: Begin your meal with a tomatoe juice ‘cocktail’, or cook up pasta (whole grain, of course!) and add some marinara or even treat yourself to a vegetable pizza, (making your own assures that you are adding only healthy ingredients). "Unlike most nutrients, lycopene's bio-availability increases when you cook it, so we always want to be certain we add some cooked version of tomatoes to our diet each week. And don’t forget to add some raw tomatoes to your diet as well, add to your salads or simply slice them and have as a side….in the summer, there’s just nothing like sinking your teeth into a warm, ripe tomato fresh off the vine, providing it’s organic of course!

Watermelon – in season May through Sept.
What are their health benefits? It’s a great source of lycopene, and we’ve already learned that lycopene may decrease the risk of heart disease by decreasing LDL cholesterol. Lycopene also decreases the risk for certain cancers, primarily prostate, as well as the risk of macular degeneration. It also improves blood vessel function and lowers stroke risk.
Make watermelon : your sweet treat of choice, as well as a healthy ‘snack’ during the summer months. I put it into my husbands lunch box every day while it’s available in season.

Major Health Tip: Choose Foods for Every Color in the Rainbow
Most children will be able to tell you that the colors of the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Don’t just go for the Red foods. A healthy diet we are told by The American Cancer Association, The American Heart Association, The Center for the Advancement of Cancer Education, and others that we need to eat 9 to 13 fruits and vegetables of every color in the rainbow, everyday, with most of them being in the raw state, in order to support health. The deeper, the darker, and the richer the color, the better.

But for those of us who can’t, won’t or don’t there is a Whole Food Nutritional Supplement called Juice Plus that bridges the gap between what you do eat and what you need to eat to build and maintain health. Juice Plus is 17 tree and vine ripened fruits and vegetables in an easy to take capsule, or chewable or Gummie. For more information go to: www.JoiLin4Health.com