If it looks inviting, then it must be nutritious. In the plant kingdom, fruits and vegetables are presented in such a colorful and appealing manner that you cannot help but look, touch, and finally eat.

 

We are so easily guided by the color palette of nature that oftentimes, we tend to overlook its significance.

 

Overprocessed food laced with preservatives, coloring and artificial flavoring will contribute nothing to one’s health. In fact, one thing is certain: daily consumption of “empty calories,” as they are called, will eventually lead to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

 

Thus, consider being led by nutritional value rather than palatable appeal. This paradigm shift will program a new kind of behavior. Understand that the garbage you consume gets absorbed in the body.

 

These unwanted and toxic substances which make food taste and look good aren’t exactly the healthiest. They lodge into your system, and the catch-basin is normally the liver. Doctors generally look at this organ first when a patient is ill.

 

Enlist an army of free-radical fighters. Raise a formidable defense against inflammation caused by free radical damage through antioxidants.

 

Why the need to fight inflammation? Because it is the foundation of disease. Control inflammation and you get sick less often.

Nutritional content

Vary everyday food, from herbs to spices, fruits and vegetables. It will help you feel better.

 

Every food has nutritional content. The value of nutritious food is its ability to strengthen the immune system. This belief in the power contained in food led the National Institute of Health in the United States to determine the Orac (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value—a way of measuring the antioxidant potency in food.

 

Beginning today, you will add a dash or more of cinnamon in your coffee or fruits, sip a bit of oregano and ginger tea, include garlic cloves in your recipes, mix cilantro and curry in your cooking while throwing in cumin, eat dark chocolate daily, and expand your spice cabinet with sage, basil, parsley, chili, tarragon, paprika, mustard seed, thyme.

A glass of red wine

Once or twice daily, you will have a glass of red wine, and snack on walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. You will also enjoy prunes, apples and yes, indulge in a peanut butter sandwich.

 

Your new grocery list will be longer as you buy more green leafy vegetables, broccoli, lentils and kidney beans.

 

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is hailed by scientists as the best way to fight disease. The recommended dose is five servings a day. This is the barest minimum.

 

 

In truth, it may take 10 servings to achieve the ideal antioxidant protection level.

 

To supercharge your intake of all things good, consider taking berries. The guiding principle is simple: the darker or more richly-colored the berries (together with the brightly colored fruits and vegetables), the better.

 

Berries contain anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids which, according to studies, may even inhibit cancer, especially the reproduction of leukemia cells (www.lifeextensionmagazine.com).

 

Your perfect berry mix could include blueberry, cherry, strawberry, raspberry.

Açai

To date, açai, the fruit of the açai palm from the Amazon forest, ranks highest in the fruit kingdom. Sometimes dubbed the king of berries, it is lauded by natural-medicine and health experts as being number one in terms of power to absorb free radicals.

 

Thus, in Orac value, it is the health drink of choice for wellness enthusiasts. What is inspiring many believers is that it has improved the quality of life for those with health challenges, from heart problems and hypertension to hyperacidity, fatigue and loss of libido.

 

Açai is right up there in the list of top 100 superfoods, ranked with spices and herbs like clove, turmeric, oregano and cinnamon, with Orac from 200,000-350,000, with açai and cocoa powder within the 100,000 and up range.

 

It is important to note, however, that the nutrients contained in açai should be extracted from the pulp and skin, either fresh or in powder form like the brand Organique, imported from the United States, and now available in the Philippines. (Call 4703580.)

 

It isn’t just an apple a day that keeps the doctor away. Add açai to your wellness prescription. If you take it before meals, you will feel completely energized and revitalized.

 

Dieters are happy about its slimming effects when taken on an empty stomach, because it jumpstarts the metabolism.

 

This week’s affirmation: “It is my birthright to be healthy and happy.”

 

Love and light!

 

(Sources: modernsurvivalblog.com superfoodly.com)

 

E-mail the columnist: [email protected].