Flavonoid Rich Foods Fight Heart Disease and Emerge as Disease
Fighting Stars
Purple grape juice is a great way to help fight
against common diseases such as cancer, arthritis and cardiovascular
disease. With one glass a day of this tasty beverage, flavonoids,
powerful antioxidants, rush in and help the body stay healthy in its
fight against disease.
According to Liz Pearson, a leading Canadian dietitian, it's easy
to get flavonoids working for you with some simple diet choices
and adding plenty of color and taste in the process. Pearson recently
completed an extensive review of published research in this area
and presented a summary of what she found to colleagues at the Dietitians
of Canada Annual Conference.
According to Pearson, a number of major studies provide evidence
of the role of specific foods in health maintenance. For example,
a major study concluded purple grape juice consumed daily for two
weeks by people with heart disease nearly tripled the ability of
arteries to widen, thereby boosting blood flow.
Foods Rich in flavonoids are Easy and Enjoyable to Add to Your
Everyday Diet.
Below, Liz Pearson has identified a number of key food sources
of flavonoids that are readily available to Canadians.
| 1.
Color rules |
Five to ten brightly colored fruits and vegetables daily
are the way to go.
Look for deep purples, bold blues and rich reds.
A daily glass of purple grape juice is brimming with flavonoids.
|
 |
Throw blueberries on
your morning cereal.
An apple a day is as good advice as ever, but make sure
you eat the peel. |
| 2. Make tea time anytime
|
 |
Enjoy three to six cups of black or green tea throughout
the day.
Keep in mind that decaffeinated tea has as much as 50 per
cent less flavonoids than regular tea. |
| 3. Kick it up with spice |
Boost your flavonoids and treat your taste buds by adding
herbs, spices, hot peppers and onions when cooking.
Cinnamon is a star so sprinkle it on your apple slices, add
it to smoothies, and use it in baked goods. |
 |
| 4. Slip in some soy |
 |
Have one to two servings of soy each day.
Whip it up in a smoothie with frozen berries or snack on
a quarter cup of roasted soy nuts. |
| 5. Go nuts but don't
go crazy |
| Enjoy a small handful of nuts each day. Hazelnuts, pecans,
pistachios and almonds contain the most flavonoids. |
 |
| 6. Invite a grape to dinner |
 |
Consider a glass of red wine with dinner.
If alcohol isn't for you have purple grape juice instead. |
| 7. Leave room for chocolate |
| Savour three small squares (15g) of premium chocolate as a
special daily treat. Dark chocolate, because it contains more
cocoa, is your best choice. - |
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