A Foolproof Way to Get Your Five a Day
Winter isn’t known for its abundance of fruits and vegetables—and with local farmer’s markets in short supply, you may find your own veggie intake falling noticeably short. In fact, research has revealed as much as a 12 percent decrease in fruit and vegetable intake in the winter months, when compared to the summer… and it goes without saying that this dietary downturn can have a significant effect on your overall health.1
The unique spectrum of phytochemicals and antioxidants you’ll find in fruits and veggies interact in countless ways to promote vitality and protect your body against free radicals.2-3 Not surprisingly, they’re also major sources of several key nutrients that most people in the U.S. simply aren’t getting enough of—including folate, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K, along with dietary fiber.4 And the toll that this widespread insufficiency is taking on the public health is undeniable, since research clearly shows that a produce-rich diet nurtures just about every critical system in your body—from your cardiovascular function, your blood pressure balance and your cellular health to your blood sugar levels, bone density, vision and lung function.5-13
Still, getting your five a day isn’t always as easy as it sounds—especially when availability is low and you have a vegetable-hating spouse or children at the dinner table. The good news: If inconvenience is interfering with your ability to get an extra serving of broccoli on your plate every night, there are supplements available that can make your efforts a whole lot easier.14
CP’s NanoGreens10™, for example, is a concentrated, comprehensive, antioxidant-containing blend of 27 brightly-colored fruits and vegetables, along with four different green foods—Barley Grass Juice, Spirulina, Chlorella, and Atlantic Kelp. Chief among the many phytochemicals packed into NanoGreens10 is ellagic acid—the active component in pomegranate, which studies have shown can protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation.15 Resveratrol is also featured, which human research reveals can support healthy inflammatory responses and promote ample blood flow to your brain.16-17
In addition to ellagic acid and resveratrol, NanoGreens10 features marigold and milk thistle extracts, standardized to lutein and silymarin—two phytonutrients shown to support eye health and liver health, respectively.18-19 Silymarin has the added benefit of helping to guard your body against glutathione depletion and encouraging this key antioxidant’s production while stimulating bile flow—two essential aspects of your body’s natural detox mechanisms.20-22
Whole fruit concentrates and extracts are another convenient, effective way to get the best benefits that nutrient-packed “superfruits” have to offer—especially high-ORAC antioxidant powerhouses like açai, cranberry, black currant, raspberry, pomegranate, goji and mangosteen. In combination, the unique compounds in each of these fruits work synergistically to deliver comprehensive support to a number of systems—including cardiovascular, brain and immune health.23-25
You’ll find all of these powerful fruits in the single formula Liquid Superfruit Antioxidant—an antioxidant-rich, 14-fruit blend that’s available from Complementary Prescriptions®.
References:
1. Amanatidis S, Mackerras D, Simpson JM. Comparison of two frequency questionnaires for quantifying fruit and vegetable intake. Public Health Nutrition. 2001; 4(2), 233-239.
2. Lock K, Pomerleau J, Causer L, Altmann DR, McKee M. The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruit and vegetables: implications for the global strategy on diet. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;83(2):100-108.
3. Liu RH. Potential synergy of phytochemicals in cancer prevention: mechanism of action. J Nutr. 2004;134(12 Suppl):3479S-3485S.
4. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011 from http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm.
5. Law MR, Morris JK. By how much does fruit and vegetable consumption reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease? Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998;52(8):549-556.
6. Joshipura KJ, Hu FB, Manson JE, et al. The effect of fruit and vegetable intake on risk for coronary heart disease. Ann Intern Med. 2001;134(12):1106-1114.
7. Oude Griep LM, Verschuren WMM, Kromhout D, Ocké MC, Geleijnse JM. Raw and processed fruit and vegetable consumption and 10-year stroke incidence in a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011; 65: 791-799.
8. Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1997;336(16):1117-1124.
9. Block G, Patterson B, Subar A. Fruit, vegetables, and cancer prevention: a review of the epidemiological evidence. Nutr Cancer. 1992;18(1):1-29.
10. Ford ES, Mokdad AH. Fruit and vegetable consumption and diabetes mellitus incidence among U.S. adults. Prev Med. 2001;32(1):33-39.
11. Tucker KL, Hannan MT, Chen H, Cupples LA, Wilson PW, Kiel DP. Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69(4):727-736.
12. Brown L, Rimm EB, Seddon JM, et al. A prospective study of carotenoid intake and risk of cataract extraction in US men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70(4):517-524.
13. Romieu I, Trenga C. Diet and obstructive lung diseases. Epidemiol Rev. 2001;23(2):268-287.
14. Anon. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Functional Foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:735-746.
15. Kuo MY, Ou HC, Lee WJ, et al. Ellagic acid inhibits oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL)-induced metalloproteinase (MMP) expression by modulating the protein kinase C-α/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ/nuclear factor-κB (PKC-α/ERK/PPAR-γ/NF-κB) signaling pathway in endothelial cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2011;59(9):5100-8.
16. Ghanim H, et al. An Antiinflammatory and Reactive Oxygen Species Suppressive Effects of an Extract of Polygonum Cuspidatum Containing Resveratrol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1210/jc.2010-0482.
17. Kennedy DO, et al. Effects of resveratrol on cerebral blood flow variables and cognitive performance in humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91(6):1590-1597.
18. Snodderly DM. Evidence for protection against age-related macular degeneration by carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;62:1448S-61S.
19. Hammond BR Jr, Wooten BR, Snodderly DM, et al. Density of the human crystalline lens is related to the macular pigment carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. Optom Vis Sci 1997;74:499-504.
20. Campos R, Garido A, Guerra R, et al. Silybin dihemisuccinate protects against glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation induced by acetaminophen on rat liver. Planta Med1989;55:417-419.
21. Valenzuela A, Aspillaga M, Vial S, Guerra R. Selectivity of silymarin on the increase of the glutathione content in different tissues of the rat. Planta Med 1989; 55(5):420-2.
22. Blumenthal M. Herbal Medicine, Expanded Commission E Monographs, 1st ed. Austin: American Botanical Council; 2000.
23. Stowe CB. The effects of pomegranate juice consumption on blood pressure and cardiovascular health. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 May;17(2):113-5.
24. Ho YS, Yu MS, Lai CS, So KF, Yuen WH, Chang RC. Characterizing the neuroprotective effects of alkaline extract of Lycium barbarum on beta-amyloid peptide neurotoxicity. Brain Res. 2007 Jul 16;1158:123-34.
25. Furusawa E, Hirazumi A, Story S, Jensen J. Antitumour potential of a polysaccharide-rich substance from the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) on sarcoma 180 ascites tumour in mice. Phytother Res. 2003 Dec;17(10):1158-64.
|
