Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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MSM, which stands for methyl sulfonyl-methane, is actually a naturally occurring compound found in trace amounts in fruits and vegetables. It's long had the reputation of being great for joint health and the pain of arthritis. The key to MSM's abilities as a miracle worker is its high sulfur content, which makes sense when you realize that for centuries people have visited sulfur-rich hot springs for muscle aches and pains.
"From a structural point of view, sulfur is extremely important for maintaining connective tissues and joints," says Jacqueline Jacques, N.D. |
| No one contests the findings—published in the journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases—that people who eat the least amounts of fruits and vegetables are twice as likely to develop inflammation in the joints, which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers found that those who consumed the least amount of vitamin C in their diet had a whopping three times the risk of developing inflammatory arthritis than those who consumed the most. |
| It was a particular problem for anyone separated from fruits and vegetables for long periods of time. Sailors who went on long voyages, for example, were at particular risk. In the 1400s and 1500s, explorers like Magellan and Vasco da Gama would typically lose more than half their crew to the disease.
Then in 1747, James Lind, a ship's surgeon in the British Royal Navy, conducted a "cutting-edge" experiment that proved that lemon juice could prevent the disease. He published his findings in 1753. |
Bill Sardi
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 One study found that when 25 men consumed 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables or an equivalent in plant food concentrates, their antioxidant blood levels rose, but a chemical marker of oxidation was not affected. [British J Nutrition 85: 459-64, 2001] Does this mean humans need far more antioxidants than most optimal diets and supplement regimens provide? Just how many servings of antioxidant-rich plant foods do we need to consume per day?
The NCI has now updated its plant food campaign to 9-a-day. Five servings is "just the bare minimum," the NCI is now saying. But, only 4 % of U.S. |
Erich Grotewold
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 WINKEL
Department of Biological Sciences and Fralin Center for Biotechnology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0346 USA
L INTRODUCTION
Flavonoids have long sparked the interest of scientists and nonscientists alike, largely because these metabolites account for much of the red, blue, and purple pigmentation found in plants and increasingly for their association with the health benefits of wine, chocolate, and generally with diets rich in fruits and vegetables. The flavonoid pathway, illustrated in Figure 3. |
Jack Challem
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 The produce department typically sells mostly organic fruits and vegetables.
• The dairy department will likely have organic milk, cream, and other products.
As always, scrutinize the labels of any packaged food to avoid unwanted ingredients.
Other Types of Food Stores
Depending on where you live, you may have access to Italian, Asian, and other types of ethnic grocery stores, as well as boutique food stores. The selections may be varied, exotic, and full of interesting flavors, but don't ever assume anything about ingredients. Make it a habit to read food labels. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 A recent study demonstrated that a reduced risk of proliferative and atypical breast lesions was associated with consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whereas a small but significant reduction of risk was associated with soy consumption, possibly by decreasing cellular proliferation in the breast tissue.6 Another study examined the effect soy consumption has on breast tissue via direct imaging using breast enhanced scintigraphy (a nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging test). |
| Although the potential toxicity of vitamin A in doses this high makes it an impractical approach to fibrocystic breast disease, it is possible that beta-carotene could be substituted, since it has a similar activity without the side effects of vitamin A, or a diet high in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Beta-Carotene
50,000-150,000 IU daily
Iodine/Thyroid Hormone. It has been known for a long time that for the thyroid gland to secrete thyroxine (its hormone), it requires iodine. |
| Nutrition researchers recommend a 5:1 potassium-to-sodium ratio that is easily accomplished by a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium.
Dietary recommendations in the treatment of hypertension were evaluated by the federal government in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) studies. The DASH diet is high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods and low in saturated and total fats. It is also low in cholesterol but high in fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. |
| High levels of antioxidants, including stearic acid and flavonoids called procyanidins, catechins, and epicatechins, are found not only in chocolate but also in tea, red wine, and various fruits and vegetables. Cocoa is particularly rich in these flavonoids. It is thought that the flavonoids reduce leukotrienes, potent vasoconstrictors, and contain prostacyclins that vasodilate and inhibit blood stickiness.
This benefit is only found in dark chocolate, however. Milk chocolate binds to the antioxidants in chocolate and makes them unavailable. It is also higher in fat content. |
| Include foods known to reduce inflammation such as fish, curries, and garlic and high amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Reduce red meat, especially grain-fed meat.
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Get regular exercise.
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Avoid pesticides, chemicals, solvents, and heavy metals.
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Eat organic foods.
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Drink purified water.
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Maintain good digestion and regular bowel habits.
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Avoid alcohol. liver's ability to break down environmental and naturally occurring estrogen, is worthy of consideration. |
| A diet that maximizes consumption of fruits and vegetables and minimizes dietary fats is beneficial for bone development.
Women older than age 65 who do not eat enough and women who practice frequent dieting
• Osteoporosis-related fractures will develop in almost half of all women older than 65.
• Osteoporosis is a serious and disabling disease and is far easier to prevent than to treat.
• Women with a family history of osteoporosis, and especially hip fractures, are at the highest risk of developing the condition. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Though a large study a few years ago that looked at the effect on smokers of large supplemental dosages of synthetic beta-carotene had disappointing results, there is overwhelming epidemiologic evidence that those who consume three or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily have significantly lower risk of many forms of cancer and heart disease and that the protective association is particularly strong for dietary carotenoids, especially with respect to protection against lung cancer.
Canteloupe also makes a great juice, and if your juicer can handle it, you don't need to remove the skin. |
Erich Grotewold
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| However, the individual antioxidants of these foods studied in clinical trials, including ^-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, do not appear to have consistent preventive effects comparable to the observed health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables (Omennetal, 1996).
It has been reported that fresh apples have potent antioxidant activity; and whole apple extracts inhibit the growth of colon and liver cancer cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner (Eberhardt et al, 2000), suggesting that natural phytochemicals in fresh fruits could be more effective than a dietary supplement. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Increased consumption of high-potassium fruits and vegetables like pumpkin reduces the net acid content of the diet and may help preserve calcium in the bones, where it belongs.
The Choice of Champions
Finally, athletes may need more potassium to replace that which is lost from muscle during exercise and the smaller amount lost in sweat. Low potassium can cause muscle cramping (and cardiovascular irregularities). When clients tell me they have muscle cramps, the first thing I think of is that they're low on minerals, especially potassium, magnesium, and calcium. |
Devra Davis
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 As open sewers stopped flowing into local rivers, refrigeration provided more fresh fruits and vegetables, and workplaces stopped burning wastes in cities, deaths from once fatal infections like tuberculosis and typhoid dropped in industrialized nations. Chronic illnesses also can have broad social roots in both developed and developing countries. Just having the bad luck to grow up in a place downstream from heavy industry can add to this cancer burden. |
Bryan Hanson, PhD
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 Dietary Antioxidants
It is apparent from many studies of humans that the consumption of high levels of fruits and vegetables leads to a lower incidence of such degenerative diseases as cardiovascular problems and cataracts, as well as cancer. A particularly alarming statistic is that people with the lowest fruit and vegetable consumption have about double the rate of cancers of the colon, stomach, esophagus, lung, pancreas, cervix, and ovary, compared to people who consume many fruits and vegetables.31 Dietary antioxidants appear to be responsible for this difference. |
Michael Pollan
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 I don't need to point out that these snacks tend not to consist of fruits and vegetables. (Not even at my nutrition conference.) Or that the portion sizes have swelled or that the snacks themselves consist mainly of cleverly flavored and configured arrangements of refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils, corn sweeteners, and salt.
To counter the rise of the snack and restore the meal to its rightful place, consider as a start these few rules of thumb:
© DO ALL YOUR EATING AT A TABLE. No, a desk is not a table.
ODON'T GET YOUR FUEL FROM THE SAME PLACE YOUR CAR DOES. |
| Nearly a quarter of these additional calories come from added sugars (and most of that in the form of high-fructose corn syrup); roughly another quarter from added fat (most of it in the form of soybean oil); 46 percent of them from grains (mostly refined); and the few calories left (8 percent) from fruits and vegetables.* The overwhelming majority of the calories Americans have added to their diets since 1985—the 93 percent of them in the form of sugars, fats, and mostly refined grains—supply lots of energy but very little of anything else. |
| Who wants to hear, yet again, that you should "eat more fruits and vegetables"?) And so like a large gray cloud, a great Conspiracy of Scientific Complexity has gathered around the simplest questions of nutrition—much to the advantage of everyone involved. Except perhaps the supposed beneficiary of all this nutritional advice: us, and our health and happiness as eaters. For the most important thing to know about the campaign to professionalize dietary advice is that it has not made us any healthier. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Also helpful: Steam or lightly simmer vegetables. Raw fruits and vegetables contain valuable enzymes, and cooking breaks the cell walls, thus increasing the bioavailability of many valuable nutrients.
Examples: To maximize the amount of cancer-fighting lycopene you get from tomatoes, make them into a sauce.
•Protein. On the bioavailability scale, meat, poultry, fish and eggs are among the best sources of protein. |
Ray D. Strand
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 Green harvesting means picking fruits and vegetables before they are mature. Shipping food over long distances requires cold storage and other preservation methods, which allow for depletion of vital nutrients. Our food is also highly processed. For example, the refinement process of our flour to create white bread removes more than twenty-three essential nutrients, magnesium being one of the most important. Our food industry then puts about eight of these nutrients back into our bread and calls it "enriched."
Did you know? |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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 Soluble fiber, which isn't irritating to the bowel, is found in fruits and vegetables, oat bran, barley, beans, and peas. Ingesting foods containing soluble fiber stimulates bowel movements, decreases appetite, and leads to weight loss. One excellent source of soluble fiber is powdered psyllium husk. It is often used for intestinal cleansing because of its superior ability to absorb moisture, lubricate the intestines, and mop up contaminants. Other good sources of soluble fiber are flaxseed, guar gum, and apple pectin. |
Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe
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 This was a Spanish obsession, as was the chronic constipation with which the invaders were afflicted, through a diet which was almost all meat and lard, with few if any fruits and vegetables. The conquistadores searched for native Mexican laxatives as avidly as they did for aphrodisiacs.
Fray Bartolome de las Casas was among the first Dominicans in the Americas, and reviled by his compatriots for his sympathy for the Indians and for his fierce denunciations of the injustices which had been visited upon them by the Spaniards. |
Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
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| Collectively these chemicals are often referred to as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP s) and are used in the production of a variety of foodstuffs including beans, dairy, poultry, cereal grains, and many fruits and vegetables.
While these substances have been banned by both United States law and the Stockholm Convention treaty, (which was independently signed by each of the individual member nations of Codex including the U.S.A.), the Codex Commission itself seems to have little concern about the rampant proliferation of these chemicals in animal feed and byproducts.
Did You Know? |
Jack Challem
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| High-fiber fruits and vegetables also contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
In ancient times, the average person ate 104 grams of fiber daily. Fiber was consumed in many types of plant foods, including greens, root vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Today, official government recommendations call for 20 to 30 grams of fiber daily, but most Americans get only
10 to 20 grams. They're constipated, bloated, and at risk of developing high blood-sugar levels. |
| Several studies have found that organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants compared with commercial nonorganic produce. Organic eggs, chicken, beef, and pork come from animals that have been fed grass, organic grains, and no hormones or antibiotics.
Organic foods do cost more, but they are often fresher and tastier than commercially produced foods. A few years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established standards for the labeling of organic foods. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 Beta-carotene is one of a group of nutrients called carotenoids, antioxidant plant chemicals that lend color to fruits and vegetables. Alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene are also carotenoids. Beta-carotene and alpha-carotene can be turned into vitamin A, which is important for the health of the eyes and the nervous system.
Antioxidants naturally complement one another, and taking one by itself in high doses can actually increase free-radical damage. |
| Eat more raw fruits and vegetables; these contain enzymes helpful for breaking down food and reducing the time it spends in the stomach.
• Eat cranberries or take cranberry extract; this has been found to reduce the invasion of H. pylori.
To Treat Heartburn Naturally:
• Drink fresh juice of potatoes or cabbage (you'll need a vegetable juicer to make this juice), or eat a little raw grated potato.
• Slowly eat a banana, chewing it well.
• Drink some club soda.
• Drink a glass of organic milk or eat a few ounces of plain yogurt. |
| It's well known that five or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables is a known cancer-risk reducer, and this is likely due in part to the fact that these foods are excellent sources of folate. Leafy greens are the best source of all—the name "folate" actually is derived from the word "foliage." Beans, citrus juices, and whole grains are also good sources.
Like vitamin B12, folate is a key player in the synthesis of DNA and in methylation (a biological process that helps DNA resist cancerous changes)—therefore, it's important for cancer prevention. |
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