A Guide to Fruits & Veggies

       While any given fruit or vegetable has perhaps hundreds of useful vitamins and nutrients, no single fruit or veggie contains everything your body needs for good health. This makes it important to eat from all the main fruit/veggie categories throughout the week. In this blog, as promised, I have provided a list of these major categories. Fortunately, memorizing them is not necessary as the foods within each category tend to be similarly colored. With that in mind, it is often said as a simplified rule to “paint your diet with color.” That is, eat vegetables and fruits of different colors (e.g. reds, greens, purples, and oranges). This will ensure you are eating across the various fruit/veggie categories and in turn getting all the benefits these foods have to offer! 

The List

• Crucifer Family - Includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress. These are excellent sources of isothiocyanates, indoles, thiocyanates, and nitriles, which protect against some cancers.

• Melon/Squash Family - Includes cucumbers, summer squashes such a zucchini and pumpkin, winter squashes such as acorn and butternut, as well as cantaloupes and honeydew melons.

• Legume Family – Includes alfalfa sprouts, beans, peas, and soybeans. These foods have plenty of fiber, folate, and protease inhibitors, which protect against heart disease and cancer.

• Lily Family - Includes asparagus, chives, garlic, leeks, onions and shallots. These have sulfur-containing compounds, especially allicin and diallyl sulfate, that may fight cancer.

• Citrus Family - Grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines. These are high in vitamin C as well as the compounds limonene and coumarin, which have been shown to have anticancer properties in laboratory animals.

• Solanum Family - Eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes. These are high in lycopene, a type of antioxidant that may protect against prostate and other cancers.

• Umbels Family - Carrots, celeriac, celery, parsley, and parsnips. Carrots are excellent source of beta-carotene, which the body uses to produce vitamin A. In general, carotenoids may help against cancers or heart disease as well as maintain memory into old age.

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                                                                                              -Shahir Masri, M.S.

A Word on Fruit & Veggie Blends

        Since fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients, they are regarded as an excellent way to meet our calorie needs. What’s more, given their low calorie density compared to many other foods, they can fill you up without fattening you up! This is true with an important exception. In recent years, awareness of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables has manifested into the trend of blending these foods into tasty heath smoothies and shakes. This is excellent in terms of delivering needed nutrients into the body. In terms of total health, however, this is not the best dietary plan as it can translate to weight gain. How, you ask? Simple.
            Blending food into fluids usually results in consuming more calories than you would otherwise eat. That is, our bodies have indicators that tell us when we’re full based on calorie intake. However, these indicators are not immediate since our stomachs don’t immediately absorb what goes down the hatch. They take time. This is where the health recommendation of eating slowly comes from. Eating slowly gives the body time to realize fullness, or satiety, often limiting calorie intake. Well, eating blended food is essentially the very opposite of eating slowly. When we drink a smoothie, we begin dumping a whole bunch of calories into the body before giving it a chance to tell us we’re full. You can observe this firsthand by simply sitting down and attempting to eat the ingredients that go into a typical large veggie/fruit blend or smoothie. While easy to drink, in their unblended form the ingredients will likely fill you up before you can finish them all…the apple, the banana, the carrots, the kale, etc. And maybe the blended drink is only one part of a larger meal.

         What’s more, while veggies/fruits are high in beneficial nutrients, blending them increases their glycemic index, meaning that they rapidly release simple sugars into the body. This leads to insulin spikes and the over absorption of blood glucose which means that you do not stay full for as long a period before craving another meal, not to mention increases your risk of diabetes. In brief, fruit and veggie blends, while tasty and great for delivering nutrients, can be dangerous from a weight gain standpoint. So if your New Year resolution involves weight loss, eat lots of fruits and veggies, but think twice before blending them. Instead, eat them in their whole forms.

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                                                                                Shahir Masri, M.S.

Healthy Eating Tip #5 – Fruits & Veggies

“Vegetables and fruits are essential ingredients in almost every cuisine. If you let them play starring roles in your diet, they will reward you with many benefits besides great taste, terrific textures, and welcome variety. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will lower your blood pressure, decrease your chances of having a heart attack or stroke, help protect you against a variety of cancers, guard against constipation and other gastrointestinal problems, and limit your chances of developing age-related problems like cataracts and macular degeneration, the most common causes of vision loss among people over age sixty-five. I’ve plucked potatoes out of the vegetable category and put them in the “Use Sparingly” category because of the dramatic effects on levels of blood sugar and insulin.”

              Dr. Walter Willett

              Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

          This quote highlights important advice that I think we’ve forgotten in today’s society. A reminder that the old dinnertime rule to “finish all your veggies” was not just a senseless act of parental authoritarianism. Yet it is easy to forget or downplay this important health message, particularly in the face of French fries, hamburgers, sugary desserts, and other mouthwatering foods, often processed to please our pallets. But let the message ring, because eating plentiful fruits and vegetables truly is a critical part of health and longevity. While pharmaceutical companies toil for the next magical pill and holistic doctors hail at the latest herbal remedy, the most repeatedly proven “pill” to better your health and extend your life remains good old fashion fruits and vegetables. These basic and abundant foods are packed with vitamins, antioxidant, fiber, and a number of other nutrients that protect against several forms of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic disease.

           Not long ago, a meta-study which analyzed and summarized a number of previous dietary studies found that people in the top tier of fruit and vegetable consumption (about 5 servings/day) were 15% less likely to have a heart attack than those in the bottom tier. This is after controlling for a number of other key variables such as gender, age, smoking status, etc. Additionally, among the more than 100,000 people enrolled in the Nurse’s Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, eating a similar amount per day was associated with a 30% lower risk of stroke. Eating just a single extra serving per day of fruits or vegetables decreased the chances of stroke by 6%. These are profound health benefits! Dr. Willett actually suggests eating about 9 servings/day. Admittedly, this is not easy, and I too fall short of this. But the general message is clear. Eat your fruits and veggies everyone!

              Keep in mind that while any given fruit/veggie has perhaps hundreds of useful vitamins and nutrients, no single fruit or vegetable contains everything your body needs for good health. This makes it important to eat from all the main fruit/veggie categories throughout the week. In my next blog, I will provide a list of these major categories, helping to guide your healthy eating! Also, the blending of fruits/veggies into shakes and smoothies has recently become a popular health trend. While delicious, there is an important disadvantage to delivering foods to the body in this way. This too will be discussed in my next blog. Stay tuned! And until then, happy holidays! 

         
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                                                                                 Shahir Masri, M.S. 

Healthy Eating Tip #4 – The Perfect Protein

“In the Healthy Eating Pyramid, red meat occupies the pointy tip to highlight the fact that something about red meat—its particular combination of saturated fats or the potentially cancer-causing compounds that form when red meat is grilled or fried—is connected to a variety of chronic diseases. In this pyramid, the best sources of protein are beans and nuts along with fish, poultry, and eggs. It separates vegetable and animal protein sources and makes the latter optional for people who want to follow a vegetarian diet.”

              Dr. Walter Willett

              Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Red meat is associated with chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. That said, substitutes for red meat such as those described above will lead to substantial improvements in your health, thanks in large part to lower saturated fat. To clear up discussions of meat versus vegetarianism, YES you can get all your needed protein without consuming meat. And evidence does not suggest that meat protein is superior to plant protein. Meat is, however, a better source of complete protein. So if you’re a vegetarian, be sure to eat a variety of beans, nuts, grains, and vegetables alike to ensure that you complete your protein intake. Examples of plant protein combinations that complete each other are commonplace in society such as rice and bean, peanut butter and bread, and tofu and rice.

Meat eaters and vegetarians should both keep in mind the importance of eating seafood. Seafood is low in “bad” saturated fats and high in “good” unsaturated fats, especially a type known as omega-3s. Particularly if you eat red meat, a switch to fish will have profound positive effects on your cholesterol, reducing your risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases. Seafood is a major source of two essential omega-3s called DHA and EPA that play an especially important role in the development of brain and eye tissue, as well as reducing cardiovascular disease and improving immune health. In other words, eat seafood! When you select seafood from the market, however, there are important factors to consider. In the section that follows, I have highlighted these considerations. For those who refuse seafood, you can skip out on the next section, but don’t skip out on DHA and EPA. At least take a fish oil supplement to obtain these essential nutrients.

Wise Seafood Selection

Most important to selecting seafood at the market is mercury and omega-3 content. This is particularly important if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Fortunately, choosing seafood with low mercury is not difficult as many guidelines highlight the best species to eat. Unfortunately, guidelines that also specify omega-3 content are harder to come by. In an earlier blog, however, I constructed such guidelines, which can be viewed here. Also, as many fisheries are under extreme pressure due to overfishing, you should try your best to select fish that are caught sustainably. For guidelines on choosing sustainable fish, visit SeaFood Watch.

In Dr. Willett’s quote above, he mentioned the cancer-causing chemicals formed when cooking red meat. For more info on this, see my earlier blog titled "Barbequed Meat: A Health Tip."

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                                                                                               Shahir Masri, M.S. 

Healthy Eating Tip #3 – Whole Grains for Whole Health

“For almost twenty years our research team has been one of several groups studying the health effects of foods made from refined and intact grains. The result of this work is compelling. Eating lots of carbohydrates that are quickly digested and absorbed increases levels of blood sugar and insulin, raises levels of triglycerides, and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol [good cholesterol]. Over the long run, these changes lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In contrast, eating whole grain foods is clearly better for long-term good health and offers protection against diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and gastrointestinal problems such as diverticulosis and constipation. Other research around the world points to the same conclusions.”

                            Dr. Walter Willett

                            Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Whole grains are such an important part of the diet, which most people don’t realize. Since I’ve written previously on the benefits of eating whole grains, however, I will avoid going into detail here and instead refer you to my previous blog post for more information! Check it out at: http://shahirmasri.blogspot.com/2011/11/whole-grain-whats-all-fuss.html

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                                                                                                        Shahir Masri, M.S.

Fats - Not Created Equal

To expand on Dr. Willett’s quote from my last blog, we’ve often heard that fat is bad. Simple as that. However, this is not true and is never what the science showed, but was rather a tragic oversimplification of the science. Saturated fat was the culprit contributing to increased disease and mortality. But other fats, such as mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, were, and still are, shown to be healthy for you. Importantly, I am not saying these fats are “not as bad” for you. I am saying they are in fact healthy for you. Like a fruit or a vegetable, they actually contribute in many ways to health and longevity. Such fats play integral roles in regulating cholesterol, protecting nerves, building hormones, controlling blood clotting, and more. Without diving too deep into the literature on fats, it is worth noting that the reputable Nurses’ Health Study has shown that replacing 5% of total calories as saturated fat with unsaturated fat reduces the risk of heart attack or death from heart disease by 40%. This is no small reduction! Also, in the Seven Countries study from long ago, the country with the lowest rate of heart disease (Crete) had the highest average total fat intake, mostly from olive oil. This is because not all fats are created equal. There are good fats and bad fats. Saturated and trans-fats are the bad ones, so avoid them when you can!

To help you at the grocery store, I have provided a list below that includes the most common sources of good and bad fats. This list also appears in Dr. Willett’s book, which I described a couple blogs ago. Some of these items are probably obvious, while others may be surprising.

Good Fat (Poly- and Mono-Unsaturated Fat)

• Peanuts, cashews, peanut butter, and most other nuts
• Avocadoes, corn, soybeans, and olives
• Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, and corn oil
• Fish

Bad Fat (Saturated Fat)

• ·       Whole milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream
•      Red meat
•      Chocolate
•      Coconuts, coconut milk, and coconut oil

Bad Fat (Tans-Fat)
*Mostly banned now, but may still pop up in restaurants from the following sources.

• ·       Most margarines
•      Vegetable shortenings and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
•      Deep fried chips and French fried
•      Many fast foods and commercial baked goods

While often favored for its multi-purpose uses ranging from cosmetics to cooking, note that coconut oil is actually lumped into the “bad fat” category next to cheese, butter, and red meat. So while they may be fine to apply as skin or hair cosmetics, from a dietary standpoint most coconut products are major sources of saturated fat and therefore should be eaten sparingly. An exception is coconut water sold at the store. Most of these drinks have been processed to remove the fat. Though if you’re unsure, you can always check the nutrition label on the back of the product.  

A word on fat-free products

It is important to realize that most non-fat products maintain good flavor by simply replacing fats with sugars. And this is not necessarily a good thing. It fact, it is often bad. First, you may be replacing good fats with empty sugars calories, as is often the case with non-fat salad dressing where healthy oils have been replaced with nutritionally deprived sugars. In other cases, such as milk and cheese, low- or fat-free options make sense. Second, non-fat products, while lower in fat, often contain the same or more in total calories. And importantly, carbohydrates (sugars) increase weight just as effectively as fats. Third, eating refined sugar leads to insulin spikes in the blood that don’t occur when eating fat. Finally, eating non-fat products can have the unintended effect of making the consumer think they can eat more of that product, since it’s fat free, ultimately resulting in higher calorie intake and weight gain. So be careful when you choose “fat-free.” 

If you found this article informative, please support me by joining my blog!  Simply click the “join this site” button at the top right of the page, log in using your Yahoo, Google, or Twitter account, and click “follow publicly.”  Thanks!!

                                                                                             Shahir Masri, M.S.

Healthy Eating Tip #2 – Choose the Right Fats

“Fats from nuts, seeds, grains, fish and liquid oils (including olive, canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils) are good for you, especially when you eat them in place of saturated and trans fat. The all-fat-is-bad message has started a huge national experiment, with us as the guinea pigs. As people cut back on fat, they usually eat more carbohydrates. In America today, that means more highly refined or easily digested foods like sugar, white bread, white rice, and potatoes. This switch usually fails to yield the hoped-for weight loss or lower cholesterol levels. Instead it often leads to weight gain and potentially dangerous changes in blood fats—lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good protective cholesterol, and higher triglycerides (a major type of blood fat). Substituting unsaturated fats for saturated fats, though, improves cholesterol levels across the board. It may also protect the heart against rhythm disturbances that can end in sudden death. The bottom line is this: It is perfectly fine to get more than 30% of your daily calories from fats as long as most of those fats are unsaturated. The Healthy Eating Pyramid (below) highlights the importance of keeping saturated and trans fats to a minimum by putting red meat, whole-milk dairy products, butter, and hydrogenated vegetable oils in the “Use Sparingly” section at the top.”

                                                          

                       Dr. Walter Willett

                       Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

I will expand on this quote by discussing more on fats in my next blog later this week! Until then, here is Dr. Willett's Healthy Eating Pyramid, an improvement from the outdated USDA pyramid. 

If you found this article informative, please support me by joining my blog!  Simply click the “join this site” button at the top right of the page, log in using your Yahoo, Google, or Twitter account, and click “follow publicly.”  Thanks!!

                                                                                             Shahir Masri, M.S.